Lost or stolen phone: what to do, in order

A lost phone is a wallet, a bank token and a diary in one. Work through these steps in order; the first three take ten minutes.

The checklist

Tick each step as you finish it. The ticks stay in this browser so that you can come back.

1. From another phone or computer, lock the phone and show a message: android.com/find for Android, icloud.com/find for iPhone. Note its location if shown.
2. Call your mobile operator: block the SIM and ask for a replacement SIM with the same number.
3. Call your bank(s): block UPI, mobile banking and cards saved on the phone, or freeze them in net banking.
4. Change the passwords of your email and main accounts, and sign the lost phone out from each account's device list.
5. File a police report (lost article report or FIR) and keep a copy. Note the phone's IMEI from its box or bill.
6. Block the handset on the Sanchar Saathi portal with the police report, the re-issued SIM, identity proof and IMEI.
7. If the phone cannot be recovered, erase it remotely.
8. Tell family and close contacts that the phone is lost, so that messages from it are not trusted.

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1. Lock and locate

• Android: go to android.com/find on any browser and sign in with the Google account used on the phone. Choose Secure device to lock it and show a phone number on the screen. Play sound helps if it is nearby.
• iPhone: go to icloud.com/find, or use the Find My app on another Apple device. Choose Mark As Lost.

Do not go alone to a location shown on the map to confront someone. Give the location to the police.

2. Block the SIM

Call your operator's customer care from another phone, or visit its store with identity proof. This stops calls, data and above all OTPs reaching whoever holds the phone. Ask for a replacement SIM with the same number; you will need it working for the handset-blocking step and for bank OTPs.

3. Protect your money

• Call each bank's official helpline to block UPI and mobile banking on the lost device and any cards saved in apps or wallets.
• Payment apps have helplines or web pages to block the account on a lost phone; take the numbers from the companies' official websites.
• When your replacement SIM is active, register UPI afresh and choose a new UPI PIN.

4. Protect your accounts

From a trusted device, change the password of your main email first, then social media, shopping and cloud storage. In each account's security page, sign out the lost device. For WhatsApp, registering your number on a new phone with the replacement SIM logs the old phone out.

5. Report to the police

File a lost article report or an FIR. Many state police forces accept lost-article reports online or in their apps; a theft or snatching needs an FIR at the police station. Keep the copy: it is needed for the next step, for insurance and for a duplicate of any documents lost with the phone.

The IMEI is printed on the phone's box and bill. It also appears in your Google account's device list for Android phones and at account.apple.com under Devices for iPhones. For the future, the government's Sanchar Saathi portal notes that dialling *#06# shows the IMEI: do it now on your present phone and write it down.

6. Block the handset through Sanchar Saathi

The Department of Telecommunications' Sanchar Saathi portal has a service to block a lost or stolen mobile handset on all operators' networks in India, so that it cannot be used with any SIM, and to trace it if someone tries. According to the portal (read on 12 November 2026) you need:

• a copy of the police report or FIR;
• a re-issued or duplicate SIM for the lost number with SMS working, since the OTP goes to it;
• a valid identity proof to upload;
• the IMEI number(s), and the purchase invoice if you have it.

You receive a request ID to check the status. If the phone is found later, the same portal unblocks it. See Sanchar Saathi. Always type sancharsaathi.gov.in yourself; the service is free.

7. Erase, if it is not coming back

Erase device in Find My Device or Erase This Device in Find My wipes the phone. After erasing, an Android phone can no longer be located; an iPhone remains protected by Activation Lock. Do not remove the device from your account after erasing, or the thief can set it up afresh.

Beware of follow-up tricks

Days after a theft, owners often receive a text or call saying "your phone has been found, log in here to see its location" with a link to a fake Apple or Google page, or a caller asking for the passcode "to verify ownership". These are attempts to unlock the phone for resale. Use only android.com/find and icloud.com/find, typed by hand, and give your passcode to nobody.

Prepare now, before it happens

Turn on Find My Device or Find My, set a strong screen lock, hide notification content on the lock screen, put a PIN on the SIM, note the IMEI, and keep backup codes for your accounts on paper. See Android and iPhone settings.