iCloud (beta) has no way to UNLOCK & RESTORE a lost iPhone?

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Level 1

8 points

iCloud (beta) has no way to UNLOCK & RESTORE a lost iPhone?

My iPhone 5 was recently stolen. Thus I set up iCloud to track it, succesfully, and since it was stolen by an employee at the Tax free shop in Denpasar, Bali, airport, I felt it was a likely scenario to get it back. After a week of checking cctv, the management there indeed found out who took it and the phone is now back with me. So far, all good.

It turns out there is no choice in iCloud to UNLOCK & RESTORE a tracked phone, to turn off the damned inhibition. It is nice to have the phone made useless when the phone is in the hands of thieves, but in my hands I would like it to work. Reading several Find my iPhone themes here in support, no help. Seems Apple did not quite think of the possibility of stolen phones returning to the owner... At least not enough to make such an unlock-restore function visible and chooseable. In iTunes it seems they did think of that possibility, inhibiting my phone from being restored there until "Find my iPhone is turned off". Well, where is that OFF button, please!

Anyone out there knows how to get the tracked phone back online for the rightful owner?

Thanks.

MacBook Pro with Retina display, Mac OS X (10.7.4)

Posted on Mar 22, 2014 7:46 AM

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Answer 1

Best reply

wjosten

Level 10

95,321 points

Mar 22, 2014 7:51 AM in response to NorwaySync

Either force the phone into recovery mode, as described here, & restore it:

http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1808

Or, login to iCloud.com, locate the phone, then erase it, then restore from backup or setup as new.

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Answer 2

Mar 22, 2014 7:54 AM in response to NorwaySync

You put the phone into Lost Mode?

If so, to turn it off, see: http://support.apple.com/kb/PH2700?viewlocale=en_US

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Answer 3

NorwaySync Author

Level 1

8 points

Mar 22, 2014 8:20 AM in response to wjosten

This would work, but after it started it, I felt it was too strong a medicine. The linked site said how to stop it, and then magically, the phone is back up. Thanks!

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Answer 4

NorwaySync Author

Level 1

8 points

Mar 22, 2014 8:20 AM in response to dU2mDUifydkRa0E9ic5A

The information on that page is not quite clear. It says there is a linked button to stop finding the iPhone, but on my iCloud that "OFF-button" was not anywhere to be seen. Strange.

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Answer 5

Mar 22, 2014 8:22 AM in response to NorwaySync

NorwaySync wrote:

Well, where is that OFF button, please!

In the same place as the 'ON' button; www.icloud.com/#find.

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Answer 6

NorwaySync Author

Level 1

8 points

Mar 22, 2014 5:09 PM in response to NorwaySync

This case IS NOT SOLVED, but this site do not let me edit those comments to each thread. Strange indeed.

My phone is in a strange mode still, with everything being as if the date is March 5th and nothing wanting to be updated.

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Answer 7

Chris CA

Level 10

82,434 points

Mar 22, 2014 5:17 PM in response to NorwaySync

NorwaySync wrote:

This case IS NOT SOLVED, but this site do not let me edit those comments to each thread. Strange indeed.

My phone is in a strange mode still, with everything being as if the date is March 5th and nothing wanting to be updated.

Did you restore it as new then Restore from backup?

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Answer 8

NorwaySync Author

Level 1

8 points

Mar 22, 2014 5:24 PM in response to Chris CA

Thanks, that - to restart iPhone as new - that would be tough medicine I think. What happens to my apps and all my information regarding those, like WhatsApp and such?

There is just the connection with iTunes that is not working now, the phone just started updating all else (not stauing at March 5th when stolen and locked). So I got a working phone, which iTunes will not backup or reinsert backup in any way. iTunes seems to think that iCloud should be changed, but there thge unit is no more. What to do about the iTunes part, without ripping out everything on my phone?

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Answer 9

Chris CA

Level 10

82,434 points

Mar 22, 2014 5:31 PM in response to NorwaySync

NorwaySync wrote:

Thanks, that - to restart iPhone as new - that would be tough medicine I think. What happens to my apps and all my information regarding those, like WhatsApp and such?

You can restore from the last backup before it was stolen (which I HIHGLY recommend you do).

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