*URGENT* How reliable is find my "i", and restoring questions

[0000757]

My iPod touch got taken on the bus today, and I'm frantic about it. My iPod touch is something really important and valuable to me and considering my mom has no sympathy towards helping me get a new one and I don't have any way to get money for a new one, I'm relying on the School & Find My I to find my stolen/misplaced touch. My iPod touch had a lock-code on it that was supposed to enable it 15 minutes AFTER being locked. Here are my two questions.


1) I sent a message to it using Find My I, but of course the only way that's going to get through is if a wireless signal is obtained. If a wireless signal never gets through (in the case of the iPod not being connected to a WiFi network BEFORE the passcode lock kicks in), am I pretty much wasting time trying to get it with Find My I?

2) If the iPod was taken, and the passcode is in effect, if they plug the iPod into their computer and try to restore, will it automatically restore and make it a whole new iPod? Or would it have to be plugged into an authorized computer?

Thanks for the help...I'm so depressed right now about this...

 

[Eddyisgreat]

Number 1 : yes your suspicions are correct. Find my iPod is a major league catch-22 because they won't be able to connect to a network unless they have access to your device. Unless they go to a public spot that you've been to, or maybe they go by an att/apple store or something (and you've already made this a known network) then your device may never connection.

For number 2, all they need to do is initiate a DFU mode restore and your password is erased (as well as your data).

Sorry for your loss. I really doubt the school will help, so i'd just write it off (tough as that may be). As a young boy, I got a gameboy stolen many many years ago; now I have all of my stuff insured.

 

[TheSuperSteve]

As for number 1; yes, if your iPod never connects to a free Wi-Fi hotspot then yes, you're wasting your time using Find my iPod touch. This feature works best with 3G enabled devices. But even then, the device is in their hands and like eddyisgreat said, it can become theirs in no time.

Sorry for your loss.

 

[0000757]

Ugh, perfect. Thanks anyways. I've got a Nano to use as my MP3 player until I can get a new one or get an actual decent phone :/

 

[MadGoat]

Hind sight I know. But in the future, don't lock your device. Instead put restrictions on it that disallowes removal of accounts and disabling location services. So as soon as they connect to wifi on their on, you can get a location emailed to you.

 

[Sylon]

Hind sight I know. But in the future, don't lock your device. Instead put restrictions on it that disallowes removal of accounts and disabling location services. So as soon as they connect to wifi on their on, you can get a location emailed to you.

Thats fine if you never use your device for stuff like banking, bills, any purchases, etc. If you do, and you leave your device without passcode protection, whoever steals your device could have access to very personal information before you are able to find it.

The iPod, iPad and MBP/MBA's have a downfall with the FMI app, like previously mentioned. There is a good chance that you'll never find it, however, at least there are precautions in place that could keep the person from stealing your information.

Another downside to the passcode lock is the finder's inability to figure out who the device belongs to. Crazy as it may seem, there are still good people left in this world and who knows, perhaps the person that found it is trying to get the iPod back to the original owner. Having the passcode lock on it prevents the finder from looking thru it in hopes of identifying who the owner is so they can return it. Like it was said, its a catch-22.

 

[MacManTexas56]

the problem is most people know about this feature and if they decided to keep your ipod touch they sure aren't going to connect to wifi. My dad lost his iPhone and he let me know 1-2 hours afterwards and his phone never came online at all. Luckily he keeps a password, but whoever found it had turned the phone off and must have restored it somehow later. Find My iPhone is pretty much worthless if someone taking it knows about it because they can just turn the device off.

 

[0000757]

Meh, thanks for all the help guys. My friend gave me his old 2nd generation until I get a full replacement. Guess I'll (hopefully) be getting an iPhone then.

 

[TheLegend]

Sorry to hear about your loss! As you can see my signature, always back your files up! Always! When I spilled water on my MacBook Pro right before a huge paper was due and I completely underestimated how much I relied on my files. Luckily you still have iTunes and such. This is a shock as a kid I'm sure, as it was for me whenever something imporant to me was stolen. But let this be a lesson and better yourself so this doesn't happen again!

 

[thewitt]

Another downside to the passcode lock is the finder's inability to figure out who the device belongs to. Crazy as it may seem, there are still good people left in this world and who knows, perhaps the person that found it is trying to get the iPod back to the original owner. Having the passcode lock on it prevents the finder from looking thru it in hopes of identifying who the owner is so they can return it. Like it was said, its a catch-22.

My lock screen images all contain my contact information as text over the top of the image... There are some honest people left in the world, and I hope if I ever walk away and leave my device, someone like me finds it...

 

[irDigital0l]

Yea samething happened to me last year.

Lost my iPod Touch 3rd gen in school and never got it back, lost my iPhone 4 and luckily got it back after several months of really depressing things.

It might suck, but its a wake up call, now I take of my stuff super carefully.

 

[chenks]

the solution, in my eyes, would be for find my iphone/find my mac to be linked to the mac address and/or imei of the device.

thus even if it was wiped/restored then it could still be tracked.

 

[lordofthereef]

Thats fine if you never use your device for stuff like banking, bills, any purchases, etc. If you do, and you leave your device without passcode protection, whoever steals your device could have access to very personal information before you are able to find it.

Do you just leave your banking information stored in the notepad? Simply having banking apps, hell, even emails shouldn't really leave any sensitive information behind.

 

[Redjericho]

Depending on the price of your iPod, it could be considered grand theft. A friend of mines iPod was stolen at our school and they brought in the police and everything, eventually finding the iPod. But of course, he knew it was taken at the school.

 

[pooleman]

Meh, thanks for all the help guys. My friend gave me his old 2nd generation until I get a full replacement. Guess I'll (hopefully) be getting an iPhone then.

I wish my friends just GAVE me Apple products.

 

[0000757]

the solution, in my eyes, would be for find my iphone/find my mac to be linked to the mac address and/or imei of the device.

thus even if it was wiped/restored then it could still be tracked.

I agree, if they could set up Find my I like this than it would be much more useful for the WiFi devices.


Thanks everybody. Hopefully it'll turn up in my hands soon enough.

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I wish my friends just GAVE me Apple products.

Well he has a 4th gen too (we got ours at the same time). I also have an older 2nd generation but I couldn't find it. He's my best friend (known each other since the diaper days) so that's why he let me have it. I'm giving back once I get a full replacement.

 

[Sylon]

Do you just leave your banking information stored in the notepad? Simply having banking apps, hell, even emails shouldn't really leave any sensitive information behind.

You dont need to keep your banking info in the notepad for it to be a risk. You could just tick the checkbox that says "Save login information". Some apps do that, one being the myAT&T app. Im talking about stuff like that.

 

[lordofthereef]

You dont need to keep your banking info in the notepad for it to be a risk. You could just tick the checkbox that says "Save login information". Some apps do that, one being the myAT&T app. Im talking about stuff like that.

I've never seen a banking app that does this. And frankly, it's a pretty stupid idea IMO. It caters to lazy people (as do many amenities here in America). On a device that can easily get stolen, the less personal info, the better.

 

[Sylon]

I've never seen a banking app that does this. And frankly, it's a pretty stupid idea IMO. It caters to lazy people (as do many amenities here in America). On a device that can easily get stolen, the less personal info, the better.

Oh, believe me, I agree. Even though I have roughly 10-20 different passwords I have to remember in my life, when it comes to a device that could be stolen at anytime, I force myself to try to remember. I don't even choose "Yes" when my internet browser asks me if I want it to remember my passwords, not for sites like that.

And its not just banking apps, its other apps that could be enough. Gotta remember, passwords to banking, credit cards and other important websites are ALL tied to your email. Email, that is tied to your phone. All the theif would have to do is hit the "Forgot Password" on the website, then poof, email sent.



Sure, you banking password is the holy grail for a theif, but access to your email can be just as important.

 

[lordofthereef]

And its not just banking apps, its other apps that could be enough. Gotta remember, passwords to banking, credit cards and other important websites are ALL tied to your email. Email, that is tied to your phone. All the theif would have to do is hit the "Forgot Password" on the website, then poof, email sent.



Sure, you banking password is the holy grail for a theif, but access to your email can be just as important.

I don't tie my banking (or anything of equal importance) to an email that I have setup on my phone. Another security issue for me. I have no problem checking said email manually once or twice a week. I use it for nothing but confidential and secure stuff, so I am not receiving many emails to that address in the first place. Far more secure than a four digit numeric passcode on a smartphone IMO.

 

[0000757]

One thing that makes me think. Even when people were restoring their iPhones, iMessages would still be sent through, would my messages still be sent to my iPod touch even if the iPod is restored?