We were able to go from a sleeping screen to the desktop in about a second. Selecting a carrier-neutral source, such as Apple's iCloud, Android's Google +, or Microsoft's OneDrive will make it easier to retrieve your precious memories should your next phone be from a different carrier. [Have a tech question? According to a Consumer Reports article, the number of stolen phones dropped from 3.1 million in 2013 to 2.1 in 2014 as kill switches became popular. You’ll see a warning that the next step will erase all your media and data, followed by a red Erase button. Try dialing #06#. But what do you do if you fall victim to phone theft? Here you’ll find options to ring the phone very loudly (even if it’s muted), lock it with a new and much harder password, or wipe all of your data. I’ll stick to Android here, although the basic information, if not the exact instructions, should work with any phone or tablet. The first 5 gigabytes are free, but you can buy more for an annual fee: 15GB for $20; 25GB for $40; and 50GB for 100. If your phone, tablet, or laptop is lost or stolen, follow these steps to help secure your device. On Android phones, you'll find the Auto Backup option in Google+ settings, after tapping the Google icon under Accounts in the phone's Settings menu. Here are key actions to take. This number is associated with the phone itself, not you. (Even with Touch ID enabled, you should still use a strong passcode.) Unlike other identifying information stored on the phone’s removable SIM card, these numbers are etched into its circuits and difficult to alter. The software enables you to remotely contact your mobile and stay in control. Your cell carrier already has this 15-digit number on file, and may be able to use it to put the phone on a missing phone list. In my informal tests, printing my e-mail address in a small font and taping it on with a small strip of shipping tape worked well on phones with smooth metal or plastic surfaces. These offer two pre-installed photo or video backup options: My Photo Stream and iCloud Backup, both of which are part of the iCloud constellation of services. On iPhones and Windows phones, you can access settings after launching the Google+ app. (Before doing that, though, check the backups on your computer or cloud service to make sure that you have copies of all the irreplaceable photos and videos on your phone.) These days more and more companies are adopting Android, Windows Phone and iPhone instead. On a Samsung Galaxy Note 4, you find the field under Settings > Device > Lock Screen > Show Information > Additional Information. Here's how you can keep strangers from accessing your personal information, safely back up and retrieve the photos and videos you've stored in the device, and, with a little luck, increase your chances of recovering your phone. I’ll assume you already set up a password, PIN, or pattern lock, and that your data is backed up. Tape a tiny note on the back of your phone with your e-mail address or a work number (You don't want to give a potential burglar your home number). In 2015, the FCC estimated that one million phones are stolen each year, and with several devices starting to hit the $1,000 mark now, these numbers are sure to rise. These options often appear when you set up the phone for the first time, though you can always activate them later. Snuko works on Blackberry, iPhone and Android devices but the Android version seems to … This is your first and strongest line of defense. For Android phones (and iPhones if you download the Google+ app, or Windows phones if you get the Google Station app), Google Drive gives you 15GB of free storage for photos and videos (full size photos can be no larger than 100 MB and videos no longer than 15 minutes or saved at a resolution higher than 1080p). On phones with rubbery or rough surfaces, neatly write that info, using a fine-point permanent marker, on a small strip of duct or electrical tape, which cling better to such surfaces. A security firm, SRLabs, recently demonstrated how a determined thief with the proper equipment can defeat Activation Lock in some cases. But if you erase the contents of your phone, that message will disappear. For example, one of the recently published solutions for Symbian and Android is Theft Aware; others provide Windows Mobile or Blackberry support (GadgetTrak). and change your passwords. If it's not close enough for you to reach within the next few minutes, push the erase button. Here's how to stop them in their tracks. In Settings, look for a submenu named Backup Options, Privacy, Accounts, or something similar. The feature, called Activation Lock, is built into iOS 7 and automatically enabled when you set up the Find My iPhone feature. For the app to be useful, the phone must be turned on and have a cellular or Wi-Fi connection. Nothing is foolproof. The best apps to secure or find your lost or stolen Android phone. To take advantage of this, you need to install a special free app that we’ll describe below, which works together with a free service that you can use to locate or erase the phone once it’s gone. If that doesn’t work (it didn’t with me), go to Settings > About device/phone > Status > IMEI information. If it's nearby, have the phone ring. PCWorld helps you navigate the PC ecosystem to find the products you want and the advice you need to get the job done. Security starts with securing the front door. It has photos of the places you've been and people in your life. I know, it's so simple. You can typically find either number on the phone box or in your phone's settings menu. On a Nexus 6P, for example, you go to Settings > Security > Lock screen message. Save thousands off MSRP with upfront dealer pricing information and a transparent car buying experience. Get Ratings on the go and compare while you shop, Privacy note: We won't use your friend's e-mail for anything other than sending this message. The sooner they know, the easier it will be to dispute unauthorized account activities. The iPhone 5S's Touch ID fingerprint reader, built into its Home button, is designed to do away with this drudgery. You'll find an IMEI number on all phones from GSM carriers such as AT&T and T-Mobile, and so-called world phones from CDMA carriers such as Verizon and Sprint. The MEID is comparable; you can find it the same way you find an IMEI. PCWorld Location tracking (GPS) also must be enabled in order to find the phone on a map, but probably isn’t required to erase the phone’s contents. Even if you haven’t taken protective measures ahead of time, you may still be able to locate a lost or stolen phone—assuming you have a Google account and use it on the phone. Put a strong passcode This is the first step to keeping your phone secure. The number should pop up on your screen. It also has a record of what you posted on Facebook or bought from Amazon, where you bank, and which restaurants you like. Wipe it anyway. How you do this will differ from phone to phone. To reset an iPhone, go to Settings, then General, then Reset. Don’t underestimate the importance of the so-called “kill switch,” which makes a stolen phone useless by requiring a password to perform a factory reset. Enter a message asking the finder to call a certain phone number (obviously not your cellphone). Check this detailed price and feature information about each of these services and some competing cloud services. It is also often found printed on or under the phone’s battery.You can find your phone's IMEI by dialing *#06#. Less-common nonworld phones from Verizon and Sprint have a different ID number called a mobile equipment identifier, or MEID. In addition to reporting … And you're going to be concerned because that phone holds a pocket-sized summary of your digital life. Should your phone be lost or stolen, visit Google’s Device Manager page. Password protection comes with another safeguard: After several unsuccessful tries to enter a passcode, typically 10, some phones will automatically erase all of your personal data. Phone Security: 20 Ways to Secure Your Mobile Phone Every bit of sensible information and access now fits in the palm of our hands, inside our smartphones. Contact the police. Google made this a default feature with Android Lollipop. Step 1: Secure your lost phone, tablet, or Chromebook By ... the ability to find your missing phone. If your phone provides this option, activate it. The Anti-Theft feature in Avast Mobile Security allows you to connect to your device if it is lost or stolen and execute several commands remotely from your Avast Account.