Remote wipe

A remote wipe erases all the data on a lost or stolen phone, tablet or laptop from another device over the internet. It protects your photos, messages and accounts if you cannot get the device back. On Apple devices you use Find My (at icloud.com/find), and on Android you use Google's Find Hub (at android.com/find). Windows has Find my device for locating and locking. These features must be switched on before the device goes missing. Usually you try to locate and lock the device first, then wipe it if recovery looks unlikely. A recent backup means wiping does not mean losing your files.