I know it's an odd question, but where I live phones get stolen often. My phone doesn't have the option for an eSim, which is a problem because 90% of the time when a thief steals a phone they take out the SIM card immediately, meaning I wouldn't be able to remotely lock or wipe my phone.
Should I consider glueing the SIM tray shut? Or are there alternative less permanent measures I can take to keep my device secure?
A better option would be to use a good password generally and the built-in lost device functions like Find my iPhone, Google Find my Device or Samsung Find my Mobile.
If you’re using Android, and want a separate app that can lock down your device outside of the built-in functionality, among a ton of other features:
I used to use Cerberus years ago for that security before that functionality was really built in. It is a side loaded app that allows remote tracking, lockdown, etc. and functions as a system app. They have a version of the apk that is listed as “System Framework” with a stock Android icon and as well to hide in the app listing. You can have it hide the app and access it via a dialer code as well for added security. When I used it, you could have it take photos to send to your email with location data for incorrect login attempts, send messages to the device to display while lost, etc. www.cerberusapp.com
Still no use if the SIM gets pulled, therefore losing connectivity and rendering any Find My Device app useless. Unless I’m missing something?
Of course nothing will work if the SIM is removed, no new SIM is inserted, and they don’t connect it to Wi-Fi. But at that point, whoever has it also isn’t using the device either are they?
There is no way to have a device know it is stolen and wiped without it being able to get that notification from somewhere.
If that device is connected back to the Internet though, all of the find my device services work just fine, and you can queue a wipe to wait for the device to be online again. None of them are reliant on your SIM or phone number, they all use the MEID/IMEI and your Apple/Google/Samsung/etc. account to manage it.