In 2023, about 1.4 million mobile phones were stolen across the US alone. Globally, the number would be tenfold. As phone thefts continue to rise, users remain most affected by data loss.
Imagine the amount of personal and critical information lost each year due to a stolen or missing device. Whether those were your family photos, work documents, account details, important contacts, or WhatsApp chats, the aftermath of a stolen smartphone can be overwhelming. However, not all hope is lost.
Let this article be your guide in exploring ways to recover data from a stolen or missing Android phone.
If your Android device gets stolen or lost, you must act quickly. The longer your device remains in the wrong hands, the greater the risk of them accessing and misusing your personal data.
- Connect with your network service provider and report loss and theft.
- Immediately file a police complaint for an official record. This will help you with legal formalities, suspending your bank accounts, and insurance claims.
- Log into your Google account to remove your device login and also update your password.
- If Google’s – Find My Device is enabled on your device, you can use it to locate, lock, and remotely erase your Android phone.
Once you have completed the above steps, it’s time to prepare for data recovery.
How to Recover Data if Android Device Gets Stolen?
If your Android device is lost, all the photos, messages, and important files stored in it will be out of reach. But with a bit of know-how, it’s possible to get back your Android phone data.
Restore All Your Files During New Device Setup
Did you create a Google One backup of your Android Device before it was stolen? If so, then you can easily restore your backup while setting up a new Android phone.
During the setup process, sign in with your Google account and choose to restore your data. This will help you recover all your files, including photos, videos, audio, documents, etc., from your backup.
If you did not have a Google One backup enabled for your stolen device, try other recovery methods shared here.
1. Recover your Photos and Videos from Stolen Android Device
Photos and Videos take up most of your smartphone’s storage and is the most crucial data stored in your device, be it a family get together, a solo travel trip or your office party. Most Android users keep their data backed up using cloud backups and Google services. Hence, If you’ve ever used Google Drive, Google Photos, or your phone’s own cloud backup to create a backup of your photos and videos, all you have to do is access and download your data.
Recover Photos and Videos from Google Photos Backup
If Google Photos feature is enabled on your device, your phone will automatically back up photos and videos to Google Photos. Use a laptop or another phone to retrieve your data.
- On your web browser, login to your Google account.
- Now go to the menu and click on the Google Photos icon.
- Look for your photos and videos from the Collection section and download them to your computer or new phone.
- If you deleted something from your device and it was backed up, check the “Trash” folder in Google Photos.
- Photos and videos in trash can be restored within 60 days after deletion.
Restore from Google Drive
If a friend shared an album with you on the cloud, it’s probably in your Google Drive. Sometimes, we upload our photos and videos to Google Drive to create an additional backup, store important files, or share them with others. If you also remember doing the same, follow the below steps to retrieve them.
- On your web browser, login to your Google account and go to Google Drive.
- Go to My Drive and look for photos and videos folder, or manually search for your files.
- If you find your photos or videos, you can select and download them easily.
Use Dropbox or OneDrive
Similarly, if you remember using third-party apps like Dropbox or OneDrive to back up your photos and videos, you can restore your Android device files.
- Go to the Dropbox or OneDrive website and log in with your account.
- Find the folder where your photos or videos were saved.
- Download the photo and video files to your computer.
Similarly, if you have used another backup service, you can use it to recover your photos and videos from there.
2. Recover Audio Files from Google Drive
Audio files in an Android phone comprise music, MP3 files, voice notes, audio recordings, or call recordings. You can restore the audio files from your Google Drive Backup.
Hence, if you saved your audio files to Google Drive, you can get them back easily with the below steps.
- On your web browser, login to your Google account and go to Google Drive.
- Go to My Drive and look for the audio folder, or manually search for your audio files.
- If you find your audio files, you can select and download them easily.
3. Recover Contacts from Google Contacts
If your Android phone is stolen, you can still get your contacts back if you use your Google account or a third-party cloud backup service to back them up.
- Log in to your Google account, and from the menu, go to Contacts.
Now, go to your Contacts menu and look for all your saved or backed-up contacts.
- If you deleted some contacts by mistake, you can recover them from the Trash.
Apart from Google, if you have enabled manufacturer-provided cloud backup on your Android device, you can use it to restore your deleted contacts similarly.
4. Recover Call Logs from Google Drive
We are all a bit lucky when it comes to recovering call logs. Call logs are the only data that are stored by your network provider, so even if the call log data was not backed up, it can be obtained from your network service provider.
- If you backed up your phone to Google Drive or used your device manufacturer’s cloud service (for instance, Samsung Cloud), you can recover it while setting up your device.
- When you set up your new phone, sign in with your Google account, and during device setup, choose to restore data from your backup. This will restore your call logs along with your other data.
- Your mobile service provider (like Verizon or AT&T) also records your call history for a while. You can visit the nearest customer care center or log in to your service provider’s online portal and check for your call history data.
5. Recover Messages Using Google Account
If you selected message or SMS backup while setting up Google One Backup on your old phone, your messages will be included in the backup. Hence, when you get your new phone, sign in with your Google account and restore your data during setup. This will restore all your messages that were backed up before the device was stolen.
Some Android phone brands, such as Samsung, OnePlus, Xiaomi, Vivo, etc., let you backup and restore messages using their own cloud services. However, if you do not have a backup, you won’t be able to recover your messages.
6. Recover Documents Using Google Docs, Google Drive, or Email Attachments
When your Android phone is stolen, you might worry about losing your important documents, such as PDFs, Word documents, spreadsheets, PPTs, etc.
Recover from Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Google Slides
If you used Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Slides, etc., your work files are automatically saved in the cloud and can be accessed and recovered easily:
- On a new phone or any computer, open the Google Docs/Sheets/Slides app or go to the website.
- Sign in with the same Google account you used on your stolen phone.
- All your Google Docs, sheets, presentation slides will be stored there, you just have to download them, if required.
If you deleted something by mistake, check the Trash folder of these Google apps. Files stay there for 30 days before they are deleted.
Recover from Google Drive
You can also get your documents, such as ZIP files, PDFs, DOCs, etc., back if you uploaded them to Google Drive. All you have to do is simply download these files:
- Open the Google Drive app on your new phone, or go to the Google Drive website.
- Sign in using the same Google account you used on your stolen phone.
- Once you are logged in, you will see all your documents that have been backed up.
- Check the documents, spreadsheets, presentations, PDFs, forms, section, and then download them to your new device or computer.
Check the Trash folder in Google Drive if you want to restore the deleted files.
Email Attachments and Messaging Apps
Sometimes, documents are received and shared via email. Check your email account and then download the files again from there.
Check other Cloud Services
Some of us also use cloud storage apps, like Microsoft OneDrive or Dropbox. Hence, if you saved your documents there, install the app on your new phone, sign in, and your files will be there.
Manual Backup on SD Card or Computer
If you remember copying your documents to an external drive, an SD card, or your computer itself, you can easily move them to your new phone. Just connect your phone to the computer and copy the files.
Recover Notes from Google Keep
If you use Google Keep to create notes on your stolen phone, your notes are safely stored in the cloud.
- Download the Google Keep app on your new phone or log in to your Google Keep account on your website.
- Sign in with the same Google account you used before.
- All your notes and reminders will appear automatically because they are synced with your Google account.
If you accidentally delete a note, you can restore it by going to the Trash section in Google Keep.
7. Recover WhatsApp Chats and Files Using Google Drive
It’s easy to recover your WhatsApp chats and media files or attachments if you use Google Drive to back them up.
All you have to do is:
- On your new phone, install WhatsApp app.
- Sign in with the same phone number that you used previously.
- While setting up the WhatsApp account, you can easily restore your chat backup from Google Drive.
- Just tap on Restore All and your WhatsApp chats, messages, photos, documents, and videos will be restored to the new device.
If you didn’t back up your WhatsApp chats to Google Drive, you can’t get your old WhatsApp chats back.
Backup is Your Only Savior!
If your Android device is stolen, backup is your only savior. Restoring data while setting up a new Android phone is an easy way to get back your photos, videos, contacts, call logs, messages, documents, and even app data. Therefore, it’s always advisable to turn on Google One Backup service or your device manufacturer’s cloud backup service to keep your data safe in case of a major mishap like device theft. Always save important files, photos, and documents to Google Drive and create periodic backup of your data on an external drive. Without a backup, there’s no way to recover files if your device is stolen.
When should I report my stolen android device?
You must immediately report the theft to the police or local authorities and provide your phone’s IMEI number. Also, inform your mobile service provider so they can block your SIM card and help track or disable the device to prevent unauthorized use.
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