I lost my iPhone. I received a replacement from Verizon, but in order to activate it I was told to cancel Find My IPhone. I need to erase the contents of the lost phone, but i am afraid I cannot now do that. Thanks for any help.
iPhone XS Max
I'm not sure what Verizon meant, but if you have put your old iPhone into Lost Mode then do not delete the device from your Apple ID account as that will remove Activation Lock, and whoever finds it can restore it (they can't access your data, but they could restore it and potentially use it with a new SIM). Leave it in Lost Mode and associated with your Apple ID. If it is ever found, then no one can access it or make use of it, period. More info:
If your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch is lost or stolen - Apple Support
and:
https://support.apple.com/kb/ph19299?locale=en_US
https://support.apple.com/kb/ph2700?locale=en_US
If you have a recent backup of your old iPhone, set up your replacement with this backup, that's all you need to do. If you already set up the new iPhone, then restore it and choose your old iPhone's backup when finishing up.
I'm not sure what Verizon meant, but if you have put your old iPhone into Lost Mode then do not delete the device from your Apple ID account as that will remove Activation Lock, and whoever finds it can restore it (they can't access your data, but they could restore it and potentially use it with a new SIM). Leave it in Lost Mode and associated with your Apple ID. If it is ever found, then no one can access it or make use of it, period. More info:
If your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch is lost or stolen - Apple Support
and:
https://support.apple.com/kb/ph19299?locale=en_US
https://support.apple.com/kb/ph2700?locale=en_US
If you have a recent backup of your old iPhone, set up your replacement with this backup, that's all you need to do. If you already set up the new iPhone, then restore it and choose your old iPhone's backup when finishing up.
When I lost my phone, because I had insurance, Verizon sent me a new one. Verizon told me that before I could do an iCloud restore, i had to cancel Find My Device. I did that, and restored. My concern is: if someone finds the old phone and can access it (by figuring out my 6 digit passcode), will they have access to all my programs and data? If so, is there any way to erase that phone now? Thank you for your replies. I appreciate them.
Finding lost phone after activating new phone
