How secure is lost mode?

Question

Level 1

8 points

How secure is lost mode?

I lost my iphone 6s on the Jan 1st (great way to start the year) in a taxi. It was powered on, without much battery to go and on silent. I realized it was gone as soon as i got home. Checked find iphone, it was being tracked and it was on the move. Tried calling, no answer, triggered a sound, activated lost mode. After a few hours the phone was showing up as offline.

Contacted the taxi company but they claim to not have found it.

It's been more than 24 hours so the last known location is not showing anymore, the status of the device shows Sound & Lost Mode Pending (this is because i updated the message on lost mode to include more ways to contact me).

My concern right now is that if i choose to wipe the phone i won't be able to track it and i won't receive a notification if anyone powers it up.

My question is, with lost mode activated how easy/difficult is it for someone to:

a) get access to the data stored on my phone

b) do a factory reset on my phone

iPhone 6s, iOS 9.2

Posted on Jan 3, 2016 8:10 PM

Reply

Answer 1

Kappy

Level 10

362,007 points

Jan 3, 2016 8:16 PM in response to Vozone

They cannot do anything unless they know your Apple ID and password.

What To Do If Your iDevice Is Lost Or Stolen

iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad

If you activated Find My Phone before it was lost or stolen, you can track it only if it is connected to the Internet by Wi-Fi or cellular. What you cannot do is track your device using a serial number or other identifying number. You cannot expect Apple or anyone else to find your device for you. You cannot recover your loss unless you insure your device for such loss. It is not covered by your warranty.

If your iPhone, iPod, iPod Touch, or iPad is lost or stolen what do you do? There are things you should have done in advance - before you lost it or it was stolen - and some things to do after the fact. Here are some suggestions:

This link, Re: Help! I misplaced / lost my iPhone 5 today morning in delta Chelsea hotel downtown an I am not able to track it. Please help!, has some good advice regarding your options when your iDevice is lost or stolen.

1. Reporting a lost or stolen Apple product

2. Find my lost iPod Touch

3. AT&T. Sprint, and Verizon can block stolen phones/tablets

4. What-To-Do-When-Iphone-Is-Stolen

5. iCloud- Use Lost Mode

6. What to do if your iOS device is lost or stolen

7. 6 Ways to Track and Recover Your Lost/Stolen iPhone

8. Find My iPhone

9. Report Stolen iPad | Stolen Lost Found Online

It pays to be proactive by following the advice on using Find My Phone before you lose your device:

1. Find My iPhone

2. Setup your iDevice on iCloud

3. OS X Lion/Mountain Lion- About Find My Mac

4. How To Set Up Free Find Your iPhone (Even on Unsupported Devices)

Reply

Answer 2

RobS17

Level 1

36 points

Jan 4, 2016 2:00 AM in response to Vozone

When you activate Lost Mode whoever has your iPhone will not be able to access your data nor erase the iPhone because Activation Lock is in place. Basically the iPhone is useless to whoever has it. More info can be found here: Find My iPhone Activation Lock - Apple Support

Reply

Answer 3

Vozone Author

Level 1

8 points

Jan 3, 2016 8:19 PM in response to Kappy

Thanks, but what i'm trying to understand is whether Lost Mode is safe enough to wait out for a few days or if it's easy enough to bypass and get access to my data.

I don't want to jump the gun and wipe my phone too early and risk losing it all together when there might be someone willing to give it back.

Reply

Answer 4

Kappy

Level 10

362,007 points

Jan 3, 2016 8:23 PM in response to Vozone

It is as safe as any other part of the iOS security.

Cloud- Use Lost Mode

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