SkieWhat to do if your child's phone or tablet is lost or stolen
If your child's phone or tablet is lost or stolen, make sure your child is safe, try to locate the device, lock it, contact your carrier, report to the police with the IMEI and serial number, and replace it. With Skie, lost mode does the locking, tracking and evidence in one place.
First, check your child is safe
A lost device is an inconvenience. A stolen one may mean your child was threatened. Ask what happened before you ask where the device went, and tell your child that safety comes first. Do not send them to recover it.
If someone took the device by force, report it to the police now, and keep your child away from the place.
Step by step
- Try to locate it: ask for a fresh location in the parent dashboard
- Turn on lost mode: lock the device, show a contact message and start tracking
- Call your carrier to block the SIM if it has one
- Note the IMEI and serial number for the police report
- File a report with the police, using the evidence pack
- Change passwords for accounts your child used on the device
- Replace the device when you are ready
What lost mode does in Skie
Lost mode locks the device, shows your contact message on screen, and keeps tracking. It also builds evidence for a police report: IMEI, serial, SIM details and a location trail. Once the device is found, mark it found and it returns to normal. Remote erase of a lost device is not available yet, and is something the team is working on.
The protections also help if the person holding the phone tries to wipe it. Factory reset from Settings is blocked. Android's Factory Reset Protection is on, so a wiped device asks for the Skie organisation's Google sign-in before it can be set up again, which only Skie holds. A reset device is of no use to whoever took it.
If you cannot locate it
A device that is off, offline or out of battery will not report a fresh location. The dashboard shows the last seen time and the reason a locate attempt failed. Check the trail for where it went quiet, which often points to a school, a bus or a home. Keep lost mode on, because the next time the device connects it will lock and report.
Do not travel to track it down yourself. Give the police the trail and let them act.
Replacing the device
Skie has a replace-a-device option that keeps your child's group, rules and history, and frees the old seat. The new device must be freshly set up or reset to be managed, then provisioned with the Skie Provision app or a computer and cable. If the old device turns up in a drawer, it will not take a second seat, because Skie recognises devices by IMEI or serial number.
A tablet follows the same path. See lost or stolen managed tablet for the school view of the same process.
Before it happens
Switch on location, set a screen lock, and keep a note of the IMEI and serial number somewhere other than the device. Agree with your child that they tell you quickly if a device goes missing, and that they will not be in trouble for it. Tracking your child's location responsibly covers the agreement. Pricing for Skie is on request.
What to tell your child
The first reaction of many children is fear. They worry about punishment, so they delay telling you, and the delay costs time. Tell them in advance that you will not be angry if a device goes missing and they tell you quickly. Time matters more than blame.
Teach them to say where and when it happened, and who was nearby. That helps with the police report and with the location trail.
Privacy and the police report
When you file a report, share the IMEI, the serial number and SIM details, which Skie collects in the evidence pack, along with the location trail. Share only what the police need. Skie does not read your child's messages or call logs, so there is nothing of that kind to hand over from Skie.
Location tracking needs clear consent and a written family agreement, and laws vary by country. This is general information, not legal advice.
After the incident
- Change passwords for accounts used on the device
- Review which apps your child had and whether the new device needs the same ones
- Check the location settings and bedtime windows on the replacement
- Talk about how to keep the device safe: not on show in public, not left in a bag unattended
- Update your note of IMEI and serial for the new device
Frequently asked questions
What do I do if my child's phone is stolen?
Check your child is safe, locate it, turn on lost mode, block the SIM, and file a police report with the IMEI and serial number.
How do I find my child's lost phone?
Request a fresh location in the Skie parent dashboard and check the location trail and last seen time.
Can I wipe the lost phone remotely?
Remote erase is not available yet. Lost mode locks the device, and Factory Reset Protection means a wiped device cannot be reused without the Skie organisation's sign-in.
Does it work for tablets?
Yes. Lost mode works the same on a tablet.
Will a replacement device keep the rules?
Yes. Replace a device in Skie to keep the group, rules and history.