With Find My iPhone, you can locate lost devices, disable them, and even fully erase them, but unless you've been in a situation where you've needed these services, you may not know exactly how they work, what they do, or what information someone can access when they have your device.
When you mark your device as lost, you remotely lock it with a passcode, keeping your information secure. This also disables Apple Pay on the missing device. And you can display a custom message with your contact information on the missing device.
Permanently lock your stolen iPhone
Your iPhone will be completely wiped of all data. Despite the iPhone being wiped of all data, it will remain unusable due to Activation Lock.
If you have the Find My iPhone app you can use it to remotely lock the device and disable the use of the Apple Pay function. Or you can log into iCloud.com and remove all cards from Apple Pay remotely.
An iPhone can become blacklisted for any number of reasons, including if the previous owner has unsettled bills or if someone reported it as stolen or lost. A blacklisted device cannot get connected to any wireless carrier unless it becomes un-blacklisted.
If it's covered by AppleCare+ with Theft and Loss, you can sign in with your Apple ID and file a claim for an iPhone replacement.
No, but your wireless carrier may be able to stop it from being used on their network.
If you believe your phone has been stolen, file a police report. Although law enforcement agencies don't have the resources to investigate every case of a stolen phone, if you're able to tell them where your phone is (using a finder app), they will be more likely to be able to help you recover it.
You can't. Unless the iPad has been activated by you, you'll have no technical means by which to locate or manage the iPad. If the device was initially activated from new by anyone other than yourself, the iPad will be “legitimately” associated with the AppleID account of the “owner” who activated the iPad.
After 5 failed attempts, incremental time locks are what make you wait to type any other wrong passcode. It's the 10th attempt which locks the iPhone completely, showing a message 'iPhone is disabled/security Lockout' For now, you have to connect your iPhone to iTunes to unlock it.
The "iPhone is disabled" error message is one that pops up after you have repeatedly entered the wrong passcode for your device. As a security precaution, the operating system for your iPhone or iPad disables your device so no one can access your private information.
If it has a passcode they can't access the data, but with no activation lock they could wipe it clean and put in a new SIM card and start using it. So just leave it as it is in Lost Mode, in your account.
If you did not turn on Find My iPhone before your device was lost or stolen, you won't be able to remotely lock your device with Find My iPhone. However, when it comes to blocking the iPhone, you can report yout lost or stolen device to your carrier with the IMEI number, so they can disable the iPhone.
If a law enforcement officer contacts Apple, as long as they have the serial number of the device, Apple can and will upon law enforcement request permanently brick the device and render it permanently useless through software.
Unless you know the passcode Apple id & password. So a lost/stolen iphones/ipads cannot be used. Anyone can erase your device by restoring it in iTunes.
Thieves usually sell stolen iPhones on the black market or trade them. They may bypass security features, unlock, and factory-reset devices to make them untraceable. Alternatively, they may dismantle phones to sell valuable components like screens, batteries, or internal hardware separately.
As long as you have access to a computer, you'll be able to delete all of the data on your iPhone without having physical access to the phone. Open the browser on your computer and go to iCloud.com. Log in using your Apple ID. Click Find iPhone > Your iPhone > Erase iPhone.
Step 1: Go to Android.com/find on your web browser. Step 2: Login with the same Google account paired with your smartphone. Step 3: From here, you can track the live location of your device or even restore it to factory settings. Select "Erase all data."
With your phone, thieves can:
Make unauthorized purchases using your linked credit cards and Apple or Google Pay. Access your passwords and login information for various accounts. (As many as 99% of people reuse passwords across business and personal accounts [*].
In theory, cellular carriers can track any device on their network using the IMEI number, however, they will not do so without a court order. Unless a serious felony is involved (abduction of a child, etc), the police aren't going to do anything other than make a note of it and file it away.
Your iPhone's IMEI might get blocked if someone (or you) reports it as stolen. IMEI blocking is one of the measures network carriers adopt globally to clamp down any stolen iPhone.
Block Listing works by blocking your phone's unique identifier (IMEI number). When a phone is block listed because it has been lost or stolen, it cannot make or receive calls or use data.
Even better, location tracking will keep working even when the iPhone is reset to factory settings. When your iPhone runs low on power for the first time after updating to iOS 15, it shows an alert saying, “iPhone Remains Findable After Power Off.