
These are the things you should do, right now, while your beloved iPhone is sitting in your hands. Right now.
Or tomorrow, we’re all for some standard procrastination, but you should do it before you lose your iPhone, and you could lose you iPhone at any time. Because the universe is random and all that stuff. PLUS it’s the weekend. Weekends, for a lot of us, have this weird thing that sucks all our money and time and makes us lose things. I think it might have something to do with beer?
You should make sure that ‘Find My iPhone’ is activated on your iPhone. The app uses the built-in GPS to track the location of the phone. From then you can choose to go and get it if it’s just sitting somewhere lost and alone, or if you suspect it has been stolen, you can lock it so the person who has it can’t use it.
If you do suspect that your iPhone has been stolen, please don’t go to the wherever the thief is to try and get it back. Tell the police, and give them the information you have. Your iPhone is not worth risking your safety for.
If your iPhone IS just lost and alone somewhere, you can use the Find my iPhone app on a friend’s device, or you can look it up on your computer here by logging in with your iCloud account.
Have a look at Apple’s Find My iPhone support page.
You should probably have a contact in your phone listed under ‘ICE’, or, In Case of Emergency. The phone number should be someone you’re close to, i.e. your emergency contact type person. Obviously. That will be the number the person who finds your iPhone will call to try and get it back to you.
Some people advise that you should make sure that you have a bunch of alternative contact information for yourself within your contacts. That way, when someone finds your iPhone, they can swipe to the top of the contacts list to find the iPhone’s ph number and from there contact you using your email address, work phone or home phone (do people still have these though?).
If you have an iPhone above the iPhone 4, and you have a passcode on the device, you should make sure Siri understands who ‘mom’ or ‘dad’ is and the phone number associated with them. Even if your Mom or Dad aren’t in your life, if someone has found your iPhone it’s who they’re likely to try and contact, and hence who they would ask Siri to call. You can put a phone number to another close contact under that name. This also works for ‘my husband’ or ‘my wife’.
If you’re ok with people knowing your details, you can take a photo of your email address or home phone number written on a piece of paper and enable it as your lock screen on your iPhone.
Finally, we here at iPhone Antidote have a friend who carries their smartphone in a sock. Yes, a sock. One time it fell off her lap when she got out of a car and she didn’t notice. The car dropping her off drove off, she walked off, and realized an hour later she was without phone.
DISASTER.
Except. Who’s going to pick up a dirty ol’ sock on the side of the road? That’s right, nobody. She went back and dirty ol’ sock was still on the side of the road, with shiny iPhone still inside.
Woot! Enjoy your weekend Kids! Try not to lose anything! Actually, try to gain things! Like Love and Happiness and Unicorn sparkle karma bi*ches!