If someone sees your passcode and snatches your phone: the protections to turn on before you travel

The theft these features are built for

Apple describes the problem directly: Stolen Device Protection is meant to stop someone who steals your iPhone and knows your passcode from making critical changes to your account or device. On a trip that scenario is easier than it sounds. You unlock your phone dozens of times a day in bars, stations and queues to check maps, tickets and messages, often in view of strangers.

With only the passcode, a thief could otherwise open saved passwords, turn off Find My or change your Apple Account password. The same logic applies on Android, where Google's Identity Check asks for biometrics for sensitive actions outside the places you trust. Neither feature stops the theft itself. What they stop is the takeover that comes after it.

iPhone: how Stolen Device Protection behaves away from home

Apple says the extra checks apply when your iPhone is away from familiar locations such as home or work, which is exactly where you are on holiday. Some actions then need Face ID or Touch ID with no passcode fallback, including using passwords or passkeys saved in Keychain, turning off Lost Mode and erasing all content and settings. Others add a one-hour security delay followed by a second Face ID or Touch ID check, including changing your Apple Account password, changing the passcode and turning off Stolen Device Protection.

To turn it on, go to Settings, Face ID & Passcode, enter your passcode and tap Stolen Device Protection. It needs iOS 17.3 or later, two-factor authentication on your Apple Account, a passcode with Face ID or Touch ID, Significant Locations turned on in Location Services, and Find My. If you want the delay everywhere, choose Always under Require Security Delay.

Android: the Theft protection settings

On Android, open Settings, Google, All services, Theft protection. Google groups several features there. Theft Detection Lock uses AI, the motion sensors, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to detect a snatch-and-run and lock the screen. Offline Device Lock locks the screen shortly after the phone loses its internet connection, which is what a thief does to stop you finding it, as long as the phone was unlocked when it went offline. Failed Authentication Lock locks the phone after repeated failed unlock attempts.

Identity Check, on devices that support it, asks for your fingerprint or face, with no PIN, pattern or password alternative, for sensitive actions such as changing the screen lock or resetting the phone when you are outside your trusted places. Google's own page notes that Theft Detection Lock does not trigger if the screen is already locked or while there is a stable Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connection, so it is a layer, not a guarantee.

Remote lock: worth testing before you need it

Android also has Remote Lock, which lets you lock your phone's screen from android.com/lock on any browser by entering your phone number and passing a check. Google lists what it needs: a screen lock, an active SIM card in the phone, a verified phone number, Find Hub turned on and an internet connection. It can be used twice in 24 hours. Erasing the phone remotely still requires signing in to Find Hub.

On iPhone, the equivalent is marking the device as lost in Find My from another device or a browser. In both cases, the moment to check your login and your second factor is at home, not on a borrowed phone in a police station. Our guide on what to do if your phone is lost or stolen abroad takes it from there, step by step.

A short checklist for the night before

• Turn on Stolen Device Protection or the Android Theft protection settings, and check that Find My or Find Hub is on.
• Make any security changes you were planning, such as a new passcode or Apple Account password, at home: away from familiar locations, iPhone adds a one-hour delay.
• Use a longer passcode than four or six digits if you can, and shield the screen when you type it in public.
• Write down your Apple or Google account email and how you would sign in from someone else's phone.
• Keep a copy of your important travel documents somewhere other than the phone.

One more thing if you travel with an eSIM: a travel eSIM stays on the phone it was installed on, so it goes wherever the phone goes. Our lost phone guide explains what happens to it and to your home line after a theft.