Guides / After the first hour

After the first hour: the next day and the next week

Updated 4 November 2026 · By the FirstHour team

Short answerOnce the urgent calls are made, slow down. Over the next day, check your accounts and statements, change the passwords that matter, and review the devices on your Apple Account. Over the next week, get a new SIM and phone, restore your backup, finish any police and insurance paperwork, and keep the old iPhone in Find My.

The first hour is about speed. After that, it is about being thorough. If you haven't done the first hour yet, start with what to do if your iPhone is stolen.

Over the next day

  1. Check your accounts and statements. Look through your bank, card and e-wallet activity from the time of the theft. Report anything you don't recognise to the bank, and keep the reference numbers. The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) suggests checking your credit card, bank and other financial accounts for unauthorized charges or changes. Here's what to ask your bank.
  2. Change the passwords that matter. Start with your Apple Account and your email, because your email can reset many other accounts. Then do your banking, shopping and chat apps. Here's how to protect your email.
  3. Review which devices are signed in. In your Apple Account, you can see a list of your devices. Apple says to remove any device you don't recognise, and that a device you remove from your account won't have access to iCloud, Find My or other Apple services, and stops showing your verification codes. For the stolen iPhone itself, our advice is to leave it where it is, in Find My and in your device list, at least until any insurance claim is settled. Apple's pages can be read more than one way on this, and removing it too soon could make Find My stop working for that phone. Check Google and Facebook too. Here are the steps.
  4. Watch for scam messages. Apple says it will never contact you to say your iPhone has been found, so a message that says so is a scam. The FTC says legitimate companies won't text or email a link to update your payment information. If you're unsure about a message, contact the company on a phone number or website you already know is real. Here's how the "found" scam works.

Over the next week

  1. Get a replacement SIM. This brings your number and your login codes back. Ask your network what to bring and whether your number stays the same. Here's how it works in the Philippines. For other countries, pick yours. Once it works, think about a SIM PIN. The FTC suggests a PIN or password on your phone account, to help protect it from unauthorized changes. If your phone suddenly stops working with no data, texts or calls, the FTC says that may be a SIM swap. Call your provider at once.
  2. Report it to the police if you haven't. They may ask for your serial number, which Apple says you can find even without the phone. Here's where to look.
  3. Deal with insurance. Apple says that if your iPhone has AppleCare+ with Theft and Loss, you can file a claim for a replacement, and that it isn't available in all countries and regions. Our advice is to keep the iPhone in Find My and your Apple Account until the claim is fully approved. Other insurance has its own rules, so ask what it needs.
  4. Get a new phone and restore. On a new iPhone, follow the setup steps to the Transfer Your Apps & Data screen and choose to restore from an iCloud backup. Apple says to check the date and size of each backup and choose the most recent. It says to stay on Wi-Fi and power until the progress bar finishes. Don't set the new phone up as new first: Apple says that creates iCloud backups that replace your saved ones. Here's what a backup holds.
  5. Sign back in, then tidy up. Add your cards to Wallet again, sign back in to your apps, and turn on Find My and your other safeguards on the new phone.

Decide about erasing, and leave Find My alone

Apple says to make sure you've tried everything else before you erase, because erasing can't be undone. If you can't recover the phone, Apple says to erase it remotely and review your Apple Account. Here's how to decide.

Apple also says not to remove a stolen device from Find My, even if you erase it. Removing it turns off Activation Lock, and then another person can set the device up with their own Apple Account. Apple's stolen-iPhone page gives no moment when it is right to remove it, so we don't give one either. Our advice is to keep it in Find My, at least until any insurance claim is settled.

How FirstHour helps

Plan B builds a first-hour plan ahead of time, and it keeps your phone's details, such as the IMEI and serial number, ready for your network or the police. It tells you what to do and who to call. It doesn't check your statements, change your passwords, restore your backup or remove devices from your Apple Account for you.

Sources

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