Lost iPad - police can’t help

Question

Lost iPad - police can’t help

My youngest son lost a 1st/2nd gen iPad after dropping it in October. Yesterday I received a message to say it had been found. I loaded up the tracker on my iPhone and can see that the iPad is at a specific home address just 0.8km away.

I went to the police to ask them to retrieve it but they say that they cannot get a warrant without a receipt or something with the serial number showing that I’m the owner. I bought it so long ago I don’t have this. They would also want to keep my own iPhone with the tracker app so that they can track the iPad.

I tried to explain to them that I wouldn’t be able to track it if it wasn’t mine, offered them screenshots etc. not sure where I stand with this, I’m in Dublin, Ireland.

If I cannot get it back is there a way for me to remotely ‘brick’ it so that it cannot be used at all?

It’s not the value of the item as it’s old now but it has old family photos on it that weren’t backed up, wed hate to lose them

Thanks for any advice

Posted on Dec 15, 2017 12:21 PM

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Answer 1

Best reply

Michael Black

Level 10

80,274 points

Dec 15, 2017 1:43 PM in response to Golden_blunder

Golden_blunder wrote:

I’ve already locked it and put it into lost mode. I could erase it but that means I don’t get my photos back and some dishonest person gets to use a freshly reset iPad.

No. A remote erase will wipe it, and you will no longer get any tracking information from it. But, as long as that device is listed under your find my iPhone listed devices in your account at www.icloud.com, then activation lock remains in effect. Nobody but you can ever activate and use that device again as only you know the AppleID password required for activation.

So you can remote erase it if you want. Just don’t delete it from your listed devices in your iCloud account.

If your photos are in iCloud Photo Library, they all sync back to your next device. Or if in your iCloud backup, you can restore them by restoring that backup to a new device (a backup includes photos in the camera roll folder).

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Answer 2

Dec 15, 2017 12:45 PM in response to Golden_blunder

Golden_blunder wrote:

I loaded up the tracker on my iPhone and can see that the iPad is at a specific home address just 0.8km away.

Someone in your neighborhood found it, someone is using it. Can't you walk or drive over, knock on the door and just ask?

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Answer 3

Dec 15, 2017 1:43 PM in response to Golden_blunder

Get 5 or 6 burly soccer mates in a van while you go up to the door 😝

Or pay a police officer a couple of Euros and while he's off duty have him in uniform standing at the side walk.

I am fresh out of ideas.

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Answer 4

FoxFifth

Level 10

469,065 points

Dec 15, 2017 12:33 PM in response to Golden_blunder

See the following for information on how to lock it or erase it: If your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch is lost or stolen - Apple Support

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Answer 5

Dec 15, 2017 1:35 PM in response to FoxFifth

I’ve already locked it and put it into lost mode. I could erase it but that means I don’t get my photos back and some dishonest person gets to use a freshly reset iPad.

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Answer 6

Dec 15, 2017 1:36 PM in response to Sparkleberry

Dodgy neighborhood, I wouldn’t want to

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