07/20/2025
If Your Teen’s iPhone/iPad/Macbook/ iPods (or Yours) Is Stolen, Here’s What a Criminal Will Try to Do First, and How to Protect It
As parents, we often focus on teaching our kids how to stay safe online, but physical phone theft is still a risk, especially for teens who are frequently out and about with their devices. Thieves today don’t just grab a phone and hope for the best. Many know exactly what to do in the first few seconds to make sure the phone can’t be tracked.
Here’s what you need to know, and how to set up your child’s iPhone to give you the best chance of recovering it if it’s ever stolen.
When someone steals an iPhone, their priority is to prevent the rightful owner from tracking it. Their most common move?
Swipe down to access the Control Center, then turn on Airplane Mode and power off the phone.
By doing this:
- The phone disconnects from Wi-Fi and cellular data.
- “Find My iPhone” loses its real-time connection.
- Once powered off, the phone becomes very hard to locate.
Unless you’ve taken steps beforehand, you might not be able to track the phone at all.
How to Protect the Phone Before It’s Lost
There are two simple steps that make it much harder for a thief to disable tracking.
#1 Block Access to the Control Center When the Phone Is Locked
This is key. By default, the Control Center can be opened without unlocking the phone. That means anyone can swipe down and turn on Airplane Mode in seconds.
To prevent this:
- Go to Settings
- Tap Face ID & Passcode (or Touch ID & Passcode on older models)
- Enter your passcode
- Scroll down to Allow Access When Locked
- Toggle off “Control Center”
This stops someone from swiping down and accessing airplane mode or other features unless the phone is unlocked.
#2 - Turn on Stolen Device Protection
- Go To Settings
- Tap Face ID & Passcode (or Touch ID & Passcode on older models)
- Enter your passcode
- Scroll down to "Stolen Device Protection" and toggle to ON
#3 Double-Check That Find My iPhone Is Fully Enabled
“Find My iPhone” is one of the most effective tools Apple provides to locate, lock, and even erase a lost or stolen phone remotely. But it has to be set up the right way.
To make sure it’s active:
- Go to Settings
- Tap your child’s name at the top
- Tap Find My
- Tap Find My iPhone
Make sure all three options are turned ON:
- Find My iPhone
- Find My network
- Send Last Location
This is critical. It means that even if a thief turns off the phone, you may still be able to track its last known or current location.
Talk to your child about what to do if their phone ever goes missing. Encourage them not to panic and to tell you right away. From another device, you can log into iCloud.com or use the Find My app on your own phone to try and track it.
Better yet, walk through these steps together today. Take five minutes to check the settings and talk about why they matter. It’s a simple, proactive move that could make a big difference if the unexpected happens.
In Summary:
- Disable Control Center on the lock screen
- Enable all “Find My iPhone” settings
- Talk to your child about what to do if their phone is lost or stolen
Your child’s phone holds more than just texts and selfies. It likely contains private messages, personal photos, banking info, and access to social media accounts. These quick steps can help protect their privacy and increase your chances of getting the phone back.
To Remotely Wipe A Lost iPhone:
To remotely wipe a lost iPhone, follow these steps using Apple’s Find My iPhone feature:
Prerequisites:
"Find My iPhone" must be turned on before the phone was lost.
The iPhone must be connected to the internet (Wi-Fi or cellular) for the wipe to begin. If it's offline, the wipe will start the next time it connects.
Option 1: Using a Web Browser
- Go to https://www.icloud.com/find
- Sign in with your Apple ID and password.
- Select All Devices at the top.
- Click on your lost iPhone.
- Choose Erase iPhone.
Follow the prompts to confirm. You may be asked to verify your identity.
Option 2: Using Another Apple Device (e.g., another iPhone or iPad)
- Open the Find My app.
- Tap Devices.
- Select your lost iPhone from the list.
- Scroll down and tap Erase This Device.
- Confirm the action and follow the prompts.
After You Erase It
The iPhone will no longer be trackable via Find My, but Activation Lock will still be on. This means no one else can use or reactivate the device without your Apple ID and password.
You’ll receive an email from Apple confirming the wipe.
