HT1689: iTunes Store: Frequently Asked Questions for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch

Learn about iTunes Store: Frequently Asked Questions for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch
Alex_2saints

Q: is there anyway of finding your ipod touch if its not connected to wifi hotspot?

i have lost my ipod and it was disconnected from wifi. i just wanted to know if its possable to locate it

iPod touch (4th generation), iOS 5.1.1

Posted on Oct 17, 2012 3:52 PM

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Q: is there anyway of finding your ipod touch if its not connected to wifi hotspot?

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  • by deggie,Solvedanswer

    deggie deggie Oct 17, 2012 3:53 PM in response to Alex_2saints
    Level 9 (54,780 points)
    iPhone
    Oct 17, 2012 3:53 PM in response to Alex_2saints

    If you set up location services on it, it is turned on, it has not been restored and it is near some WiFi routers (it doesn't have to be connected) you can locate it.

  • by cliftonfromrichmond,

    cliftonfromrichmond cliftonfromrichmond Oct 17, 2012 4:08 PM in response to deggie
    Level 3 (792 points)
    Oct 17, 2012 4:08 PM in response to deggie

    deggie wrote:

     

    If you set up location services on it, it is turned on, it has not been restored and it is near some WiFi routers (it doesn't have to be connected) you can locate it.

    OK, maybe I'm dense, but how can find My Ipod/iPhone find an iPod that is not connected to a WiFi router?

  • by deggie,

    deggie deggie Oct 17, 2012 4:28 PM in response to cliftonfromrichmond
    Level 9 (54,780 points)
    iPhone
    Oct 17, 2012 4:28 PM in response to cliftonfromrichmond

    Because location services on WiFi iOS devices work by reading the information from a router, they don't have to actually be connected.

  • by stratquebec,

    stratquebec stratquebec Oct 17, 2012 4:29 PM in response to deggie
    Level 1 (10 points)
    Oct 17, 2012 4:29 PM in response to deggie

    Woul like to know too!

  • by cliftonfromrichmond,

    cliftonfromrichmond cliftonfromrichmond Oct 17, 2012 4:57 PM in response to deggie
    Level 3 (792 points)
    Oct 17, 2012 4:57 PM in response to deggie

    deggie wrote:

     

    Because location services on WiFi iOS devices work by reading the information from a router, they don't have to actually be connected.

    Prove it.

  • by deggie,

    deggie deggie Oct 17, 2012 7:16 PM in response to cliftonfromrichmond
    Level 9 (54,780 points)
    iPhone
    Oct 17, 2012 7:16 PM in response to cliftonfromrichmond

    It does not have to be connected with a password to be located, it just have to have a router in the area that is correctly in the database (apple used to use Skyhook) that it can read. You know how when you are in a location and you go to WiFi and it lists a number or routers SSIDs? That is all the WiFi needs to fix a location. Try it sometime, go somewhere where there are lots of routers and go to maps and update your location. It does work. How else would find my Touch work?

     

    As far as the other link, it is an iPod Touch, it doesn't have a GPS or cell chip.

     

    And A-GPS on the iDevices that support it do not work in that order. In fact it is the opposite, it will first read WiFi routers, then cell towers and finally GPS satellites. This is why on an iPhone if you turn off WiFi it will give you a message below it that says, "Location accuracy is improved when Wi-Fi is turned on." It will also determine your location quicker.

     

    Do you really think Apple would offer find your Touch if when you lost it, or someone stole it, they had to log into a hotspot they had access to in order to determine the location?

  • by bobjbkln,

    bobjbkln bobjbkln Oct 17, 2012 7:35 PM in response to deggie
    Level 4 (1,514 points)
    Oct 17, 2012 7:35 PM in response to deggie

    deggie wrote:

     

    It does not have to be connected with a password to be located, it just have to have a router in the area that is correctly in the database (apple used to use Skyhook) that it can read. You know how when you are in a location and you go to WiFi and it lists a number or routers SSIDs? That is all the WiFi needs to fix a location. Try it sometime, go somewhere where there are lots of routers and go to maps and update your location. It does work. How else would find my Touch work?

     

    As far as the other link, it is an iPod Touch, it doesn't have a GPS or cell chip.

     

    And A-GPS on the iDevices that support it do not work in that order. In fact it is the opposite, it will first read WiFi routers, then cell towers and finally GPS satellites. This is why on an iPhone if you turn off WiFi it will give you a message below it that says, "Location accuracy is improved when Wi-Fi is turned on." It will also determine your location quicker.

     

    Do you really think Apple would offer find your Touch if when you lost it, or someone stole it, they had to log into a hotspot they had access to in order to determine the location?

    Sorry, but you are 100% wrong.  You have to be connected to a wi-fi service.  This is a quote from http://support.apple.com/kb/TS4006

     

    "No location available," "Offline," or "Location Services Off" alerts

     

    This can occur if: 

    • Your iPad (Wi-Fi only), iPod Touch, or Mac is currently off or not connected to a Wi-Fi network.

     

    So yes, Apple offers the FindMyiPhone that is almost useless on an iPod Touch and a wi-fi only iPad.  It's been this way for years and there are hundreds of posts on this forum that confirm this. 

  • by deggie,

    deggie deggie Oct 17, 2012 7:44 PM in response to bobjbkln
    Level 9 (54,780 points)
    iPhone
    Oct 17, 2012 7:44 PM in response to bobjbkln

    No, it is almost useless, even if you have an iPhone, because any person taking it is going to immediately turn it off and then Restore it. It is made more for locating it when it is lost, not so much if it is stolen.

  • by cliftonfromrichmond,

    cliftonfromrichmond cliftonfromrichmond Oct 18, 2012 5:31 AM in response to bobjbkln
    Level 3 (792 points)
    Oct 18, 2012 5:31 AM in response to bobjbkln

    Just another troll who spews a line of garbage and doesn't back up what he says with any independantly verifiable information.

     

    And to end this, here's a clue for ya:  If an iPod or early iPad is not connected to any WiFi routers (and there fore does not have access to the internet), how does the device get location data from Apple servers?

     

    And what if the only router(s) in range is secured?

     

    Face it pal, you are wrong, wrong, wrong. You are giving people false information.  Act like a man and admit it so we can all move on.

  • by deggie,

    deggie deggie Oct 18, 2012 9:00 AM in response to cliftonfromrichmond
    Level 9 (54,780 points)
    iPhone
    Oct 18, 2012 9:00 AM in response to cliftonfromrichmond

    Sorry, but I've done it despite all the articles you've linked. But, just for your benefit and for that little bit of self doubt, I'll find someone with a WiFi only iPad or an iPod Touch today and repeat it. If it doesn't work I'll say so, if it does work I'll post that. I also challenge you to do the same thing.

  • by bobjbkln,

    bobjbkln bobjbkln Oct 18, 2012 11:34 AM in response to cliftonfromrichmond
    Level 4 (1,514 points)
    Oct 18, 2012 11:34 AM in response to cliftonfromrichmond

    cliftonfromrichmond wrote:

     

    And to end this, here's a clue for ya:  If an iPod or early iPad is not connected to any WiFi routers (and there fore does not have access to the internet), how does the device get location data from Apple servers?

     

    And what if the only router(s) in range is secured?

     

    Just a bit of a correction, clifton. From a recent post we learned that the iPod does cache a small portion of the Apple location database and would be able to determine its location from secured routers as long as the router location is in that cache on the iPod.  However, even if that is true, deggie is completely wrong that FindMyiPhone would work because even if the iPod knew where it was, without a connected Wi-Fi it would have no way to communicate that back to iCloud so it could be found by a  searching device.

  • by cliftonfromrichmond,

    cliftonfromrichmond cliftonfromrichmond Oct 18, 2012 4:14 PM in response to bobjbkln
    Level 3 (792 points)
    Oct 18, 2012 4:14 PM in response to bobjbkln

    bobjbkln wrote:

     

    cliftonfromrichmond wrote:

     

    And to end this, here's a clue for ya:  If an iPod or early iPad is not connected to any WiFi routers (and there fore does not have access to the internet), how does the device get location data from Apple servers?

     

    And what if the only router(s) in range is secured?

     

    Just a bit of a correction, clifton. From a recent post we learned that the iPod does cache a small portion of the Apple location database and would be able to determine its location from secured routers as long as the router location is in that cache on the iPod.  However, even if that is true, deggie is completely wrong that FindMyiPhone would work because even if the iPod knew where it was, without a connected Wi-Fi it would have no way to communicate that back to iCloud so it could be found by a  searching device.

    That caching bit is good to know.  Thanks.

     

    With that being said, your last sentence proves my point, ie iPod MUST have an active connection through a WiFi router to the internet.

     

    What also proves he is a troll is that he said he has done it and he is going to find some one with a router and then he is going to tell us if it works or not.  Typical troll ego, and frankly, I for one am not holding my breath.

  • by iblunt420,

    iblunt420 iblunt420 Oct 21, 2012 4:16 PM in response to bobjbkln
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 21, 2012 4:16 PM in response to bobjbkln

    If the lost iPod is out of battery and dead, when you go to icloud.com will it still but under my devices?

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