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Can iPhone still be identified after remote wipe?

Got my iPhone stolen. The person turned it off right away. So far it has been offline. I have been sending messages and locking commends through iCloud.com, but have not chosen the remote wipe option yet.


Is it possible for a stolen iPhone be identified after restore? An iPhone has a series number, I assume iTunes would be able to identify this number somehow. Can anything be done on this front?

iPhone 4, iOS 5.1.1

Posted on Jun 11, 2012 9:29 AM

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9 replies

Jun 11, 2012 10:08 AM in response to KiltedTim

Thanks for replying. The following posting by Kappy seems to be very comprehensive information posting on lost/stolen iPhones. I have tried to make sure all my Apple products are properly registered. That's step one. We will see how things go.




Kappy wrote:


What To Do If Your iDevice or Computer Is Lost Or Stolen


If your Mac, iPhone, iPod, iPod Touch, or iPad is lost or stolen what do you do? There are things you should do in advance - before you lose it or it's stolen - and some things to do after the fact. Here are some suggestions:


It pays to be proactive by following the advice on using Find My Phone before you lose your device:

Jun 11, 2012 11:37 AM in response to rsunstc

From another discussion thread I understand that there are many ways to defeat Find My iPhone. In the case of restoring with iTunes, I am wondering if Apple can do anything.


My iPhone is registered under my Apple ID, with the series # of my device, wouldn't Apple be able to email the restoring attempt to me - the registered owner? This would at least be one more hurdle for the theft to go through while doing anything to the phone.


Lawrence Finch wrote:


I'm sorry about your loss, but turning it off isn't the only way to defeat Find my iPhone. There's also removing the SIM card, wrapping it in aluminum foil, dropping it into a foil-lined shoplifiting bag, or getting on the subway in NYC or any other city with an underground. As well as restoring it with iTunes. And you may be better off not being able to confront the thief. There have been cases of people being murdered doing so.

Jun 11, 2012 12:52 PM in response to diesel vdub

When hardware companies are tracking and collecting your personal information, no one says it wouldn't be used for law enforcement purposes. In fact, they should and they are. I was discussing the thoughts, services wouldn't be improved if no one is listening.


As for moving on, this would be my decision and I am free to express my thoughts and suggestions regardless whether I have moved on or not.

diesel vdub wrote:


Apple is a hardware company, not a law enforcement agency.

They do not track restore(s) of devices nor are devices generally "linked" to a specific user.


The device is gone... time to move on.

Jun 11, 2012 1:07 PM in response to rsunstc

rsunstc wrote:

As for moving on, this would be my decision and I am free to express my thoughts and suggestions regardless whether I have moved on or not.

No one is disputing your freedom of expression, however this is not the forum to do so.


If you have a technical support question for these user to user technical support forums that fits within the guidelins of the terms of use, ask it.

If you want to vent, do so elsewhere.

Dec 18, 2012 9:44 AM in response to diesel vdub

Rude. This is not venting, this is a true technical discussion about what is possible technically - haven't you heard that the police will be able to identify stolen phone in the near future?! If you don't understand the topic, just keep yourself out of this discussion.


diesel vdub



rsunstc wrote:

As for moving on, this would be my decision and I am free to express my thoughts and suggestions regardless whether I have moved on or not.

No one is disputing your freedom of expression, however this is not the forum to do so.


If you have a technical support question for these user to user technical support forums that fits within the guidelins of the terms of use, ask it.

If you want to vent, do so elsewhere.


Can iPhone still be identified after remote wipe?

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