Found a lost/stolen iphone

Regardless of what you think, at least in the USA, privacy laws prevent any private company from getting involved with lost or stolen private property without the owner's previous explicit permission to do so. Apple has no legal authority to contact the owner, give out the owner's information, or even access the owner's account information on the request of any person. The only people with the authority to request anyone's personal account information from any company would be law enforcement, with a court order to do so.

That is why find my iPhone and activation lock are completely under the control of the owner who sets them up. Apple, anonymously, provides the mechanisms for the service, but use of the service is entirely in the hands of device owners and not Apple.

Rustyabrams wrote:

There is nothing legally preventing a carrier or Apple from attempting to contact the owner of a lost or stolen phone.

So you say. I disagree. And regardless of legalities, there is Apple’s own privacy policy, which I at least expect them to honor fully: Legal - Privacy Policy - Apple (my bold added)

Access to Personal Information

You can help ensure that your contact information and preferences are accurate, complete, and up to date by logging in to your account at https://appleid.apple.com/. For other personal information we hold, we will provide you with access for any purpose including to request that we correct the data if it is inaccurate or delete the data if Apple is not required to retain it by law or for legitimate business purposes. We may decline to process requests that are frivolous/vexatious, jeopardize the privacy of others, are extremely impractical, or for which access is not otherwise required by local law. Access, correction, or deletion requests can be made through the regional Privacy Contact Form.

I will admit I reported mine recently, and they are looking for it. I do want it back if it is mine. I had to put a dog down and one of my birds, age. Their pictures were on it. It was in an aqua otter case and color was the rose one. There is an activation lock on it. I did not lose it, though. Guess whoever disposed of my phone if it is mine.

Okay so once in hands of property division, if they cannot find the owner, after awhile they destroy the phones. They do not even charge the iPhone to see the contact number on the screen. To owners, this is a lot that they are out.

So basically it is better to charge the phone and call the number. If you return the phone this way, do not go alone. In fact might be best to get address and send it registered mail to owner. I am sure owners would appreciate getting their phones back.

I just heard from detective yesterday even though mine went on the 9th of February. They are so overloaded that I think most never see their iPhones again.

Do you have the name of the officer and the city? I am just interested because it could have been mine.

An activation locked iphone will only show any owner contact information IF the owner chooses to have it displayed. If the owner chooses not to display their contact information, then the activation lock screen won't provide any information about the owner.

Why find thieves then? So sad. There are ways to get phones back to rightful owners. Stealing is still wrong, no matter who does it. And if some laws say possession makes it theirs, that disregards a higher law. No wonder thieves get away.

There is nothing legally preventing a carrier or Apple from attempting to contact the owner of a lost or stolen phone.

Debatable. Not here and not by me, but debatable.

Be that as it may they won't do it and have never been compelled in any way to do so by any authority. And never will.

Turn it into the police

Apple will not help in this situation.

Turn it into the police.

So what did you do with the phone? It should be returned to its rightful owner. Was this recently?

Why do you think you should be able to "track down" a random individual and why do you imagine that Apple would help you do such a thing?

Yes, true, but not very nice that police destroy something that is not theirs.