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"I speak from experience when I say losing a cell phone is the worst! Not only do our phones now have just about every contact we need, they also contain our photo albums, personal correspondence, and often confidential financial information. So, what should you do if your phone is lost? Many phone manufacturers have locator apps that use GPS to track your phone that are either preinstalled or you can download in the app store. When you lose your phone you can send it an alert from a web browser which may help you find your phone if it&amp;#039;s within earshot; or if you think it&amp;#039;s truly lost, you can use the app to lock it and/or erase sensitive data like emails, browser histories, user account information on other apps, and more. iPhone has Find my Phone, Android has Lost in the Google Play store, and Windows uses Find My Phone (go to windowsphone.com in the top right corner). However, in order for these locator apps to work, you need to have the proper settings activated before you lose your phone. It&amp;#039;s also important not to rely too heavily on these apps, because they can&amp;#039;t pinpoint your phone&amp;#039;s exact location. In cities, it&amp;#039;s particularly difficult for the apps to identify the precise spot where your phone is located since venues are packed so closely together.  But even if you track your phone down - it&amp;#039;s not wise to meet a stranger to recover it. While your local police won&amp;#039;t go on a wild goose chase to track down a lost phone, once you&amp;#039;ve pinpointed its location, they will likely help you retrieve it.  There are other third-party apps, such as Lookout Mobile, Mobile Defense, or Prey, that can help you remotely erase stored data. In fact, Lookout Labs has a unique app, Plan B for Android, that you can actually install and use after your phone is taken; to access it you need to have your Google account linked with the Google Play Store though.  Many of these apps also have backup and malware protection as well, so you can back up your data in an encrypted manner and help prevent phone hacking. While it may not always be top of mind to back up your information, you&amp;#039;ll be glad you took the time if you ever lose your phone, especially if you&amp;#039;ve been forced to wipe your phone clean. If you choose not to rely on one of these apps, make sure you offload information to your laptop or desktop weekly.  There are other steps you should take to protect yourself before you lose your phone. Yes, I know it can be an annoyance to use the built-in security lock, but it&amp;#039;s a quick and easy first step. Another good idea is to set your lock screen with return contact information to make it easy for someone who finds your phone and wants to return it to do so. It&amp;#039;s always good practice to log out of apps whenever you&amp;#039;re done using them, especially banking and credit card apps. On every phone there&amp;#039;s a unique ID code (ENS, IMEI, or MEID number usually found behind the battery or on the back of the phone); be sure to keep a record of it someplace safe as it&amp;#039;ll come in handy if you&amp;#039;re reporting a lost or stolen phone to the police or service provider.  Basically, what I&amp;#039;m saying is the best prevention is a good defense - have your malware up to date, regularly back up your phone, and have a GPS locator app activated. And keep your fingers crossed that if your phone is lost, a Good Samaritan returns it! "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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