Here is the collection of various Tips written by me. Enjoy

Learned few important lessons about losing iPhone. I was lucky, my iphone is now in my possession.

 The below tips will only work if the thief did not turn off the phone immediately and did not removed the SIM card.  

  1. Most important step: install free app from app store, called “Find My Phone”. Enable it to have it “on”. Do not delay – install it NOW. Thank me later.

  • Your next step is to enable Passcode. Go to “Settings”, choose “Passcode”, enter 4 numbers. In my case, my numbers spell out particular word.

  • Backup your pictures. And everything you consider important. Do it now.

  • When iPhone dissapears, do not loose any minute. Login from any device to http://icloud.com/find. In my case, it was iPad tracking my iPhone

  • If you are lucky, you will be able to see your device with status “Online” and its current location. Your first step must be pressing “Lock” on “Find my

    phone” app. This will immediately lock the phone at that current screen. Using same app, quickly zoom into the location of your found

    device and take a screenshot. To make a screen shot press your “Power on” button together with “Home button” (big round

    button). From now on, you will be able to track your iphone through all its locations. App is awesome: it gives you multiple choices to

    view and also very accurate – it can pin exact house or apartment on that app map.

  • You also have an option at this point to erase everything on your iPhone. Its your decision and its a hard one, if you don't have a backup or

    icloud backup. See #3 :)
  • Call your cell provider immediately and ask

    - iPhone serial number. You will need it in for police report. You can also put an add on craigslist that the iPhone is stollen with that serial number

    - ask them to blacklist the device. This way they wont be able to sell or use it in USA.

    - you can also ask to temporarily shut down the service on your iPhone BUT THIS WILL STOP TRACKING YOUR DEVICE via “find my phone” app.

  • Call/visit/online police of the area where this incident happened. File a report. They will contact deputy from the city where phone is located. Police will visit them and tell them that they have an iphone and will take it.

  • If all goes well, and you get your iPhone back (I heard many happy end stories), go home, copy all the important data from your device and reset it to factory condition via iTunes or via reset point on the device.

  • Call your service provider, ask them to connect it back, and remove blacklisting status.

Hope those tips will be useful for you.

Stay safe!

 

Lilia