It was stolen from me, and I immediatly went and tracked it using find my Iphone. Apparently, it is turned off and has been for a few days. I have a lock on the phone, so they can't get into it. What can they do? If it is pawned to someone, won't it have to be turned on? I feel like at some point, they need to turn it on or it is nothing to them. Is this just a waiting game for me?
iPhone 4S, iOS 5.1
All that they have to do is connect it to a computer and use iTunes to wipe the phone by restoring it to the factory settings. A new SIM card and they have a perfectly functioning iPhone with no further attachments to you.
Find my iPhone is only useful if the thief is stupid. Anyone who understands iPhones can steal them and use them.
Note that what Dah veed is mentioning will also wipe all your information off the phone - restoring it to its original, new state. So it would no longer be trackable even when on (since your iCloud account info is gone from it), but all your personal data is also gone, so you are not personally compromised at least.
Good thing you got the lock on it quickly too - keeps them out of it and all they can do now is restore it as new, so your info is safe (although honestly, it already should have had a passcode lock on it anyway - what if you had not gotten to a server in time to lock it before they disabled find my iPhone in settings?).
But when they do that it should show up on find my iphone, right? It was someone at my school, so if they do that at their house, I'll know who it is.
They will mostly likely restore it as a new iPhone and sell it on. Sorry.
I'm confused about if they plug it in to restore it, will find my Iphone show the last known location on Icloud, or will that information be gone? I'm just trying to understand before I move on.
When it is restored via iTunes they will not need to connect it to Internet therefore no last known location will appear. All your data and settings will be wiped from the iPhone as it will be returned to the state it was when first removed from the box.
No, sorry, if the iPhone is restored, it will never then appear in the Find My iPhone service.
Regards.
If this person has removed the SIM card and if they have a wi-fi LAN that needs a password, then there is no way for ET to phone home.
alex.lek wrote:
I'm confused about if they plug it in to restore it, will find my Iphone show the last known location on Icloud, or will that information be gone? I'm just trying to understand before I move on.
It depends how quick they are. When an iPhone is power on, the location information is not instantly updated - it may take a few minutes before Location Services gets a stable location fix, find my iphone is activated and tries to talk to the iCloud servers, and the servers respond and the location information is exchanged. And if they are inside, so GPS is impeded, then a location fix may take awhile as the system cycles through its options trying to get a location fix.
So if they power it up,plug it into iTunes, force recovery mode quickly enough, then it is unlikely the iCloud server will get the information before the wipe begins.
It just is not something you can count on as there are too many things that have to happen in succession, each with their own potential delays, and it really takes little time to power on an iOS device and initiate a restore.
They stole my iphon and find her now trying to find it via my iphne help but wonder if the device may be turned off how alternative method or remote power-on mode and spend it possible? Please help me.
thank you.
Message was edited by: M.Mehdi M.AHRABI
There is no alternate method if the Find My iPhone service was not set up or is not locating the iPhone, unless your cell carrier provides tracking.
You replied in a thread that's almost a year old, by the way, not usually be best strategy for getting a quick reply.
Regards.
If you have a specific question I suggest that you start a new discussion and ask that question. You will be more likely to get responses to help that way.
Anyone can find a phone and think its not useful, but in your case the person that has your phone can charge it and find someone that can hack into it. Until they can find the person that can hack into it so that it can be valuable to them, and they can erase everything that is on it, That way they can use it unfortunate for them once the phone is hacked into they are able to use it. Trust me the same thing is happening to me at this very moment.
kaylahbrown wrote:
Anyone can find a phone and think its not useful, but in your case the person that has your phone can charge it and find someone that can hack into it. Until they can find the person that can hack into it so that it can be valuable to them, and they can erase everything that is on it, That way they can use it unfortunate for them once the phone is hacked into they are able to use it. Trust me the same thing is happening to me at this very moment.
If you had Find My iPhone enabled on your phone, no one is hacking into it. The phone is useless to anyone who has it unless they have your Apple ID and passcode. The Activation Lock feature was not available 4 years ago when the person to whom you're replying posted.
Stolen Iphone. They turned it off, and it had a lock. What can they even do with it?
