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Stolen iPhone - how to erase data if find my iPhone is off?

Hi, I just got my phone stolen and realized once I logged into iCloud that Find my iPhone was turned off.

Is there any other way I can erase the data on the phone?


Thank you

Posted on Oct 20, 2024 7:01 AM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Oct 20, 2024 7:05 AM

No there's not. Sorry. At a minimum, contact your carrier and ask them to Blacklist the phone so it can't be activated on any network. If you at least used a passcode on the phone, the chances of someone guessing it before the phone becomes disables isn't great. I would change your Apple ID Password and the password for all sensitive accounts, like mail, banking/financial/social media apps and accounts.


See this for guidance on what to do, but again, erasing it or putting it in lost mode is NOT an available option is Find My was not enabled --> If your iPhone or iPad was stolen - Apple Support


12 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Oct 20, 2024 7:05 AM in response to yb04

No there's not. Sorry. At a minimum, contact your carrier and ask them to Blacklist the phone so it can't be activated on any network. If you at least used a passcode on the phone, the chances of someone guessing it before the phone becomes disables isn't great. I would change your Apple ID Password and the password for all sensitive accounts, like mail, banking/financial/social media apps and accounts.


See this for guidance on what to do, but again, erasing it or putting it in lost mode is NOT an available option is Find My was not enabled --> If your iPhone or iPad was stolen - Apple Support


Oct 20, 2024 8:19 AM in response to yb04

Let's say that

  • You had a 6-digit passcode
  • It was not one that the thieves knew, observed you enter, or could easily guess
  • You had your iPhone set up to erase itself after 10 consecutive failed passcode entry attempts
  • Your iPhone was locked when the thieves stole it


There are one million possible 6-digit passcodes. If the thieves had to resort to random guesses to get into a phone locked with a 6-digit passcode, they would have

  • 10 chances in 1,000,000 to get into the phone and ransack your data
  • 999,990 chances in 1,000,000 to lock themselves out of the phone, to the point where the only way back in would be to erase everything on it. With Find My disabled, they WOULD be able to reset your phone – thus allowing them to "make your phone their own" and get an ill-deserved "payday" from selling a usable stolen phone to their "customers." But your data would be beyond their grasp.


Set a passcode on iPhone - Apple Support

Oct 20, 2024 7:43 AM in response to yb04

You did enable a Passcode on the phone, correct?


The chances that someone could guess your correct 6 digit passcode in less than 10 tries before the phone locks out permanently and will not even allow any further attempts are in the many millions to one.


Now....if you are saying that you did not enable a passcode on the phone, then anyone who picked up the phone has complete and open access to all of the data on the phone.

Oct 20, 2024 8:02 AM in response to yb04

yb04 wrote:

Hi ! Thank you so much for your reply.
What do you mean by this "the chances of someone guessing it before the phone becomes disables isn't great"?
You mean disabled by my carrier?

Thank you

NO, not your carrier. If you used a passcode on your iPhone and someone tries to figure it out and enters numbers to try to open the phone, they will highly unlikely to guess the correct passcode, unless you set one easily guessed, like 1111 or 1234. After enough guesses, the phone will lock itself and become disabled, and once that happens, they'll never be able to get into the phone.


Now, if you didn't use a passcode, they already have full access to your data. Your photos, your everything.

Oct 20, 2024 8:17 AM in response to lobsterghost1

Thank you!


Yes I had a passcode and a FaceID. But I am seeing online that a software can be used to access the phone even if you don't have the passcode, is that true?


Also, should I delete the phone from my iCloud? I still haven't. I thought maybe I can see from there if they access my phone.

And if at some point they reset the iPhone, will it disappear from the Cloud?


Thank you again for your help

Oct 20, 2024 8:43 AM in response to yb04

yb04 wrote:

Yes I had a passcode and a FaceID. But I am seeing online that a software can be used to access the phone even if you don't have the passcode, is that true?


If the thieves locked themselves out by guessing the wrong passcode too many times, they could connect the phone to a Mac or PC to reset it.


If successful, the act of resetting it would wipe out the data on it, and give them a phone that they could set up again, from scratch. If your phone was Activation Locked, they would also need to get past the Activation Lock, which would require them to know your Apple ID and Apple ID password, or to trick you into releasing that lock.


Is this what you saw?

Oct 20, 2024 8:43 AM in response to yb04

yb04 wrote:

Thank you!

Yes I had a passcode and a FaceID. But I am seeing online that a software can be used to access the phone even if you don't have the passcode, is that true?

Also, should I delete the phone from my iCloud? I still haven't. I thought maybe I can see from there if they access my phone.
And if at some point they reset the iPhone, will it disappear from the Cloud?

Thank you again for your help

NO. Do NOT remove the phone from iCloud. It will remove activation lock and give the thief the ability to erase the phone and use it or sell it.

Oct 20, 2024 8:58 AM in response to Servant of Cats

I am talking about apps like Easeus or Dr.Fone. I saw online they can be used to unlock an iPhone without a passcode. Are they legit?


Also do you think that I will be able to know from my iCloud if the thief resets the phone?


I honestly don't care anymore about the phone, I accepted that is gone, but I am more concerned about my personal data. Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions.

Stolen iPhone - how to erase data if find my iPhone is off?

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