Why tourists lose phones
Not because tourists are careless. Because travel puts you in every risky situation at once. You are in crowds you do not know how to read. You are distracted by things worth looking at. You hold your phone out in front of you to navigate and to take pictures. You leave it on a towel while you swim, on a hostel bed while you shower, and on a café table while you order in a language you are still learning.
A thief in a tourist area knows all of this. The good news is that the same few habits and the same few alarms cover almost every one of these moments.
Before you go: set up Remote Access and a backup number
Do this at home, with time and Wi-Fi. None of it can be done after the phone is gone.
- 1
Install Alert24 and set your PIN
Choose a PIN, pattern or knock code. It is the only thing that stops an alarm. Turn on the fingerprint option too, so you can stop it fast with a wet hand at the beach.
- 2
Sign in with Google and enable remote control
Slide the remote control switch on the dashboard. The app asks for camera and background location. This is what lets you ring, locate and photograph the phone later from alert24.in. Remote Access is part of Premium.
- 3
Add a backup phone number
In the app drawer, Access via Phone lets you save a backup phone number to your account. Write down your Google account and your IMEI (dial *#06#) somewhere that is not the phone.
- 4
Turn on the intruder alert
In Intruders Pictures, switch on the device intruder alert. It needs device admin and your Google sign-in. Then anyone who enters a wrong unlock code gets photographed, and the photo is uploaded to your account.
- 5
Set the app language
Alert24 runs in English and 31 other languages. If a local helper or hotel staff needs to see the app, you can switch it in Settings without changing the phone's language.
On the street: pocket alarm and trusted places off
Old towns, markets, metro stations and the queue for the famous thing are where pockets get picked. Arm the Anti-Pickpocket alarm before you walk into the crowd. It arms in 10 seconds, waits in your pocket, and sirens the moment the phone is pulled out into the light.
Do not add any place on your trip as a trusted place. Trusted places pause automatic charger and earphone alerts, and there is nowhere on holiday where that is what you want.
When you need the phone for the map, stop, step to the side, take it out and enter your PIN. Then put it back and arm it again. It sounds like a lot, but it is a two-second habit and it also stops you walking into traffic while staring at a screen.
- Alarms work offline. No SIM, no data, no problem.
- Front pocket or a cross-body bag worn in front
- One hand on the phone when you use it near roads and scooters
At the beach or pool: motion alarm on the towel
You cannot take the phone into the sea. Wrap it in a shirt on the towel, arm Don't Touch My Phone, and swim. If anyone lifts the bundle, the siren and flash go off in the middle of a quiet beach, and the front camera takes their picture as soon as the alarm starts.
Set the sensitivity high, because a towel is still, and turn on vibration so you can feel it if you are close by. Remember the alarm disarms after it fires; if a friend sets it off, arm it again before you go back in.
In the hostel: motion and charger alarm
Dorm rooms are shared with strangers, and phones charge by the bed all night. Arm the charger removal alarm when you plug in; if the cable is pulled, the siren wakes the whole room, which is exactly what you want. For a phone left on the bunk while you shower, use the motion alarm.
The hostel and shared rooms page goes through all of it, including what to do about the roommate who has watched you type your PIN.
If it is stolen abroad: the checklist
In order. The first three you can do from any browser or a friend's phone.
- Sign in at alert24.in and ring the phone. If it is nearby, you will hear it.
- Check Location History for the last reported position and mark the phone as lost so it photographs whoever unlocks it.
- Sign out of your Google account on the phone from your Google account settings, and change your main passwords.
- Call your bank and your mobile provider to block cards and the SIM.
- Report to the local police with your IMEI. Your travel insurance will ask for the report number.
- Read the full guide: phone stolen abroad.
Languages: the app in your language
Alert24 is translated into 31 languages besides English, including Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Italian, Arabic, Hindi, Indonesian, Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese, Korean and both Simplified and Traditional Chinese. Right-to-left languages such as Arabic, Hebrew, Persian and Urdu are laid out properly. See the full list and how to switch.
Set it up tonight, not at the airport
Alert24 is free on Google Play. Install it, set your PIN and switch on remote control while you still have Wi-Fi and time.