Locking a lost or stolen device is the right first action because it buys time without destroying anything. If the machine turns up in a drawer, nothing has been lost.

Retiring and wiping are the heavier options and neither can be undone. Reaching for one of those first is the mistake worth avoiding while somebody is still panicking.

Lock first, ask the person to look properly, then escalate if it is genuinely gone.

Before you begin

List the person’s devices first and identify the right one by name. Locking the wrong machine wastes somebody’s afternoon.

Ask when they last had it and where. That decides whether this is lost or stolen, and the answers differ.

Lock it

1. Open chat and check the client.
2. Ask Avvi to lock the device, naming it. For example: lock Jane’s laptop, JANE-LT01.
3. Read the confirmation and check the device name on it.
4. Confirm.

Avvi reports that the lock has been sent. The device applies it the next time it is reachable.

Good to know

A device that is off or offline cannot be locked until it connects. The instruction waits for the device rather than failing.

Locking does not delete anything, which is exactly why it is the safe first step.

Verify it worked

Ask the person to confirm the device is locked, if it is somewhere they can see it.

Check the device list again to see when it last checked in. A device that has not connected since has not applied the lock.

If something doesn’t look right

If Avvi says remote lock is not supported on that device, it is a limitation of the device type rather than a failure. Locking is most reliable on phones and tablets; on a Windows machine it depends on the client’s own policies.

If the device has not checked in for a long time, the lock is waiting rather than failed. Nothing more can be done from Avvi until it connects.

If the device is found and the person cannot get in, that is expected. Removing the lock is a device management task on the client’s side.

If it is confirmed stolen and holds company data, escalate to retiring or wiping and be sure which of the two you want first. Both are irreversible, which is the reason to lock while you decide rather than a permission problem.

To report a problem, open a support conversation from the Help drawer with the client, the person, and the device name.

FAQ

Q: Does locking delete anything?

A: No. That is the point of locking first.

Q: What if the device is off?

A: The lock applies when it next connects.

Q: Should I wipe it instead?

A: Not as a first move. Wiping cannot be undone, and most lost devices are found.