What to do if you lose your smartphone

Be familiar with your phone’s operating system

Whether or not it’s Android as in the case of my HTC One M9, utilize the ecosystem the OS ties into. In other words, if you do have an Android phone, be sure to also have a Google account set up. If you have an iPhone, set up an Apple ID, create a Microsoft account for your Windows Phone, etc. This is important because all of the aforementioned platforms offer remote services in the event that your phone is lost. Most people know about iCloud, and its ability to track or remotely wipe an iPhone, but most of my customers haven’t the slightest clue about Android Device Manager, or Microsoft’s Find My Phone, all with the same basic functionality. You can even remotely set a password on a typically unsecured device, or leave a lock screen note with a number to call in case your phone is found by an honest and contributing citizen. With all of these tools available, there’s a pretty decent chance that you can still pinpoint your phone within relative accuracy, even once it’s out of your reach, but I can’t stress enough that if it’s found its way to an unfamiliar area,get the police involved before you go barging in. No smartphone is worth endangering your life.
android-device-manager-web

Still no luck retrieving your phone? I know what a huge bummer that must be, but don’t stress out too much just yet. If you do have an account set up with Google/Apple/Microsoft, there’s one other huge benefit to reap besides remotely engaging your phone. All of these services automatically back up your contacts to their own servers, and in most cases they’ll even sync your photos and text messages, too. While it’s no consolation for losing your phone, you can at least rest easy knowing that your information isn’t all lost.

Weigh your replacement options

Now comes the tricky part. It’s great that your files and contacts are safely stored and recoverable free of charge, but what about replacing the phone itself? Well, here are a few options that I’m most often able to recommend to victims of theft at T-Mobile:

Insurance replacement
Buy a new phone outright
Sign on for a new phone
BYOD

Each of these options comes with its own fair share of qualifiers, pros, and cons. For starters, getting an insurance replacement is only applicable if you already have insurance on your account. Most wireless carriers only allow insurance to be added to a device within its initial grace period (14 days, in the case of T-Mobile), and if you opted against it in the beginning, you’re out of luck here. If you did think proactively … well, this still might not be in your best interest. Phone insurance can be tricky; you almost always have to pay a deductible (ranging anywhere from $50 to $175, or even more, depending on the carrier’s preferred insurance provider), and even then most carriers will opt to overnight ship you the phone, rather than replacing it directly in store.
">Buying a phone outright is pretty straightforward, but while it’s my preferred method (avoids renewing commitments or adding to the monthly bill), it goes without saying that not everybody has a spare $600 or $700 sitting around to spend on a phone at any given time. Of course, there are inexpensive options like T-Mobile’s LG Optimus L90 for $50 outright, but that can be a huge downgrade if you’re coming from something like the Galaxy S6. The alternative option here is to purchase a phone at a discounted upfront cost — which means either renewing a contract (and that’s assuming you’re even eligible to do so at the moment), or financing a phone. The biggest problem with the latter is that if you’re with a company that allows device financing, there’s a good chance you were already financing your last phone, which means you’ll continue paying for the previous device while also paying on the new one. On the bright side, if you had some clunky old phone that you’ve been meaning to replace anyway, now’s a good time to do it … but is it worth double-paying? jump

The final option is simply BYOD — that’s “Bring Your Own Device.” If you have a spare phone sitting around from the last time you upgraded, now’s the time to bust it out. Bring it in to your carrier store, have it activated, and continue on with your life. You never know, maybe digging through your junk drawer and finding an old phone will bring back some good memories, right? Alternatively, you can also find a used phone on Craigslist and bring it in, but the survivalist and the Timehop addict in me are both siding with the nostalgia trip instead.
If you were hoping for a simple step-by-step guide on recovering your lost phone, I’m sorry to disappoint — but the fact of the matter is, there’s no one definitive solution on the matter, and everybody’s situation is different. If I had to give a checklist of ideal precautionary measures, I’d advise putting insurance on your phone, bookmarking your tracking website, keeping the phone in sight whenever possible, and memorizing the phone numbers of a few important people who might be able to either help you recover your lost phone, or help you figure out what to do next.
Have you ever lost a phone before? If so, was it stolen, or simply misplaced and forgotten? I’d love to hear your stories in the comments below, so leave plenty of detail; paint me a picture! We’ll all commiserate together.