With mobile phone thefts surging across the UK, iPhone users are being urged to take three essential steps to safeguard their bank accounts. The advice comes from Declan Bransby, a personal finance content creator, who shared his tips after a friend lost his life savings when his phone was snatched in London.
Rising phone thefts prompt security advice
Phone thefts have increased significantly in recent years, driven by organised crime and criminals on e-bikes or mopeds who can grab devices in seconds. Hundreds of thousands of incidents are reported annually, with London as a major hotspot, though police crackdowns have begun targeting international smuggling rings and black-market storefronts.
While the Metropolitan Police have urged tech firms to make stolen phones harder to reuse, individuals can also take steps to protect themselves. Bransby's friend's experience "put the fear of god into me," he said, prompting him to review his own phone settings.
Step 1: Hide banking apps
Bransby advises hiding banking and money apps on your iPhone to make them harder to find without Face ID. "So if it's a banking app, I want you to long-press click require Face ID and then hide plus require Face ID," he explained. This moves apps into a hidden folder that requires Face ID and cannot be searched on the phone.
This feature is available on devices running iOS 18 or later, moving apps to a locked Hidden folder in the App Library. The folder only opens with Face ID, the facial recognition system on modern iPhones and iPad Pros.
"People miss this, but I would also require face ID for messages, emails, anything that could block two-factor authentication or password reset. And I would also do Instagram and TikTok to avoid any blackmail or Ransom," Bransby added.
Step 2: Turn on Stolen Device Protection
"Okay, now for the big ones," Bransby said. "In settings, it's obvious to some, but in Face ID and passcode, you're gonna turn on Stolen Device Protection." Apple recently enabled this setting by default for iPhones in a system update (iOS 26.4). It adds an extra layer of security when your phone is away from familiar places like home or work.
The setting requires Face ID or Touch ID biometric confirmation, with no passcode fallback, and introduces a 1-hour security delay for critical actions such as changing your Apple Account password. "And personally, I'd make sure you have it turned on to always," Bransby added.
Step 3: Turn on Find My iPhone
"And it goes without saying, but make sure Find My [iPhone] is turned on and enabled across all your devices so that you can remotely erase that device if needed," Bransby said. Find My is an Apple-built tracking service that lets you locate a lost or stolen device on a map, make it ring, lock it remotely, or wipe your private data.
If your phone is stolen, you can log in to your account on another device and remotely delete everything on your phone, preventing information from falling into the wrong hands. It's also useful if you've simply misplaced your phone.
Bonus tip: Lock control centre
Bransby also shared a bonus tip: "In Face ID and passcodes is to make sure that you turn off access to the control centre when your phone is locked." This prevents anyone from putting your phone into flight mode, which would block Find My iPhone.
