Breaking the lock of a modern phone protected by a strong code is very hard. The bigger risk is a PIN watched over your shoulder beforehand, or a phone snatched from your hand while unlocked. What protects against that is a strong code, hidden notification content on the lock screen and the built-in theft protection features of iPhone and Android.
Where the weak point is
A phone locked with a strong code encrypts its data and, after repeated wrong attempts, makes you wait longer or locks itself completely. Guessing the code is therefore pointless.
A thief gets around the lock differently. They watch your PIN on a bus or in a shop and only then steal the phone. Or they snatch it from your hand while it is unlocked. Either way they have access to everything the phone opens without asking again: email, some apps, sometimes saved passwords. A code like 1234, a year of birth or a simple pattern is little better than no lock at all.
What shows on the locked screen
Notifications are visible even without unlocking. If text messages and emails show their full content, a one-time code from your bank or a password reset link can be read straight off the lock screen. Set notification content to stay hidden until the phone recognises your face or fingerprint.
Theft protection features
From iOS 17.3, iPhone has Stolen Device Protection. Away from familiar places such as home or work, accessing saved passwords and erasing the phone require Face ID or Touch ID, with no option to use the passcode alone. Changing your Apple Account password is then delayed by an hour. The feature has to be turned on before the phone goes missing.
Android has Theft Detection Lock, which locks the screen by itself when someone snatches the phone and runs. On top of that come Offline Device Lock and Remote Lock from android.com/lock, provided you set it up beforehand. Availability depends on the system version and phone model, and all of them work only when a screen lock is set.
When the phone is already gone
If the phone was unlocked or someone may have known the code, treat it as a possible account takeover, not just the loss of a device. Act in order: lock the phone remotely, then deal with your bank and your mobile operator.
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