What to do to get data back when phone is stolen?

Losing your phone is one of the most frustrating experiences you can have. While you may not be able to get your old device back, there are ways to recover your data.

4. Phone Security

The first thing to do when you realize your phone is missing is to secure it. Google's Find Hub has a Secure device feature , which lets you lock your phone with a PIN, pattern, or password, sign out of your Google account , and delete any payment cards stored in Google Wallet — all while still allowing you to locate the device.

There is also a Remote Lock option that allows you to add a unique password to your device to remotely lock it. This feature also allows you to leave a phone number and message on the device screen.

Note that Remote Lock needs to be enabled on your phone and the device needs to be online. Otherwise, the screen will automatically lock when the device is online. This is also a fairly new feature and may not be available on older versions of Android.

3. Start updating your login information as soon as possible

The next step after your phone is stolen is to start updating all of your login information. If you've properly locked your phone to prevent theft, your data should be relatively protected, but it's still a good idea to update your passwords as a precaution.

This can get tricky, especially if you're using 2FA apps like Google or Microsoft Authenticator. Start by making a list of all the accounts you're logged into across various apps and websites on your phone, in order of importance. It's best to update your Google account (or Apple if you've lost your iPhone) first, as that's the easiest account to access on an Android smartphone.

Next, your bank login information. If you have added your card to your smartphone wallet app, you should cancel the old card and get a new one from your bank. If you have very little payment information stored on your phone, resetting your bank account password online should be enough.

Then there are other important logins, especially any work-related emails or apps you might be using on your phone. Make sure you log out of all active sessions when updating your password, as this will force any apps or websites that have previously logged into your account to ask for your new password before allowing anyone else access.

2. Check backup

Most apps do a pretty good job of backing up your data, even if you haven't customized your options. Contacts are automatically synced to your Google account, so you're good to go. Depending on the SMS app, you may or may not be able to restore messages. Internet messaging apps like WhatsApp also store backups on Google Drive .

Many people use Google Photos as their primary gallery app, automatically backing up photos and videos from selected folders when you're connected to Wi-Fi. Most photos, except those from the day your phone was stolen, are restored from a Google Photos backup.

Additionally, most of the apps you use on a daily basis, especially social media apps like Instagram or Reddit, are synced to their servers. As long as you can log in to your account, you won't lose any serious data either.

1. You can't save everything

While you can save a lot of data on a stolen phone, you can't protect everything. Much of what you can recover will depend on whether you have automatic cloud backups enabled on your device. Files, photos, and any other data stored on your phone that hasn't been backed up won't be saved.

For example, when my Pixel 7a was stolen, there was no way to recover local documents, some APK files, and photos that Google Photos had not backed up at the time of the loss. If something is only stored locally on the device, it will be gone forever when you lose it.

Isabella Humphrey

Update 21 July 2025