Two of my iPhones—an iPhone 14 and an iPhone 16—were stolen, and I'm worried the thieves might be able to access my photos, files, or other personal information. I marked both devices as lost through Find My and started the remote erase process, which should complete once they connect to the internet. The thieves have also used my stolen bank cards for small contactless purchases, so I'm especially concerned that they may somehow get past the phones' security. How likely is it that they can access the data?
3 Answers
Using the physical bank cards doesn’t necessarily mean they unlocked either phone. Contactless card payments can sometimes work without the phone passcode, depending on the card and transaction limits. Cancel or freeze every stolen card, monitor your accounts, and report unauthorized purchases. Also make sure your Apple Account doesn’t reuse the same password as any other account.
If both phones had strong passcodes and you didn’t give anyone access to your Apple Account, your data is generally well protected. Modern iPhones are extremely difficult to unlock without specialized tools. Keeping them marked as lost and leaving the remote erase request active was the right move. Change your Apple Account password, review trusted devices, and contact your bank or card issuer immediately about the stolen cards and suspicious transactions.
The main risk would be if the thieves know your device passcode, saw you enter it, or obtained your Apple Account credentials through phishing. Otherwise, Lost Mode prevents normal access and Activation Lock makes the phones difficult to reuse. Don’t remove either device from Find My, even after the erase completes, because removing it can weaken the activation lock protection.
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