These Are The Tech Items People Are Most Likely To Leave Behind In Ubers

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Booking an Uber may be second nature to some considering the ride-sharing service has been available on mobile devices for more than 15 years. The more experienced the rider, the smoother things may be. Unless you leave behind your personal effects and the driver speeds away. Alas, phones topped Uber's 10th Lost & Found Index list, published in early June 2026, with more than 1 million lost phones reported for the past year. But these aren't the only tech gadgets forgotten in Ubers, with the Nintendo Switch also ranking first on one of Uber's lists. The lost items don't necessarily stay lost for good. Uber has a retrieval service, which it has updated this year, to make the recovery process easier.

Uber shared other interesting findings in its 2026 report, revealing that New York City was the most likely place for someone to forget something in an Uber, with July 17 ranking as the most forgetful day of the year overall. The smartphone was at the top of the top 10 most commonly forgotten items, just like the year before. Separately, and excluding phones, Uber's latest top 10 tech items is unexpected. Headphones were at number five while laptops ranked 10 on the list. Below is the full list.

In its 2025 report, Uber singled out Apple as "the most lost brand in Uber rides." Though phones are counted as common items instead of tech items for the purpose of its reporting, several Apple products made the "top 10 tech items left behind" for 2026, including AirPods, Apple TV, Apple Pencil, and AirTag. Funny enough, the latter is actually a product that will allow the user to track the Uber car where they left it.

Uber didn't offer figures for the tech items in this top 10. While the "top 10 tech items left behind" includes four Apple products, none takes the first spot. It's the Nintendo Switch portable gaming console that's first, followed by some pretty surprising other items.

1. Nintendo Switch
2. Drone
3. AirPods
4. Apple TV
5. Square Card Reader
6. Garage Opener
7. Apple Pencil
8. PlayStation 4
9. AirTag
10. Walkie Talkie

Uber highlighted the Nintendo Switch in its 2025 report, when it revealed that more than 70 units were left behind in an Uber car in the previous year.

Whether you've left the latest iPhone model, a Nintendo Switch, a dishwasher, 420 donuts, or a 75-gallon fish tank in an Uber last year, your items may not be lost for good. Uber has a procedure for retrieving lost products, which the company says it improved this year. The process happens directly in the Uber app, with users advised to go to the Activity tab on the bottom icon menu and then locate the "Find lost item" option in the Help menu. This is where users can report the missing item. After that, they'll have to wait for a notification from the driver.

After the driver sends the confirmation, the user will have a "Request a return trip" option that will initiate a new ride with the original driver. They'll have to enter a destination address for the driver to bring the lost item and confirm and pay for the fare. Once the driver arrives, users will share a PIN to confirm the return. The update will be available in select markets initially, including "California, Texas, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., Georgia, Minnesota, and Massachusetts." Uber noted in a blog post that it will roll out the feature in all U.S. markets by the end of the year.

The only issue with the new procedure concerns cases where Uber customers forget their phone in cars. In that scenario, users will have to log into Uber's help page from a computer to start the retrieval process. Uber has an updated support document that offers users additional information for this scenario.