if i found an apple watch , and have no way of contacting or finding the original owner , could i take it to the apple store and figure out how to return it or trade it in ?

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if i found an apple watch , and have no way of contacting or finding the original owner , could i take it to the apple store and figure out how to return it or trade it in ?

i have an apple watch that a friend of mine found on the ground near his house , he asked around to see if it belonged to anyone and a few days later gave it to me and told me that he couldn’t figure out whos it was and had no use for it. so he said if i could fix it or whatever that i could have it. i went and bought a charger for it and tried to pair it to my iphone but it has an icloud activation lock . i’ve been reading up and from what ive seen, theres no way to bipass this. i thought it was a cool find and it’d be nice to set it up and make it my own if possible but im not sure if this would be considered stealing? i want to do the right thing and try to find the owner but it doesn’t seem possible. its been a while since it was originally found so for all i know, they could’ve gotten themselves a new one by now. i want to know if there’s any way i can find the owner or if not if there’s any way i can keep it to use? any suggestions?

Posted on Sep 17, 2017 7:35 PM

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Answer 1

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Jonathan UK

Level 10

164,021 points

Sep 18, 2017 12:54 AM in response to httpxian

Hi

I suggest that you hand the Apple Watch in to the police, locally to where your friend found it.

Activation Lock prevents unauthorised use of Apple Watch if it is lost or stolen.

To be able to pair the Apple Watch to your own iPhone, you would need the previous owner (who may not be the seller) to either enter their Apple ID and password on your iPhone or to turn the feature off via https://www.icloud.com/ (by signing in with their Apple ID > Find My iPhone > All Devices, then select the Apple Watch > Erase Apple Watch > Next until erased > click X next to the watch).

You will not otherwise be able to use the watch. There is no way around this security feature.

Apple will not advise you of the previous owner's contact details, nor will Apple pass your details on to them, nor will you be able to trade it in at the Apple Store.

More information:

About Activation Lock on your Apple Watch - Apple Support

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