3 Tips to Keep Your Mobile Safe at Festivals
There are over 250 music festivals in the UK this summer, and hundreds more summer festivals if you include food, cultural themes and look outside the UK as well. Whether you’re planning a trip to just one, or a whole summer of revelling, make sure your mobile phone doesn’t join the thousands that are lost (and never reclaimed) each year. Here are 3 essential tips to help make sure you’ll still be sharing the fun with your online tribe during the journey home.
1. Protect your phone from the elements.
If you’re a hardened veteran of festivals, or even just an occasional camping trip, you already know that water gets everywhere. You don’t have to fork out for an actual waterproof phone case – just keep your phone in a heavy duty Ziploc freezer bag when it’s not in use, such as overnight.
2. Label your phone clearly
Naturally, we recommend our own labels and secure lock-screen image as the best and simplest method. It has the advantage of not displaying your name or any other contact details on your device, just a reference number that can be used to contact you or a friend. But if you’re not a WhosMyOwner member, just write your contact details on paper with a heavy marker, take a photo and set it as your lock screen image, at least while you’re at the festival. Just don’t give away too much info!
3. Before you leave home…
If you are a WhosMyOwner member, be sure to save a friend’s mobile number and email in your notification preferences as well as your own, so you can quickly be notified if your phone is found or handed in. Just log in and go to your Settings page.
Before you leave, make a note of your phone’s unique IMEI number. Dial *#06# to display it on-screen. Keep a copy this number separate from your phone, or back home with a family member who knows where to find it. If there’s any doubt when claiming a found phone, this will identify yours.
Set up tracking if provided by your phone’s operating system, such as Find My iPhone for iOS devices. These work well, as long as the lost device is powered up and within range. (For that reason, take a portable power pack and keep your phone topped up!)
