A guide for parents
If their phone is lost or stolen, can your teenager still reach you?
When a phone is lost or stolen, the numbers go with it. With ZeroPercent set up, your teenager can borrow any phone, open zeropercentapp.com/rescue, answer three things they already know, and reach you or their other backup contacts by name, via text or call, depending on their plan. From that same borrowed phone they can lock the missing one with Apple's Find My.
In an emergency, call 999 in the UK or 911 in the US and Canada. ZeroPercent is a backup way to reach family, not an emergency service.
The first few minutes
A missing phone is stressful, and a stolen one can be frightening. The order matters less than getting each step done, but this is a good one to teach them:
- Get somewhere safeA shop, a café, a station, anywhere with people and staff. Never chase a thief.
- Borrow a phoneStaff, a friend, anyone nearby. ZeroPercent teaches them exactly what to say when they ask.
- Lock the missing phoneOn an iPhone, go to icloud.com/find, sign in with their Apple Account and mark the phone as lost. That locks it and shows a message on the screen. On Android, use Google's Find My Device at google.com/android/find.
- Reach their peopleOpen zeropercentapp.com/rescue on the same borrowed phone and reach you by name. More on this below.
- AfterwardsCall the mobile network to block the SIM, and report a theft to the police.
Reaching family without the phone
- Open zeropercentapp.com/rescueIn any browser, on any phone. Nothing to install.
- Answer three things they already knowTheir mobile number, their date of birth and their PIN. No password to remember, and nothing that was only stored on the missing phone.
- Reach you by nameTheir backup contacts are listed by name, no numbers needed. They text you, or call you on Pro, and your replies come back on the borrowed phone. They sign out before handing it back, and nothing stays on it.
Who should be a backup contact?
Anyone your teenager would want to reach when things go wrong: you, another adult in the family, a grandparent, a friend's parent, a neighbour. Backup contacts don't need the app or an account. They confirm once, from a link. Two or more is best, because one person might not pick up.
Not a tracker
ZeroPercent has no access to location, messages, browsing or app activity. It doesn't find the missing phone; Find My does that. What it does is make sure losing the phone doesn't mean losing touch with you.
Questions
My child's phone was stolen and they don't know my number. What can they do?
With ZeroPercent set up, they borrow any phone, go to zeropercentapp.com/rescue and reach you by name. Without it, they can ask staff, the police or another trusted adult for help. In an emergency, call 999 or 911.
How do I lock a lost or stolen iPhone?
From any browser, go to icloud.com/find, sign in with the Apple Account on that phone, and mark it as lost. That locks it and lets you show a message on its screen. On Android, use Find My Device at google.com/android/find.
Does ZeroPercent help find a lost phone?
No. It lets the person reach their people. Use Find My on iPhone, or Find My Device on Android, to locate and lock the phone.
Could whoever has the phone pretend to be my teenager?
Signing in to a rescue needs your teenager's PIN as well as their number and date of birth, so holding the phone isn't enough. The adults who run your family can also set a code word, so you can tell a message from a borrowed phone really is from them.
Do backup contacts need the app?
No. They don't need the app or an account.
Does it work abroad?
The rescue page works from a borrowed phone anywhere. Backup contacts need a UK, US or Canadian number, and calling from anywhere in the world is on Pro.