Set up a password
Open the Settings menu and navigate to General -> Passcode Lock.
Select Turn Passcode On and enter your desired 4 didgit code. NB: If you are using the iPhone 5s you can set up a fingerprint lock. Setup for this can be found under General -> TouchID and Passcode -> TouchID.
Finding your iPhone
Find My iPhone is a service that comes free with every iOS device and Mac computer, and it allows you to track your iPhone, whether it was lost or stolen. Of course, it only works when the phone is on and it has a signal, so if your phone gets stolen and the thief was smart enough to turn off the phone or put it in Airplane Mode, Find My iPhone won’t work, but it’ll at least give you a fighting chance. Here’s how to use it:
First step is first; make sure the service is set-up. You can do this by downloading the Find My Phone app from the App Store.
Once the app has finished installing, go into Settings and tap on iCloud. Scroll down until you see Find My iPhone and switch it ON.
Once you have Find My iPhone enabled, you’re all set up to locate and manage a lost or stolen iPhone. Now comes the fun part.
Using another mobile device
If your friend has an iPhone, you can log into the Find My iPhone app on his/her iPhone to see where your own iOS device is located; just make sure to log out when you’re done so that your friend can’t log back in and see where you’re at in the future.
Tapping on the small blue arrow will take you to more options. These options include playing a sound on your lost iPhone. This will emit a loud noise at full volume on your lost iPhone to make it easier to locate it if you lost it in your house or car.
Lost Mode provides options for locking the device with a 4-digit passcode and displaying a contact phone number right on the lock screen, and you can also remote wipe your iOS device to make sure none of your personal information gets in the wrong hands; a stolen iPhone is bad, but access to your passwords is even worse.
When remote wiping your phone, it’ll completely erase everything, including your iCloud login, meaning that after you remote wipe, you won’t be able to use Find My iPhone anymore to locate it, so use this as a last resort, such as if you think there’s no hope of getting the device back.
Using a Computer
To start, head to www.icloud.com and log in using your Apple ID information. You’ll be greeted with a handful of apps arranged similarly to how your iPhone home screen looks. Click on the Find My iPhone icon and you’ll be taken to a full-screen map with dots representing where various Apple devices that you own are located.
You can click on Devices at the top to view all of your Apple devices, and when you select your lost or stolen one, you’ll have the same three options as the Find My iPhone app: Play Sounds, Lost Mode and Erase iPhone.