Losing a smartphone today could be deemed as your worst nightmare, with all your data and lovely apps in it. But no one could change it if the fate of your mobile is already written with a bad ending. The possibilities of being stolen, being broken and being lost by any means are there.
Mobile phones these days have become ‘smart’. They contain all your data, most accounts (including banks), digital wallets, photos, chats, emails and much more. Though we are sure that you might be using a dozen of social apps in your mobile, yet we are here to help you with the one which is dominant over others these days, and that is your all-time favorite messaging app WhatsApp. We already know that WhatsApp Payment feature is rolling out, it has become more important to make sure that your WhatsApp account does not get into the wrong hands.
Here’s our step-by-step guide to follow in case your smartphone is lost or stolen to secure your WhatsApp account.
1: De-activate your SIM card:
First of all, lock your SIM card by calling your service provider. No one will be able to authenticate the account on that handset after the SIM will be blocked. Because, according to WhatsApp policies, it’s necessary to get an SMS or phone call to certify the account associated with your number. And since the SIM will be deactivated, the person who is in possession of your device will not be able to use it.
2: Insert new SIM with the same number on the new phone:
After blocking your SIM, you can now activate your WhatsApp on a different handset. The fastest way to do this is to use a SIM card with the same number. Interestingly, WhatsApp can be activated only on one device at a time with the same phone number.
3: Backup chats and contacts from Google drive/iCloud:
If you had backed up your chats using Google Drive, iCloud or any other cloud solution before your phone went missing, you might be able to restore your chat history, as well as your contacts, by simply entering that email address for the number you had created a backup.
4: Inform WhatsApp team:
Another option is to email the WhatsApp team about the issue. In case, you go for this option, must include the sentence “Lost/stolen: Deactivate my account” in the body of the email, along with your phone number. Give these details with your country code. Also, remember to write your number exactly as you have it saved on your smartphone.
It must be noted that WhatsApp can also be operated using Wi-Fi even if the SIM card is not present inside the handset, so it is necessary to contact WhatsApp team and get your account deactivated if required in that particular case.
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