How To Protect Your iPhone From Theft While Travelling

This winter, I took a three-week trip to Vietnam. In the lead-up to my vacation, I found myself thinking more about my iPhone than my luggage. That’s because phone theft in major cities is on the rise. London, for instance, recorded more than 116,655 stolen phones in 2024—that's the equivalent of 13 phones stolen every hour.

Friends of mine who visited Vietnam many years ago described petty theft and bag-snatching as common in tourist areas, particularly in Ho Chi Minh City, Ha Long Bay and Hanoi, all of which I planned to visit. They noted that theft was often opportunistic, with motorbike riders snatching phones from distracted tourists and disappearing within seconds.

To be proactive, I looked into iPhone features that could help me should my device get stolen on the trip. Here’s what I learned.

What protections are built into the iPhone?

The good news? Apple has a layered security system built into its devices. That includes more than just passcodes and Face ID; there are now multiple levels of protection that work together to prevent thieves from accessing your data or reselling your stolen phone. But these protections only work if you have them set up properly.

The most reassuring feature is Activation Lock, which is tied to the Find My function. If your iPhone is stolen, Activation Lock prevents anyone from reactivating the device without logging in with your Apple ID. Even if a thief resets the phone, they’ll be stuck on a setup screen asking for your password. In most cases, this makes the iPhone virtually worthless on the black market. (A common scam involves thieves messaging victims via iMessage to pressure them into giving or resetting their Apple ID password, so it’s important to never share your password or reset it if you’ve lost your device.)

Apple has also added another layer of security in iOS 17.3. Stolen Device Protection requires biometric authentication such as Face ID or Touch ID for sensitive actions—including turning off Find My, changing your Apple ID password, disabling Lost Mode (which remotely locks your device and shows a custom message with contact info), erasing the device or updating security settings. If you’re away from familiar places such as your home or workplace, these actions also trigger a one‑hour security delay before they can be completed. That delay exists solely to give you time to lock down the phone remotely if someone else has it.

How do I prepare my iPhone before I travel?

Before my trip, I went through the process of preparing my iPhone. First, I updated my iPhone to the latest iOS, because Stolen Device Protection only works on the most recent versions. Turning on that feature required some prerequisites: two-factor authentication needs to be enabled, a passcode must be active, Face ID must be configured, Find My has to be switched on and location services must be running so the phone can tell which places I frequent for that one-hour security delay.

Setting up iCloud backups gave me peace of mind, too. Losing a phone is bad; losing the photos, notes and messages inside it can be worse. I wrote down my IMEI (basically my phone’s identity number, which can be found in your phone’s settings) and serial number (also found in settings) somewhere safe—details that are essential if I ever need to file a police report.

An extra layer of custom iPhone protections

Even with Apple’s built-in protections, I wanted one more tool I could activate instantly in case I lost my phone or had it stolen. I already use my Apple Watch for payments—and using it means I don’t have to take out my iPhone or wallet in crowded places. So, I added an extra layer of security that I’d patched together with tips from several tech blogs: a custom Focus mode paired with a Shortcuts automation to create what is essentially a “panic lock” I can trigger from my wrist. Note that this is a user-devised workaround, not an official Apple feature.

Here’s how I set it up.

Step 1: Create a Custom Focus

• Go to Settings → Focus → + → Custom
• Name it something like Lock iPhone
• Under Customize Focus, Silence Notifications:
  • People → Allow Notifications From → [trusted]
  • Calls to Allow → Allowed People Only
• Under Allow Notifications, Apps:
  • Silence Notifications From → [all]
• Under Customize Screens:
  • Choose  → Create a New Lock Screen from the Gallery → Photos (I created a photo that says: “ALERT! Lost or stolen phone! If found, please email xxxx”) → Add
• Turn Share Across Devices ON if you want the Focus to sync with your Apple Watch (recommended for quick triggering)

Step 2: Build a Shortcuts Automation

• Open the Shortcuts app → Automation (bottom of screen)  → New Automation
• Select your custom Focus (Lock iPhone) → When “Is Turned On”
• Enable Run Immediately and turn off Ask Before Running
• Add actions under ‘Do’:
  • Wi‑Fi On
  • Bluetooth On
  • Airplane Mode Off
  • Low Power Mode On
  • Turn off Ask Before Running so the automation fires instantly
  • Lock Screen action (experimental and may not trigger reliably)
• Add a Send Message action to notify the family that the phone may be lost or stolen, with instructions to use Find My → Devices → [your] → Activate Lost Mode. (If you’re in a Family Sharing group, they can lock the phone remotely for you.)

Step 3: Trigger the Focus from Apple Watch

• Swipe up to open Control Center
• Tap the Focus icon (moon shape)
• Choose your Lock iPhone Focus
• Because Focus modes sync across devices, activating it on your Watch will trigger the automation on your iPhone. Note: This requires connectivity between Watch and iPhone (whether it’s cellular or wifi).

Does it work reliably?

The system works most of the time, but it’s not flawless. The Apple Watch and iPhone need to stay within range for the Focus to sync, and there’s usually a brief delay before the automation fires. Shortcuts automations can glitch occasionally, and the Lock Screen action isn’t guaranteed to trigger every single time. Still, when it does work, it locks the phone and restores connectivity quickly enough to add a useful extra layer of security.

What do I do if my iPhone is stolen while I’m travelling?

What happens if all the preparation still isn’t enough? Apple’s recovery process is straightforward.

If your iPhone is stolen and Lost Mode isn’t already on, your first step is to activate it as quickly as possible. You can do this on another Apple device like an iPad, Mac or Apple Watch by opening the Find My app, selecting my iPhone, and tapping Activate Lost Mode. If you don't have another device, a family member in your Family Sharing group can also lock your phone using their Find My app. You could also go to iCloud.com/find from any browser, which is especially useful when travelling without another Apple device, and sign in with your Apple ID to turn on Lost Mode. And if you can’t sign in at all, Apple Support can help you remotely. Once activated, Lost Mode locks the phone, suspends Apple Pay and displays your custom message, blocking any attempt to access the device from that moment on.

After locking the device, you should report the theft to local police. Then you can contact your cell phone carrier to suspend the line and prevent any misuse.

If recovering your phone seems unlikely, you can use iCloud to erase the device remotely. That step isn’t reversible, but if the phone is truly gone, wiping it protects everything on it. The key caveat is that the device should remain part of your Apple account: “Erase This Device” wipes the data but keeps it tied to your Apple ID, while “Remove This Device” unlinks it and disables Activation Lock, potentially making the phone usable to someone else.

Preparation makes the difference

I spent three weeks travelling across Vietnam and visiting six different cities without incident. As with any large city, being mindful of your belongings is important, but I never felt the need to hide my iPhone. In fact, I took countless photos while riding on a Grab motorbike (the local equivalent of taking an Uber). 

Still, with these protections, backups and my wrist-triggered Lock iPhone Focus, I’ve done everything possible to secure my information. And this isn’t just for travelling; phone theft can happen anywhere, even at home. All these preparations made it easy to actually enjoy my trip: the bustling streets, the smells, the chaos, without letting “what‑ifs” steal the fun.