Lessons Learned from Getting My Phone Stolen Abroad

While I was in Munich at Oktoberfest, my iPhone was stolen. Swiped right off a bar while my head was turned. Yes, it was idiotic of me to put my phone down on a bar in the first place but nonetheless it happened. And let me tell you, it is a pain in the ass to deal with a stolen phone from abroad. Hopefully my misfortunes will help you avoid having to go through what I did.

While the following mostly applies to iPhone users, there is helpful information below for everyone.

There are several safety precautions that you should take with your phone while traveling abroad.

First and foremost, should have passcode on your phone. Personal and confidential information is stored on our phones these days that you would not want a thief to have. Protect your information and have a passcode. Also, I strongly recommend enabling the option to erase all data on the phone after 10 failed passcode attempts. Under your privacy settings, enable Erase Data.

Secondly, every iPhone user should have the app Find My iPhone. The free app allows you to track your phone from another device or any Internet browser. Make sure to set it up once you download it. Also, should your phone get stolen, you can remotely erase the phone.

Now the following actually applies whether you are abroad or not and it is something that I did not even think of until my phone was stolen while abroad.

The only way to ensure that your phone is not using cellular data is to turn it on airplane mode. It took several international trips until I learned this. Even if you simply turn your cellular data off, roaming charges can still happen. I’m sure there is a logical explanation as to why but before leaving for Europe, AT&T advised to just keep my phone on airplane mode. So I did.

Unfortunately, the handy dandy Find My iPhone app only works when your phone is connected to the Internet. So if your iPhone is stolen while in airplane mode, there is no way to track it. Now for those of us not abroad, there is no reason to enable airplane mode right? Well that is true but let’s say a thief does steal your phone. From the lock screen there is access to your phone’s Control Center where you can enable and disable airplane mode. So even if a thief steals your phone while it is not in airplane mode, he can still enable airplane mode and prevent you from tracking your phone. This is why you should disable access to the Control Center from the lock screen. Go to Settings > Control Center > disable Access on Lock Screen.

Keep in mind that other issues can prevent you from tracking your phone, such as if the phone is turned off. However, the main safety concern is if the thief manages to crack your passcode and access your personal information. To do so, the phone would have to be turned on. Once the phone is turned on, the thief cannot enable airplane mode from the lock screen if you’ve disabled access to the control center from the lock screen. Therefore, you will be able to track your phone and enable remote wipe.

With that said, there is not a chance in hell that I am ever enabling airplane mode on my phone ever again. A stolen phone in airplane mode means no chance of recovery and your personal information is at risk.

If you don’t have an unlimited international data plan (available with T-Mobile), my advice is to unlock your phone before you leave your home country so you can get a local SIM card. This can often be done through your cellular provider. For example, AT&T authorizes a certain amount of unlocked phones per account. You will mostly be using Internet so get the cheapest calling plan and at least a 2MB data plan.

Last but not least, create a reminder to back up your phone every one to two weeks. This is not just simply plugging in your phone to your computer and syncing to your iTunes. You actually need to select back up to this computer or to the iCloud. This way if your phone is stolen, you can restore from the last back up and all data is not lost. I also suggest that travelers who use their phones for pictures, upload their photos to their camera or some external device every night. The most efficient way to do this is through the Dropbox method. Simply plugin your phone to your computer and your photos are automatically uploaded to Dropbox.

In summary here is what I’ve learned and seven tips to pass on:

1. Keep your phone in your hand or in a zipped compartment.
2. Always have a passcode and enable the erase data option after 10 failed passcode attempts.
3. Never enable airplane mode. If you must, put your phone away and secure it.
4. Disable access to the control panel from the lock screen.
5. Make sure your phone is unlocked and get a local SIM card.
6. An international cellular provider is the best option for frequent travelers.
7. Back up your phone constantly!

I hope these tips help and remember if your phone is stolen to report it to the police immediately!

Have you ever lost an item while traveling? What are your safety precaution tips?