What is lost mode in Skie and what does it do?

A missing tablet is a loss of equipment and of control. Lost mode is Skie's response to both. One action in the dashboard puts the device into a locked state and starts collecting what you will need.

Four things happen. The device is locked, so whoever has it cannot use it. A message you write is shown on the lock screen, such as the school's name and a phone number to call. Tracking continues, so each time the device reaches the internet its location is recorded. And evidence builds up: the IMEI, the serial, SIM details where there are any, and the location trail, ready for a police report.

Lost mode does not rely on the thief being honest. The protections that stop a reset from Settings, safe mode and uninstalling remain in place. The device is of little use to someone who cannot get past the lock, and a reset from the recovery menu meets Factory Reset Protection, which asks for the Skie organisation's Google sign-in that only Skie holds.

What lost mode does not do is erase the device. Remote erase is not available yet and the team is working on it. For most losses, locking and tracking is the better response anyway, since it gives you a chance of getting the device back.

Practical tip: write the contact message in advance and keep it ready, so nobody is composing it in a panic. See each step in turn, starting with locking the device, and the broader guide lost or stolen managed tablet.

• Locks the device
• Shows a contact message
• Keeps tracking
• Builds evidence for the police