If your phone is lost or stolen, deal with safety and security before shopping for another handset. Borrow a trusted person's phone or use another trusted device. Ask for help with the calls if you cannot manage device controls and household arrangements at the same time.

If there is immediate danger or a crime is in progress, call 999. Do not confront somebody because a tracking map shows your phone nearby. Give location information to the police. A location marker is not a safe recovery plan.

Use the supported lost-device controls

Open the manufacturer's service by typing its address yourself or following its official support page. Avoid a link sent by somebody claiming to have found the phone. Use your own account, not the account of the person lending you a device.

For an iPhone

Use Find My on another trusted Apple device or iCloud.com/find. Choose Mark as Lost. Apple says this route needs no verification code. If Find My was not enabled before theft, it cannot lock or erase the phone. Secure your Apple Account instead.

Keep a stolen iPhone in Find My after erasing it to preserve Activation Lock. Removing it from your Apple Account is a different action; follow Apple's instructions.

For an Android phone

Use Google's Find Hub guidance to find the device and select Mark as lost. The service is available through android.com/find or the Find Hub app. On a friend's Android device, use its guest sign-in option.

Google lists requirements for remote securing and erasing, including power, a connection and the necessary account and Find Hub settings. A last known location does not prove the phone can receive a lock command now. Check the status shown by the service rather than assuming an instruction has taken effect.

For an accidentally lost device, consider a limited message only if the service supports it; an alternative number needs its owner's permission. For a stolen iPhone, Apple says not to include contact information, because thieves may use it for social engineering. Never display a home access code, password or account recovery information.

Contact the mobile provider promptly

Report the loss or theft to your mobile provider using its official contact route. Ask it to bar the SIM and discuss blocking the handset using its IMEI, the device identifier. If you use an eSIM, say so and ask for its replacement process.

Ofcom's lost-phone advice warns that unauthorised use can create charges before the report. You do not need to wait for a replacement handset or a police reference to contact the provider. Ask for confirmation and keep the case reference.

Ask how to retain your existing number, which identity checks apply and how you will receive updates without the old phone. Replacing the SIM does not itself restore app data, passwords or authenticator access. Record those as separate recovery tasks.

Protect money and sensitive accounts

If the phone was stolen, unlocked or accessible to somebody else, tell banks and other financial providers whose services were on it. Describe what happened and follow their instructions for restricting access. Use a number from a bank card or an independently opened official website.

The Metropolitan Police's phone-theft advice recommends contacting financial providers, changing sensitive account passwords and ending account sessions. Its advice is published by London's police force. Follow your local force's reporting process for the incident itself.

Give priority to email and the Apple or Google account, because they may be part of other account recovery processes. Use each provider's security controls to review sessions, recovery details and changes you did not make. If you cannot sign in, use the provider's official account recovery process rather than a paid "unlock" contact in a message.

Tell close contacts that the phone is missing and give them a temporary way to reach you. Ask them to verify unexpected requests for money through that agreed route. Keep a record of suspicious transactions or sign-in notices and report them to the relevant provider.

Restore today's household tasks

Make a short list of what must happen before a replacement arrives. Work by consequence. A school collection or time-sensitive care visit takes priority over restoring photographs.

What depended on the phone?Arrange another route
Family contact or a collection.Telephone the person or organisation and confirm who is coming and how they can reach you.
A digital travel ticket.Contact the operator about its recovery or replacement rules before travelling.
Payment for essential shopping.Identify a physical card, available cash or trusted help, and contact the bank if access is blocked.
Prepayment energy top-ups.Contact the supplier for an alternative supported payment route.
Home access or a booked service.Contact the responsible provider or authorised person and confirm another access arrangement.

These are questions to resolve, not promises that a screenshot, booking email or borrowed device will be accepted. A transport operator's rules may differ between ticket types. For disrupted journeys, use the guide to getting home when trains stop alongside the operator's instructions.

If energy credit is running low, use the prepayment meter troubleshooting guide rather than waiting for the mobile account to recover. Your emergency documents and cash records may help you find account references and contact details.

Report theft and decide about erasure

Report theft to your local police and keep the reference. For a non-emergency, use the local force's online reporting service or 101. Police.uk explains when to use emergency and non-emergency reporting. If the phone is lost rather than stolen, check the relevant lost-property service, such as the venue or transport operator. Do not describe a loss as theft to obtain a reference.

Tell your insurer promptly if you have relevant cover and check its evidence requirements. Keep the device identifier, provider reference and any police reference together. Coverage and claim conditions depend on the policy.

Remote erasure is a separate decision from locking. Follow the manufacturer's instructions and consider what data you can recover. Google warns that a factory reset removes the device from Find Hub and may not erase an SD card. Apple says an offline erase waits until the device reconnects. Do not treat a pending erase as completed protection.

Apple also warns that it will not contact you to say a stolen device has been found. Keep account credentials and verification codes private, even when a message appears to know the phone's location.

Recover access without relying on the missing device

Use another trusted signed-in device or the account provider's supported recovery route. Do not assume a new SIM supplies every second factor. Ask the provider what to do if sign-in approval still goes to the missing handset.

Our offline documents and recovery guide covers backup codes and access arrangements for future losses. Once your accounts are secure, restore one essential service at a time and check it works. Sign out of borrowed devices and remove any temporary files you downloaded.

Record the temporary contact route and outstanding tasks in your household emergency plan. Check that the people who need it can reach you before considering the incident resolved.

Explore the household hub for related plans for interrupted everyday services.

Sources

Sources checked 5 November 2026. Device controls depend on model, software, settings and account access.