During our family's recent vacation, my son found an iPhone 5 floating in the surf. Although the phone has a decent physical appearance, the phone had been in the water long enough to make function or finding an owner on a packed beach impossible.
Is there any way possible to find the original owner? What exactly should I do with the phone?
The IMEI number is engraved on the back of an iPhone 5. But while that can link it to the original owner, I doubt the wireless carrier or Apple will provide any contact information for the original owner. Best bet is to turn it into local authorities, or you could always try the major carriers, see if one of them shows the IMEI as linked to one of their customers, and then drop it off at a local branch of that carrier.
The IMEI number is engraved on the back of an iPhone 5. But while that can link it to the original owner, I doubt the wireless carrier or Apple will provide any contact information for the original owner. Best bet is to turn it into local authorities, or you could always try the major carriers, see if one of them shows the IMEI as linked to one of their customers, and then drop it off at a local branch of that carrier.
If it had been in salt water long enought to be found floating, and wasn't in a waterproof case, its toast. Not sure it would be worth going to any effort to locate the owner.
You might simply turn it in to the police (local police where you found it). There is always the outside chance it has value as evidence in a case.
It sounds hopeless. All electronics are gone, and there is no serial number engraved on it. You might consider using it as a bookend.
Trash comes to mind.
Allan
Found an iPhone in the Ocean
