If you have lost track of your Apple Watch and think it may have been stolen, you should do this to protect your data and have a chance of getting your wearable device back.

Temporarily losing track of a device can trigger nightmares, worrying that someone may have walked away with an expensive item that doesn't belong to them. In a public space, the likelihood of this happening goes up, while the likelihood of the item being restored intact goes down.

This might not even be a case of a thief taking an unattended Apple Watch. People's Apple Watches were taken as part of a face-to-face robbery, along with other valuables.

In addition to knowing you've been the victim of a theft, the prospect of losing hardware like your Apple Watch and the data it stores can be alarming. It's also likely to be able to make payments, as you'd probably put your card details in it, which seems about as bad as losing your wallet.

That being said, unfortunately, there are a number of things you can do if you end up in this situation.

Find it using Find My

If your Apple Watch has left your sight, or you put it in a bag that seems to have disappeared, the first thing to try is to re- Place your stuff. The Apple Watch is not necessarily stolen, but it may have been misplaced or moved by someone else for safety reasons.

The key here is to use Find My, Apple's system for tracking selected Apple devices as well as accessories like AirTags.

Please note that this only works if Find My was enabled on your Apple Watch before it was lost or stolen. After the event, you can't turn on Find My for Apple Watch.

Using Find My requires you to sign in to iCloud.com using your Apple ID in a browser, then select Find iPhone from the web page. You can also do this by opening the Find My app on your iPhone or other Apple product.

Find My will tell you the last reported location of an Apple product associated with you. If you have a lot of items to track, you can find it by selecting All Devices in the browser and then your Apple Watch, or by clicking Devices in the app and then clicking your Apple Watch.

If it's nearby and not moving, it should be easy to find your Apple Watch, as you can set it to "Find My Playback Sound" to help determine if it's within range of your or someone else's earpiece Inside.

If your Apple Watch is further away or still moving, you should take more actions.

If you see your Apple Watch and it is moving, it is not recommended to chase the thief. While you may be able to get your property back, this poses a potential risk to your safety.

In this case, it is best for you to contact the police.

Set your Apple Watch as lost

After confirming that your Apple Watch is no longer with you and is unlikely to be returned any time soon, the next step is to lock it by setting it as a lost device .

How to set your Apple Watch to Lost Mode via your browser

• Sign in to iCloud.com in your browser and select Find iPhone.
• Select All Devices, then select Apple Watch.
• Select Lost Mode.
• Enter the phone number you want to display on the Apple Watch screen. SelectNext step.
• Enter the message to be displayed on the display. Select to complete .

How to set your Apple Watch to Lost Mode using Find My

• Open Find My.
• Tap Device, then tap Apple Watch.
• Under Mark as Lost, select Activate.
• Follow the on-screen steps.

Enabling Lost Mode will lock your Apple Watch using your existing passcode, suspend payment cards and other services on the device, and send you notifications when its location updates.

Tell the Police

As with other lost and stolen items, if you cannot get your Apple Watch back immediately, you should report it to the police as soon as possible.

Doing this has some important benefits, such as the ability to recover your Apple Watch if it is handed over to the police. If it can be traced in Find It, police may use the facility to help recover the Apple Watch from thieves.

Filing a report will also provide you with a reference number, which you should keep in case you need to contact the police again about the theft.

Filing an Insurance Claim

If there is no chance of getting your Apple Watch back, you should consider filing an insurance claim. While this may vary by country, policy type and insurance company, in many cases you can request a replacement Apple Watch even if you don't have specific coverage for the device.

While Apple does not offer theft and loss coverage for the Apple Watch like it does for the iPhone, other types of insurance may already provide coverage.

This can include home insurance policies that contain elements related to personal devices used in public, some mobile phone insurance policies, and even travel insurance.

Assuming your policy does cover your Apple Watch. In this case, you will need to have information about the Apple Watch itself, details about the theft or loss, relevant Apple Watch details such as the serial number, and the police report reference number.

You may also have to pay an overage fee for the replacement.

Wipe Apple Watch

If a long time has passed since your Apple Watch was lost or stolen, and there is no sign that it is coming back to you, it might be time to wipe your Apple Watch. Doing so further protects your data by deleting it from your Apple Watch, so there won't be any further impact on your account.

However, this will also delete any data stored on your Apple Watch that has not been backed up anywhere else. It could also impact any ongoing investigations into missing or stolen Apple Watches.

Once deleted, you will no longer be able to track your Apple Watch through Find My, so please keep this in mind before deleting.

Wiping data can be performed remotely, also through Find My.

How to remotely wipe your Apple Watch

• Open Find on another Apple device, or log into iCloud.com in a browser and select "Find iPhone".
• In Find My, click Devices, then Apple Watch, Erase This Device, and follow the on-screen prompts.
• For iCloud.com, click All Devices, Apple Watch, Erase Apple Watch, Erase .

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