Safety with iphones?

[peregrina2000]

When I was volunteering at the pilgrims' office in early May, the iphone of one of the other volunteers was stolen from the bathroom in the pilgrims' office (she left it on a shelf in the bathroom, forgot to pick it up, and when she went back ten minutes later it was gone -- talk about something leaving a terrible taste in your mouth -- the thief was undoubtedly one of the pilgrims she had just welcomed to Santiago, but I digress).

Luckily, this Amigo had a great assistant back in the US who was able to take care of everything, close the phone down, etc etc. What would someone like me do, I wondered?

So, can someone give me some good instructions of what I should do in case my phone is stolen or lost? I am not as worried about recovering the device as I would be about making sure that all the information stored on it didn't get into the hands of someone else who would use it.

Thanks. Buen camino, Laurie

 

[bystander]

Read this:
https://www.apple.com/uk/icloud/find-my-iphone.html
Go to iPhone settings then iCloud and activate Find My Phone.
If your phone is then stolen you can locate it on a map, lock it and it cannot be reactivated without your password.
Hope this helps and reassures you.

 

[Monk Moses]

When I was volunteering at the pilgrims' office in early May, the iphone of one of the other volunteers was stolen from the bathroom in the pilgrims' office (she left it on a shelf in the bathroom, forgot to pick it up, and when she went back ten minutes later it was gone -- talk about something leaving a terrible taste in your mouth -- the thief was undoubtedly one of the pilgrims she had just welcomed to Santiago, but I digress).

Luckily, this Amigo had a great assistant back in the US who was able to take care of everything, close the phone down, etc etc. What would someone like me do, I wondered?

So, can someone give me some good instructions of what I should do in case my phone is stolen or lost? I am not as worried about recovering the device as I would be about making sure that all the information stored on it didn't get into the hands of someone else who would use it.

Thanks. Buen camino, Laurie[/

QUOTE]

iPhone has an app Find my phone (or something similar ) that allows you to shut your phone down from any computer or iPhone.

 

[YMR20]

Active the Find my Iphone. App in your phone. !!

 

[Larazet]

Must remember to get a waterproof cover... Next time

 

[peregrina2000]

Read this:
https://www.apple.com/uk/icloud/find-my-iphone.html
Go to iPhone settings then iCloud and activate Find My Phone.
If your phone is then stolen you can locate it on a map, lock it and it cannot be reactivated without your password.
Hope this helps and reassures you.

Thanks, bystander. I was able to do part of what this link told me to do. (I am sorry, but I am a real tech idiot). I now have installed find my iPhone on my phone, I have icloud ap on my computer, and I can log on and get the ap to tell me that my phone is sitting right next to me. But what I can't figure out is how I would actually use that program to either put a message on my iphone (like one they show in the instructions, saying something like "this phone is lost, please call XXX") or how I would erase everything from the phone if it were stolen. All I can do is get to the screen that has the map with the pulsating green spot that shows the phone location. Can anyone explain how I would be able to do those other things I mention? Many thanks, Laurie

 

[ivar]

Thanks, bystander. I was able to do part of what this link told me to do. (I am sorry, but I am a real tech idiot). I now have installed find my iPhone on my phone, I have icloud ap on my computer, and I can log on and get the ap to tell me that my phone is sitting right next to me. But what I can't figure out is how I would actually use that program to either put a message on my iphone (like one they show in the instructions, saying something like "this phone is lost, please call XXX") or how I would erase everything from the phone if it were stolen. All I can do is get to the screen that has the map with the pulsating green spot that shows the phone location. Can anyone explain how I would be able to do those other things I mention? Many thanks, Laurie

There are some instructions here as well:
http://www.cultofmac.com/266448/remotely-wipe-iphone-data-stolen-ios-tips/

A good google search for this would be "how to wipe my iPhone remotely" if you are looking for alternative explanations.

Buen Camino!
Ivar

 

[canis_major]

The WSJ did an article on the latest developments in protecting your mobile/cellphone and data from theft - including a "Lookout" app that initiates the phone to automatically and secretly take a mugshot of any suspected thief, and emailing it to you, if it "thinks" it has fallen into the wrong hands! Where will it all end?

http://online.wsj.com/articles/to-catch-a-phone-thief-take-a-theftie-1401301130?mod=e2tw

 

[peregrina2000]

There are some instructions here as well:
http://www.cultofmac.com/266448/remotely-wipe-iphone-data-stolen-ios-tips/

A good google search for this would be "how to wipe my iPhone remotely" if you are looking for alternative explanations.

Buen Camino!
Ivar

Thanks, Ivar. That helped me a lot. It's good to know that I can stop someone else from getting my info. Laurie

 

[peregrina2000]

The WSJ did an article on the latest developments in protecting your mobile/cellphone and data from theft - including a "Lookout" app that initiates the phone to automatically and secretly take a mugshot of any suspected thief, and emailing it to you, if it "thinks" it has fallen into the wrong hands! Where will it all end?

http://online.wsj.com/articles/to-catch-a-phone-thief-take-a-theftie-1401301130?mod=e2tw

Crazy. What I have heard people talking about is that the industry could put a quick end to the vast majority of iphone thefts if they did with phones what they do with car stereos -- if my phone were stolen, I could send something that would destroy the inner workings so the phone would be valueless. I read somewhere that that technology may be coming soon. Thanks everyone!

 

[Deleted member 3000]

I could send something that would destroy the inner workings so the phone would be valueless.

Just like Mission Impossible! "This phone [sic] will self-destruct in five seconds." (1966, almost fifty years ago)

 

[roddy]

Beware the iPhone can be put in airplane mode whilst the phone screen is locked via the control centre, once the phone is in airplane mode it cannot be tracked or wiped with the find my phone app. You can disable centre from displaying in the locked screen ( settings>Control Centre>Access on Lock Screen=OFF).