Since I began using mobile phones, I’ve changed devices for various reasons.  Many of which I had to give up because I needed to–I tend to drop my phones and there’s a limit to how much torture a device can handle.  Some I replaced because I wanted to, but two of them I lost; one while walking down the street, the other in cab.  And apparently I’m not too different from the norm.  A recent report from Lookout finds that the average person loses two phones in their lifetime.  I wonder how many phones are lost in the wild?

$30 billion in lost phones

Lookout, the mobile security company dedicated to making the mobile experience safe for everyone, released findings from the first-ever phone loss study, which revealed that lost phones unrecovered could cost U.S. consumers more than $30 billion this year.

“Each day, $7 million worth of phones are lost by Lookout users alone, and if unrecovered, it would take a significant toll not only on our wallets, but on our psyche too,” said Kevin Mahaffey, co-founder and CTO Lookout. “Safeguarding your smartphone starts with protecting it from the number one risk you face – losing it.”

Mobile Lost & Found

As part of Lookout’s study, they launched Mobile Lost & Found, a Lookout Labs project, which is part of Lookout’s innovation arm.

Mobile Lost & Found is an interactive website for people to discover the places where phones are most often lost, the likelihood of losing a phone by region, and the financial impact of lost phones.

The study of more than 15 million users showed that demographics and behavior are the largest factors influencing phone loss.  In 2011, Lookout located 9 million lost smartphones, which equals one phone every 3.5 seconds.  And in total,  U.S. consumers lose their phone about once a year. If unrecovered, that could cost every smartphone owner more than $250 a year each.

Cities of Loss

Lookout Labs identified the Top 10 US cities  for phone loss during 2011, which coincidentally, many of them were in the top ranks for the FBI’s most recent crime statistics.

The following cities are ranked from highest to lowest in phone loss:

1. Philadelphia
2. Seattle
3. Oakland
4. Long Beach
5. Newark
6. Detroit
7. Cleveland
8. Baltimore
9. New York
10. Boston

***Did you know that Cleveland, Detroit, Oakland and Newark, were amongst the 10 cities with the highest crime rates in the U.S.?***

Dude, where’s my phone?

Now that we’ve covered which cities suffer the most phone loss, it’s time to look at the places where phones are frequently lost or stolen.

1. Coffee Shop
2. Bar
3. Office
4. Restaurants
5. Apartment & Condo
6. Grocery Store
7. Gas Station
8. Residential
9. Pharmacy or Drug Store
10. Park

***Did you know that people often lose their phones at night?  And that 67% of lost phones are located between the hours of 9 p.m. and 2 a.m. local time?***

Lookout’s study also unveiled the most common venues a person is most likely to lose their phone, shedding insights into the character of each city.

• In Chicago, the 3rd most common venue to lose your phone is a church.
• In New York City, the top place to lose your phone is a fast food restaurant.
• In San Francisco, the leading venue to lose your phone is a coffee shop.
• In London, the leading venue to lose your phone is a pub.