How long should I wait to erase my stolen iPad?

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Level 1

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How long should I wait to erase my stolen iPad?

My iPad mini (2019 model) was stolen Friday night. I put it in lost mode and used find my iPhone to track it to an office building. Finally got ahold of someone at the company and they said they were closed but put me in touch with the cleaners. The cleaning company said they asked their crew and no one will own up to taking it. I have a slim hope the thief will now ditch the device somewhere public and someone will find it. But most likely they’ve just put it in the trash or they assume they got away with it and are waiting to see if they can get in. At some point should I give up and remote erase the device? Both Apple and the police said not to do so yet, but how long do I wait? I’m nervous that I can’t delete Apple Pay from it.

iPad mini, iOS 13

Posted on Jan 20, 2020 8:59 AM

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Answer 1

Jan 20, 2020 9:07 AM in response to ChrissyF

Beware. If you remotely wipe the device - you will not only erase your data, but also release the anti-theft Activation Lock and disable tracking.

You can, however, remove all payment cards (i.e., Credit Cards and ApplePay) without erasing the entire device. If you have another device (such as iPhone) associated with the same AppleID, you can erase the cards from Settings:

Settings > [Your Name / AppleID] - find the device in the device list, select it, scroll down to ApplePay, then select Delete All Cards.

If you don’t have another device, log-in to your AppleID from a web-browser - and delete ApplePay from there.

I hope you find this information helpful in resolving your concerns.

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Answer 2

ChrissyF Author

Level 1

4 points

Jan 20, 2020 10:37 AM in response to LotusPilot

Unfortunately deleting the cards in iCloud doesn’t work. It says it’s removed but then re-appears 10 seconds later. Apple said there is no way to remove Apple Pay while it’s in lost mode. Allegedly the thief also can’t get in, it just makes me nervous leaving it on there indefinitely.

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How long should I wait to erase my stolen iPad?

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