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terezosa

Help! Can you track a lost iPhone?

terezosa / terriks
14 years ago

I don't have an iPhone, but my daughter does. I just got an email from her that she lost it last night. Is there a way to track it? I told her to call AT&T right away to report it missing. She's pretty freaked out right now.

Comments (16)

  • work_in_progress_08
    14 years ago

    I would think that they may have a GPS chip or other tracking device given the price of the phone?

    Best of luck. You may want to call your local Apple store and ask.

    BTDT with too many phones w/DD when she was younger. Unfortunately/fortunately, hers were just regular phones that came with the plan.

  • sheesh
    14 years ago

    When you say tracking device, how would it work? My dtr lost her iPhone a year ago, knew exactly where she lost it, but never saw it again. She canceled it immediately, but still had to buy a new one.

  • golddust
    14 years ago

    Oh, that is too bad! I have insurance that covers lost cell phones for Max. He left his Blackberry on a public bus. He thinks it slipped out of his pocket.

    Verizon had his new one to him in two days. Best $$ I ever spent on that cell phone insurance. Course, I don't have insurance for my cell. I am used to keeping track of things.

    Whatever happens, I recommend insurance for her next phone.

  • DLM2000-GW
    14 years ago

    I'm not sure if they use the tracking capabilities for things like a lost phone - but they use On Star to track stolen cars, so maybe? A few years ago a classmate of my son was having serious family issues, mental health and drug issues and either left a note about suicide or mentioned to a friend, I can't remember. But the police located him by his cell phone. Verizon did some kind of triangulating ping thing off the towers in our area and he was within yards of where they directed the police. Now, had the phone been turned off, it wouldn't have worked. But I don't think a lost phone gets that kind of cooperation from the carrier.

  • theroselvr
    14 years ago

    Verizon has a place where you can disable the phone due to it being lost or stolen; then if you have insurance they send you a new one. I don't know if AT&T has something like this.

    As far as iPods or IPhones, from what I understand, there is no tracking. My daughter lost her ipod touch last year; Apple was no help. I figured I registered it so they'd have the info.. forget it.

    Hopefully AT&T can help you; but I doubt they track phones.

  • judiegal6
    14 years ago

    This may help maybe not. Didn't work with an ipod touch but there arent any phone capabilities on that.

    Here is a link that might be useful: find phone

  • moonshadow
    14 years ago

    There are many apps out there for lost Blackberrys, they will track the phone when lost (via GPS I believe, or cell tower transmission), can be remotely locked (so if found can't be used) and can even display a message about returning to sender/ offer a reward, whatever.

    Since i-phones have as many if not far more apps than berrys do, good chance there are apps out there for when an i-phone is lost or misplaced.

    I know it's after the fact, but if found/returned, definitely something worth considering adding to the phone. Oh phooey, I wasn't going to link to anything because my PC is having major hissy fits, but has to be something out there. Anyway, found some. See 6 ways to track find lost stolen iphone free. And Google search results offer more.

  • lee676
    14 years ago

    I know MobileMe subscribers can track their iPhones (if they're running iPhone OS 3.0 or later) using the "Find my iPhone" feature. I don't know if you can retroactively subscribe to MobileMe and do this though.

  • terezosa / terriks
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    I know MobileMe subscribers can track their iPhones (if they're running iPhone OS 3.0 or later) using the "Find my iPhone" feature. I don't know if you can retroactively subscribe to MobileMe and do this though.

    Apparently you need to think about losing your phone before you actually lose it! She's apparently SOL on finding her phone. Called all the taxi companies in the city and the only place where she was that night with no luck. I know that my Motorola Cliq on T-Mobile has a way to find the phone and/or remote wipe it.
    Apparently they are coming out with a new version of the iPhone in June, and she is able to upgrade for a discount then. In the meantime I'm sending her my old Blackberry which I've unlocked so she can use it on AT&T.

  • theroselvr
    14 years ago

    I'm really impressed with the apps that were linked to. Does anyone know if they make something like that for a Blackberry?

  • jlj48
    14 years ago

    My son had his brand new ipod touch, case and thingy that connects to his car stereo to play through his speakers STOLEN out of his car Saturday night. This was his Christmas, and birthday present from two weeks ago. We're just sick about it. The thing is, we live in a nice neighborhood. His left it in his car all night and didn't lock his doors. It was stolen right out of our driveway. It is maddenning and sickening all at the same time.

  • terezosa / terriks
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    My daughter is feeling pretty foolish for losing her phone, but not as foolish as this guy who lost the prototype for the next generation iPhone in a bar.

  • golddust
    14 years ago

    I heard that on CNN. The question is: Did it get lost on purpose? Free advertising for the upcoming iphone model...

  • 3katz4me
    10 years ago

    There's an app called Find My iPhone. I think you have to have this on your phone and iCloud turned on for it to work. You also have to have your Apple ID to log in to the apple website and go to the find my phone page.

    I'd think if she had this app and functionality enabled she'd know all that though. Which makes me think she doesn't have it.

    For anyone with an iPhone I highly recommend. We looked for DHs phone once and it works great.

  • funnygirl
    10 years ago

    Akpparently this won't help you, but this is my DD's recent email:

    "This is why technology is awesome: I lost my phone at a concert last night. As soon as I knew it was gone, I started calling it. Whoever had it was not answering. I set it to "lost phone mode" from a friend's phone, which sent a display message to my phone saying that it was lost and giving a contact number to reach me. This morning I used the Find My iPhone app, which pinned it to a house in Littleton, giving me an address and a map. After I filed a police report online, I called the Littleton police, who went to the house (which turned out to be a duplex, but Find My iPhone was pretty specific, pinning my phone's location to the northern unit in the building. I took a screen shot of map and texted it to the officer.). So the cops walked into the apartment and let the ladies living there know that they'd tracked a stolen phone to their house. There was some go-around, but after they were told that a stolen phone carried a grand larceny charge (which actually isn't true, the cop was bluffing), they managed to find the phone and give it to the officer. So I got my phone back and didn't have to drop $400 at the Verizon store"!

  • gsciencechick
    10 years ago

    Right, you have to have the app installed before you can track it. Also works for iPad.