If your iPhone or iPad was stolen

If your iPhone or iPad was stolen, or you otherwise can't recover your device, use these steps to protect your device, Apple Account, and personal information.

Mark as Lost on iCloud.com/find

If your iPhone or iPad was stolen, the first thing that you should do is put your device in Lost Mode to lock it. It's important to mark your device as lost as quickly as possible — this prevents the thief from accessing and using your device and making changes to your Apple Account.

  1. Go to iCloud.com/find

    • You don't need a verification code to sign in, so you can sign in and mark your device as lost even if your trusted device was stolen.

  2. Under All Devices, select your iPhone or iPad.

  3. Choose Mark as Lost, then follow the onscreen instructions.

    On iCloud.com/find, select your phone and you have the option to mark it as lost.

When you mark your device as lost

  • Even if you use Stolen Device Protection for iPhone, the additional protections for your iPhone last for only a period of time. The best way to protect your iPhone and Apple Account is to quickly mark the stolen device as lost.

  • If you have AppleCare+ with Theft and Loss, don't remove the device from your Apple Account (or from Find My) until your claim has been fully approved.

Apple will never contact you to say that your iPhone or iPad has been found. Never share your device passcode or other account information (such as passwords or verification codes) with anyone else.

Stay vigilant to avoid social engineering schemes, including phishing messages, phony support calls, and other scams.

Learn more about social engineering and steps that you can take to protect your personal data

When you mark your device as lost:

  • It's locked with your device passcode.

  • Payments cards and passes that you use with Apple Pay are suspended.

  • If you use Stolen Device Protection for iPhone, Face ID or Touch ID is required to turn off Lost Mode — so even if a person has your iPhone and knows your passcode, they'll still be locked out of your device.

Find your iPhone or iPad on a map

  • When you select your iPhone or iPad on iCloud.com/find, the map zooms in on its location.

  • If your iPhone or iPad was stolen or it appears on the map at a location that you don't recognize, don't try to recover the device yourself. Instead, contact local law enforcement

  • If you use Stolen Device Protection for iPhone and you or someone else used your iPhone to try to change your Apple Account password at an unfamiliar location, your iPhone might not appear on the map at iCloud.com/find. You can still mark your iPhone as lost to lock it.

Learn more about Stolen Device Protection for iPhone

If Find My wasn't turned on for your device before it was lost or stolen, it won't appear at iCloud.com/find or in the Find My app and you can't mark it as lost or remotely erase it. To protect your personal information, you should sign in to account.apple.com and change your Apple Account password right away.

Report your missing iPhone or iPad

  • Report it to local law enforcement. They might request the serial number of your iPhone or iPad, which you can find even if you don't have the device.

  • Contact your wireless carrier to report your stolen iPhone. You should ask them to suspend your account, and file a claim if your iPhone is covered under your wireless carrier plan.

Learn how to find the serial number of your device

File a claim with AppleCare+ Theft and Loss

If your iPhone is covered by AppleCare+ with Theft and Loss, file a claim for an iPhone replacement.

Don't remove your iPhone from Find My or your Apple Account until your claim has been fully approved.

AppleCare+ with Theft and Loss is not available in all countries and regions.

If you can't recover your device

If you can't recover your stolen device, remotely erase it and remove it from your trusted devices. You should also update your Apple Account information.

Remotely erase your iPhone or iPad

  • Make sure that you've tried everything else to find it — erasing your device can't be undone.

  • You can remotely erase your device using the Find My app on another device or at iCloud.com/find.

  • If your device has iOS 15 or later, or iPadOS 15 or later, you can still use Find My or iCloud.com/find to locate it after you erase it.

  • Don't remove the device from Find My, even if you remotely erase it. Removing the device from your Find My list removes Activation Lock, which will make it easier for the thief to unlock and resell your device.

  • If you have AppleCare+ with Theft and Loss, don't remove the device from Find My or your Apple Account, even if you remotely erase it.

If your device is offline, the remote erase process begins the next time it's online.

Remotely erase your iPhone or iPad on iCloud.com/find

Remotely erase a device in the Find My app on iPhone

Remove the device from your Apple Account

To remove a device from your Apple Account:

  1. Go to account.apple.com.

  2. From the sidebar, choose Devices.

  3. Select your device, scroll down, then select Remove from account.

If you filed a claim with AppleCare+ with Theft and Loss, don't remove the device from your Apple Account (or from Find My) until your claim has been fully approved.

Review and update your Apple Account information

  1. Go to account.apple.com. If you can't sign in, try to reset your password.

  2. From the sidebar, choose Sign-In and Security.

  3. Review the email and phone numbers associated with your account, the trusted phone numbers and devices listed under Account Security, your Account Recovery Methods, and make sure that your password hasn't been changed.

  4. Update any information that you don't recognize and remove any email address, phone numbers, or trusted devices or numbers that you don't recognize or didn't add.

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