Losing a smartphone can be very frustrating, especially when you have too many contacts or data stored in the phone. A lot of people do not know that they can actually Block a stolen phone online. In this article, we will show you how to Block a Stolen or Missing Phone over the Internet.
Advantages of Blocking a Missing or Stolen Phone
Data Protection: By blocking a stolen phone, you restrict access to the personal data stored on your phone.
Protecting Social Media Accounts: A lot of phone users have their social media accounts open on their mobile phones. Most of these social media applications stores cookies on the device and this enables the user to stay online for a long period of time without having to log in again.
Restricting Access to your Bank Account: A user’s bank account can easily be accessed by using the ussd code associated with the owner’s bank. The owners’ bank can easily be known through his sms alerts.
How To Block a Stolen Android Phone
To lock a stolen Android phone, android users can use Google’s Find My Handset tool. Follow the steps listed below to lock a stolen Android phone.
- Visit the Find my device website on your browser, and log into the site with your Google account.
- At the top-left corner of the webpage, you will see Phone icons.
- Click the icon for the phone you want to unlock
- Select Secure Device from the second tab of the left sidebar menu. Two textboxes should appear on your screen at this time.
- You can enter a phone number or short message in the text box. This message or phone number will be displayed on the screen of your lost phone, peradventure a good samaritan finds it. This is optional.
- Click the Secure Device option To lock your Android phone, and make it nearly impossible for someone to access your data or break into it. You are advised to choose Security Checkup to check recent phone activity.
How To Block a Stolen Samsung Phone
For Samsung users, if your phone is lost or stolen, you can deactivate it using the company’s unique Find My Mobile feature. To use this functionality, follow the steps listed below.
- Visit the Smartthings Find website on an internet-enabled device
- Click on the Blue button to Log into the website. You can use your Samsung account or the Gmail account associated with the phone to log in.
- Click on the Samsung device you wish to lock
- Click on the Lock Icon at the top right corner of the web page.
- Click Next. After which, you should see a popup message appear on your screen indicating that your lost phone will be locked. You will be able to enter an emergency contact phone number.
- Enter and verify a 4 to 8-digit pin. After that, provide a phone number where you may be reached in an emergency and the message you want to appear on the screen. This phone has been lost is the default message.
- Click Lock to deactivate the device. You will also be able to view the phone’s present location and erase all data.
How To Block a Stolen iPhone on iCloud
If you are an iPhone user with an active iCloud account, you should have access to this feature. The basic purpose of an iCloud account is to back up all of the crucial data on your Apple device. Follow the steps below to lock a missing iPhone. This method will only work if the Find my phone option is enabled on your iPhone.
- Open an internet-enabled device and visit the iCloud website.
- Sign into your iCloud account with your iCloud email address and password.
- On the dashboard, click on Find iPhone
- Click all devices. This will display all the Apple devices associated with that account.
- Under All Devices, select the exact device you want to lock.
- On the right side of the website, click Lost Mode near the bottom of the window. A new page will load in the window.
- Enter a recovery phone number where you can also be reached.
- Click next to the top-right corner of the web page
- Click Done. By doing this, the gadget enters Lost Mode, making it impossible for the phone to be unlocked or usable wherever it is.
How to Block a Stolen or Missing Phone using the IMEI Number
You can contact your mobile service provider to report a lost or stolen mobile phone. In this case, you will need to have your Phone IMEI readily available. It is advisable to keep the pack of your new phones with the IMEI on it or write it down somewhere.
