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Other My dad lost his iPhone. (I'm not sure what model his is. Sorry.)

a-m-k

a-m-k

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Sep 3, 2009
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Is there anything I can do on my MBA, iPhone 12 mini, or possibly iPod touch to locate it? If he still has his original box, will any of the numbers at the bottom of the box be useful? He just realized it was gone, but we have been gone for a few days, as far as I know he had it this morning before we returned home. (He's currently looking through everything.)
 
Thank you. I also just thought of something. I think he has the Apple wallet feature turned on. Will that be OK if his iPhone gets into the wrong hands and they know how to get into his iPhone?
 
a-m-k said:
Thank you. I also just thought of something. I think he has the Apple wallet feature turned on. Will that be OK if his iPhone gets into the wrong hands and they know how to get into his iPhone?
Click to expand...
Unless he has a very common or easy to guess passcode there isn't much a thief could do.
 
I don't know what his settings are, I don't think he has Face ID set. I think the only ones (other than my dad) who know his passcode for whatever reasons (he's not that tech savvy) who know his pass code are my mom, my sister, and me.
 
I don't think anyone will be able to follow this. None of us are computer language literate. Thanks though. I mean, I can fix most problems outside of an Apple product, but I don't understand the software talk. Know what I mean?
 
a-m-k said:
I don't think anyone will be able to follow this. None of us are computer language literate. Thanks though. I mean, I can fix most problems outside of an Apple product, but I don't understand the software talk. Know what I mean?
Click to expand...
I don't want to scare you, but when I googled I found many apps and scripts for cracking the passcode. I am not sure if they work though.
If it's possible sign in to his iCloud and try to locate it or wipe it, report it stolen. Reporting it stolen would be the best option.

iPhone Theft and Loss Claims - Official Apple Support

Is your iPhone lost or stolen? File a claim for an iPhone replacement if it’s covered by AppleCare+ with Theft and Loss.
support.apple.com
 
iHorseHead said:
I don't want to scare you, but when I googled I found many apps and scripts for cracking the passcode. I am not sure if they work though.
If it's possible sign in to his iCloud and try to locate it or wipe it, report it stolen. Reporting it stolen would be the best option.

iPhone Theft and Loss Claims - Official Apple Support

Is your iPhone lost or stolen? File a claim for an iPhone replacement if it’s covered by AppleCare+ with Theft and Loss.
support.apple.com
Click to expand...
Thank you, I'll let you know what he does and I will keep this thread updated when I can.
 
a-m-k said:
His passcode is only four digits.... 🤨
Click to expand...
🤦‍♂️Lol ok so 10,000 possibilities. The good news is most thieves aren’t savvy hackers. As others have said, log into icloud.com with his Apple ID and use Find My to locate the phone and/or play a sound on it.
 
What I would do: in order
- call it
- ping from Apple Watch
- go to FindMy on my Mac or iPad and ping and look for it
- if Mac or iPad not available use find my on somebody’s Apple device and go to “help friend at bottom” and look for it.
- if locked with a passcode, wait a couple days before erasing it using previous step because it’s probably somewhere unusual under the car’s seat or on top of the microwave. (Dad would know if he had to type something in before using ask him).
- no passcode, erase immediately.

Note, even if he has no passcode to pick up and use, passcode is necessary to access Apple Pay and iCloud Keychain. If he has sensitive data stored outside those or some apps that aren’t protected by FaceID or password and don’t time out, those could be accessible too.
 
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a-m-k said:
His passcode is only four digits.... 🤨
Click to expand...
If he has the “ten attempts then wipe data” turned on (it’s not on by default, neither is the find my last location for empty battery) and picked a not stupid passcode like 1234, 1111, 0000, 1212, etc. it’s unlikely somebody can guess the right one of 10,000 possibilities before hitting the 10 strikes you’re out limit.
 
a-m-k said:
I don't think anyone will be able to follow this. None of us are computer language literate. Thanks though. I mean, I can fix most problems outside of an Apple product, but I don't understand the software talk. Know what I mean?
Click to expand...
I don’t think that GitHub stuff will help you and from the screen shot not likely anyone else either. It seems that might be an older version of iOS as I don’t have the same menu order. You said he has a Face ID phone so he’s not on some ancient phone like my 6S and he’s probably on a recent version of iOS if he’s a good boy; if so his risks are somewhat minimal.
 
KrispE00 said:
This looks like a restrictions passcode crack (i.e. parental controls or mobile device management (e.g work-owned phone)). This will not crack the password to get into the iPhone. I wouldn’t worry about a thief getting into the phone. He probably has a 6-digit code on it. There are 1,000,000 possibilities.
Click to expand...
One of my coworkers did it once. It was an iPhone 6 and I guess it was on iOS 10.
I can ask from him, but the sad news is that anything is possible.
www.intego.com

If Hackers Crack a Six-Digit iPhone Passcode, They Can Get All Your Passwords - The Mac Security Blog

Your entire digital life is protected by a six-digit passcode. If a thief gets that passcode, they can access all your passwords.
www.intego.com www.intego.com

I would report it stolen and wipe all the data. I understand that it's a nerve wrecking experience.

As someone already mentioned most thieves aren't tech savvy and the people that are and working in IT wouldn't risk it.

I remember I once found someone's phone in the snow and what I did was just bring it to the police station. I don't know what happened after that.

Did he even set any messages or anything on the lock screen?

Edit: The coworker who did it no longer works for the company it appears.
 
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What do you mean set messages on the Lock Screen?
 
As far as I know, he doesn't use a computer to back things up on his iPhone. I am not even sure he backs his iPhone up in the first place.... 🤨
 
I'm sorry for the loss. However, without any further details, I'm not sure what to expect from a forum. The best thing you can do is to ask him for his Apple ID and password, go to Find My form iCloud website or another iPhone, and set up lost mode form there. Also contact his carrier to block the SIM and reissue a new one to him.

And if he has no backup anywhere, well, that's too bad. Lesson learnt.
 
a-m-k said:
Is there anything I can do on my MBA, iPhone 12 mini, or possibly iPod touch to locate it? If he still has his original box, will any of the numbers at the bottom of the box be useful? He just realized it was gone, but we have been gone for a few days, as far as I know he had it this morning before we returned home. (He's currently looking through everything.)
Click to expand...

Find my iPhone. If in doubt call Apple for assistance.
 
As of right now, my mom is filling out a claim for him. If you ever had to fill out a claim, what happens after the claim is made?
 
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