My phone recently got lost/stolen. I've tried tracking it through Find My Iphone but the person who took it has it turned off. I have the Iphone 5S and I JUST got it so I don't want to spend 600 more dollars on a new one.
mckenzie2911 wrote:
what can I do to track it I've reported it stolen
See this article for suggestions (this will be the third time I've pasted the link into this thread):
If your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch is lost or stolen - Apple Support
Gratty wrote:
Apple should just implement a feature where the phone must be unlocked to be shutdown so that any random person cannot just shut it down whenever they like from the lock screen.
The reasons why that's a bad idea have been explained ad nauseam in these forums. Search if you want.
Submit your feedback to Apple here:
I agree and if activated it takes a password to deactivate it so someone can't just turn it off like a few have stated. Unless your password is plastered all over your phone. In that case it's the persons own fault.
The truth is they can but aren't willing too why? Because you're most likely going to purchase another iPhone! The big 4 carriers have phone tracking software in all of their devices that they can use at will as well! The find my iPhone app should be constantly connected to the battery even if the phone is powered off ! Also, it should have a backup battery source which could be incredibly small and last for very long time if it were dedicated entirely to the process of keeping a single app running when the phone is turned off or the primary power source is drained! It's not rocket science! Developers are well aware of this bug but their hands are tied! $$$$$
The truth is they can but aren't willing too why?
So, no consideration of privacy and security in your conspiratorial mind?
I do not wish to be tracked, so I power off my device. In your mind, any party should be able to override this choice of mine?
There are also many ways of leaving the phone fully powered, but not allowing it to be tracked. An easily defeatable feature. Power is not the only issue.
And this is about $$$ in your mind?
I will agree the ability may already exist or could be developed, but until the privacy concerns can be addressed, it won't happen.
Ricky69a wrote:
The truth is they can but aren't willing too why? Because you're most likely going to purchase another iPhone! The big 4 carriers have phone tracking software in all of their devices that they can use at will as well! The find my iPhone app should be constantly connected to the battery even if the phone is powered off ! Also, it should have a backup battery source which could be incredibly small and last for very long time if it were dedicated entirely to the process of keeping a single app running when the phone is turned off or the primary power source is drained! It's not rocket science! Developers are well aware of this bug but their hands are tied! $$$$$
Not having the hardware you think the phone should have is not a bug. It's a design decision by Apple. Please tell me what other phones have this feature.
What kind of battery is it that is incredibly small but could keep the phone running for "a very long time". The battery would not just need to keep a single app running. In order for your plan to work, the phone itself would need to be powered on so that it could connect to a network. About the only thing the battery wouldn't need to power would be the screen.
It seems to me that Apple could simply enable a passcode when you shut down the device. That would eliminate the thief from shutting it down. My iPhone 7 Plus was just stolen from my patio yesterday and it's the first thing he did. A 4 digit passcode would have prevented a shutdown and Find My Phone would work.
It seems to me that Apple could simply enable a passcode when you shut down the device. That would eliminate the thief from shutting it down.
This has been discussed at length elsewhere.
* Powering off your phone is the least of their concerns. Google "Faraday Bag"
* This will not deter theft. Thieves will adapt. They always have and always will.
* You may get beaten up for this passcode while the (amateur) thief is still present.
* It will no doubt cause untold grief for the innocents who genuinely forget their passcode and will keep them from their own device for no good reason.
I feel for your loss, but a power off passcode is a bad idea.
Good points!
My thief was no doubt an amateur that knew enough to turn off the phone but that was it. He walked in my yard at 1 p.m. and was caught on not one but two of my security cameras, along with his girlfriend. I had went inside for all of a few minutes, leaving my phone on my table when it happened.
I'm working with the local police, but I don't have high hopes of it's return as I have my suspicions that they are transients.
I have a 12 character alphanumeric passcode and TouchID enabled, is there any way they can still get in the phone?
There's nothing like having your phone stolen to motivate you to change your security measures both IRL and online.
Theft is a scourge no doubt.
I don't however, believe technology will be a quick way to stop it. If everybody in society would stop buying stolen merchandise, the market would go away. I will accept that some buyers of activation locked phones do not realize it may be stolen, but not all. Not by a bunch. There is a reason a $800 phone is only $150 when you buy it in an alley from an in-a-hurry seller.
Find My Phone exists to reduce the value of a lost/stolen phone to zero. Sadly, that hasn't eliminated the market yet. It is not Retrieve My Phone. Once stolen, your chances are remote you will get it back.
Your data however is safe. If your passcode can't be guessed, the thief can erase the phone and remove it with iTunes. That does not help with the next hurdle that is activation lock. Most thieves likely care nothing about your data anyway.
The thief now needs a naive or gullible customer and a quick exit to make a sale. They sell a phone that can never be used.
That's the solution. Eliminate the customer.
AppleIDTroubled wrote:
If the person who "finds" your iPhone removes your sim card, and uses another sim card, will Find my iPhone still work?
To the best of my knowledge, it should.
If he changes the apple ID on your iPhone, will Find my iPhone still track it?
That can't happen. If you have Find My iPhone enabled, no one can change which Apple ID that's tied to without the current Apple ID and passcode.
Please, assume that the person who stole it is a classmate at school or an ex-wife/husband, who actually knows, or found out the apple ID passcode. In that case, if that person actually changes the Apple ID, then is it NOT possible to track the stolen phone? This relates to my son's iPhone and I suspect one of his classmates may have taken it.
AppleIDTroubled wrote:
Please, assume that the person who stole it is a classmate at school or an ex-wife/husband, who actually knows, or found out the apple ID passcode. In that case, if that person actually changes the Apple ID, then is it NOT possible to track the stolen phone? This relates to my son's iPhone and I suspect one of his classmates may have taken it.
If someone sign the phone out of Find My iPhone and signs back in with a different Apple ID, they will certainly be able to track the phone. But you won't.
Things to teach your son: 1) Never share your Apple ID and passcode. 2) Never pick a passcode that could be guessed by people who know you or who follow you on social media.
In the future, you may want to use an Apple ID that you control and to which your son doesn't have access to enable Find My iPhone. He could still use his Apple ID for everything else.
Thank you. If the thief does not know the apple ID password, how can he/she reset the iPhone? Would that require a hacker? Or can the thief go around the apple ID by restoring to factory settings or something like that. Thanks in advance for your helpful answers.
AppleIDTroubled wrote:
Thank you. If the thief does not know the apple ID password, how can he/she reset the iPhone? Would that require a hacker? Or can the thief go around the apple ID by restoring to factory settings or something like that. Thanks in advance for your helpful answers.
If the thief does not know the Apple ID and password, they cannot reset the phone. Hackers can't do it. If someone tries to restore the phone to factory settings, they will need the Apple ID and passcode to complete the process.
How can I track my phone even though its turned off? I have an Iphone 5S.
