Track your lost iPhone and find it using iCloud. Important note: If you haven’t activated “Find My iPhone / iPad / Mac” when you set up your device, this method won’t work. Although you can download the official “Find My iPhone” app on the App Store, you don’t actually need it to track your Apple device. Is that used iPad stolen? Apple creates tool for would-be buyers to check. (International Mobile Station Equipment Identity) or serial number of any iOS device to see its Activation Lock status. Apple does not have a process to track or flag lost or stolen product. However, you can use find a list of serial numbers that have been purchased or registered with your Apple ID by using My Support Profile. To get your serial number: 1. Go to My Support Profile*. Sign in with your Apple ID. View your purchases in “My Products”.
You should always report a stolen product to your local law enforcement. Neither Apple nor your network provider (carrier) will participate in the retrieval of your device in any way. They will not track it, and they will not help to report it as a stolen device. However, some carriers may be able to block your iPhone. Not all carriers do this, and you would need to check with them. It is all up to you to track and report it; Apple won't. See the below link for more information.
Corresponding Apple Article: (will take you to Apple's website)
There is only one way to track your device, which is covered in the 'Locating a Lost or Device' section below.You cannot track it using a serial number, IMEI number, etc. However, for an iPhone, you might try contacting your carrier (i.e. AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile), and ask if they can blacklist your phone, provided the IMEI number. Not all carriers do this.
Locating a Lost Device
While Apple will not help to locate your missing device, they do provide a service called Find my iPhone (also known as Find my iPod or Find my iPad). Find my iPhone is an iCloud service (previously a MobileMe service) that allows you to look at the locations of all your devices from www.icloud.com or the Find my iPhone app. Note that the Find my iPhone APP is not required to use the Find my iPhone SERVICE. The service must be enabled prior to the loss. If you do not have this, the device cannot be tracked.
Find my iPhone app icon
Setting up Find my iPhone
Find my iPhone iOS 5 or later. You may have been prompted to set up Find my iPhone on the screen during the setup of your device.
(may also say 'iPhone' or 'iPad,' depending on your device)
If you did not set up Find my iPhone initially, you can go to the iCloud menu in Settings and turn Find my iPhone ON. You can then test it out at www.icloud.com to make sure you can see your devices' locations. Again, there is a difference between the service and the app. The service (setup described above) must be on to use Find my iPhone. The app (free on the App Store, 'Find my iPhone') is simply a way to view the location of your devices you have set up and access other Find my iPhone features.
Functionality of Find my iPhone
There are a lot of functions of Find my iPhone. The most basic is using your device's Internet connection to locate your device. But let's say you have misplaced your device, and are sure it is somewhere in the house. You can also have Find my iPhone play a sound on your device. If you have lost it elsewhere, you can send a message to the device, so it can be returned if found (by an honest person). If you are worried that your device has been stolen, or are concerned about the security of your data, you can set a passcode remotely on the device. Or, you can choose to wipe the data on the device so thieves cannot access it. If you choose to wipe the data, note that you will no longer be able to track the phone. In iOS 6 and later, there are a couple additional features. One is Lost Mode, which will display contact information on the lock screen, so if someone finds your device, they can tap on the number and it will automatically call you. It will also keep track of all the locations your device has been at. The other feature is that the battery level is shown (and the percentage, if it is 20% or less).
If you have an Apple Watch, and you lost your iPhone but think it is nearby, you can also ping your iPhone from the watch. With the clock face displaying, swipe upward from the bottom of the screen to access Glances. Swipe over to the leftmost glance, and tap the bottom icon:
Activation Lock
In iOS 7, Find my iPhone has a new feature called Activation Lock. As long as Find my iPhone is set up, if your device is wiped, it cannot be activated without the Apple ID and password you used to set up Find my iPhone, making it useless to the thief or anyone else. iTunes will not be able to restore the device while Find my iPhone is on.
Rendering Find my iPhone Useless
While Find my iPhone is the only way to locate your device, it does not work so well if the device has been stolen. The service is mostly meant for lost devices. Smart thieves know all the ways to render Find my iPhone useless (don't worry, this is common knowledge, and we are not 'tipping off' the thieves):
Location Services can be turned off
The SIM card can be removed (on GSM iPhone or 3G/4G iPad)
Find my iPhone can be turned off
The device can be restored and set up as a new device
Selecting 'Erase All Content and Settings' in the Settings app
Restoring in iTunes
The device can be powered off
You may choose to remotely wipe the device, preventing any further tracking.
You can limit access to some settings by enabling restrictions. Go to Settings > General > Restrictions > Enable Restrictions. Set a passcode. Once done, do not allow changes to 'Accounts.' This will prevent Find my iPhone from being disabled on your iCloud account. Also don't allow changes to Location. This will prevent Location Services from being turned off. However, Wi-Fi can still be turned off, and on a Wi-Fi only device, that would also render Find my iPhone useless.
What we are trying to say is, don't get your hopes up. If your device is lost, but not stolen, Find my iPhone is a great service. However, if the device is stolen, most or all thieves know how to disable it. We have heard success stories in which iPhone owners were able to retrieve their stolen phone, but it is not probable. Note the Find my iPhone and any of its services require a Wi-Fi or 3G/4G connection on your device. Also note that the service must be set up prior to your device getting lost or stolen. If you have lost your device or had it stolen, we wish you the best of luck in recovering it. Tips For Preventing Theft We have a separate sub-article dedicated to theft prevention tips. These tips all relate to how you can make the Find my iPhone feature more secure. You can find the article here: Tips for Preventing Theft of your Apple Device. Is my Data Safe?
If your device has been lost or stolen, your data should be safe as long as you had a passcode on your device. However, as an extra precaution, it is probably a good idea to change your iTunes (Apple ID) password and any other password associated with the stolen device. Cancel any credit card associated with the stolen device. The thief will more than likely restore it as a new device, either to use it themselves or in preparation for selling it. Although this prevents you from tracking the device, it also ensures that your data is safe. You can also wipe the device remotely from Find my iPhone, described above. If you had a passcode on the device, you may have enabled 'Erase Data after 10 Failed Passcode Attempts.' This can be done under Settings > General > Passcode Lock, and will wipe the data if the thief tries to guess your passcode too many times.
The iPhone also has another security feature that cannot be disabled. After five failed passcode attempts, the sixth attempt will result in the phone being disabled for a period of time. Each additional attempt results in a longer disabled time.
6 attempts: 1 minute
8 attempts: 15 minutes
10 attempts: Disables the device, requiring a connection to iTunes which will restore the device and erase the data.
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Overall User Rating: [4 RATINGS]
By Anonymous73 on 10/1/13 •Reply
Helpful
The app worked just as described when phone was lost. Phone was remotely locked thriugh app. Now it is found provider restored phone service but data is still locked. How do I access data?
dear all, can anybody let me know that i can track my ipad, as my ipad was new and i have not open the box but i have the original purchased receipt KK
in response to kashi_k79
Hi kashi_k79,
If it wasn't opened, then you didn't have a chance to set up Find my iPad which means you cannot track it. The receipt, serial number, etc. will not help you track it. Sorry about your loss. The best course of action is just to report it to the police.
in response to AppleClubSupport
thanks for the information, can you please let me know whether i can stop that iPad through providing serial number to Apple...
in response to kashi_k79
No, they cannot help with that.
hi i lost my iphone and it is on tmobile blacklist but i find my iphone what i can do it???
Hi I lost my ipod and the sound is turned off so facetiming doesn't work, also location services is disabled and so is find my iphone. Also its not hooked up with another device, Itunes or Icloud, so theres no way to track it. Is there any possile way to find it, its in my house I'm just not sure what program to use to find it.
in response to cutecake11
Hi cutecake11,
There is no other way to track it. At least you know it's in your house. You'll just have to look for it like you would any other lost item, such as a wallet. Check in couch cushions, etc. And hopefully you didn't leave it in your pocket and it went through the wash!
We strongly recommend enabling Find my iPod in the future, if you find it this time.
in response to cutecake11
Find my iPhone app and a 'play sound' option that will play with the sound off.
in response to Sam
They said that Find my iPhone was not enabled, so this won't work, unfortunately.
Hi guys, how to unlocked lost/stolen mode without apple ID & password ? Can you help me, please ?
Hi everyone
I lost my iPhone and I did not set up icloud Acc how can I trace it..is possible to get it back? I only bought it about two weeks ago
Hello, wondering if anybody knows if putting one device on lost mode renders the other devices incapable of sending imessages? I lost my phone yesterday and was sending messages from my macbook, and now I am unable to. Any ideas as to why this would be? Any help would be appreciated, thank you.
in response to SJMESQ
Hi SJMESQ,
Enabling Lost Mode should have no impact on your other devices. I would suggest that you open Messages on your MacBook, and from the menu bar, go to Messages > Preferences > Accounts > iMessage, and sign out and back in again.
hey there, ty for the helpful tips! my iphone was stolen - i've done the necessary, but don't think i'll be getting the device back. i've clicked the 'erase phone' thing, and i now have an 'erase phone pending' message - any idea how long that will take? my device was turned off by the thief, will the erase be pending until they turn it back on? thanks in advance!
in response to kelly
Track Ipad By Serial Number Check
You are correct, the erase will take effect when the iPhone comes online.
So, my iPod was stolen last month & I hadn't set up 'Find My Iphone (IPod) on it. Then I logged into the app on my iPad & I turned on lost mode. But unfortunately the stolen iPod hasn't been connected to the Internet since it was stolen.😕 Please is there anything I can do?
//April 30, 2012
If you believe your iPad is lost or stolen, here are a few tips to help you recover it. If you have Find My iPad enabled on your device, you can go to iCloud.com from a computer or use the Find My iPhone app from another iOS device to track your iPad and find its location.
You can then choose to send a message or play a sound to help you find it or set a passcode lock to prevent anyone from accessing your personal data. If you are really serious about keeping your personal information out of the hands of a stranger, you can also remotely wipe the device to remove all of your information.
Using Find My iPad to locate a Wi-Fi only iPad can be a problem since the feature requires a data connection. However, you can get an email alert if the device joins a Wi-Fi network.
To get an email notification when your iPad is found;
Go to iCloud.com, click on the Find My iPhone icon, select your device and check the box next to “Email me when this iPad is found”.
Find My iPad / iPhone is a completely free service and I highly recommend setting it up on all of your Apple devices, but if you haven’t you may be able to use FaceTime, iMessage, Skype, etc. to call or send a message to your iPad. Of course, this would only work if the apps have already been set up on the device.
Track Ipad By Serial Number List
Will Apple help me with my lost or stolen device?
Apple does not have a process to track or flag lost or stolen product. However, you can use find a list of serial numbers that have been purchased or registered with your Apple ID by using My Support Profile.
To get your serial number: 1. Go to My Support Profile*. 2. Sign in with your Apple ID. 3. View your purchases in “My Products”.
Although, Apple does not track or flag stolen products, if law enforcement recovers an Apple Product they know is lost or stolen they can contact Apple Corporate Security directly to notify you using your contact information. Apple will send you an email similar to this;
Dear Steve,
You are receiving this email because a law enforcement agency has contacted Apple regarding an iPad they recently recovered.
Our records indicate the iPad was registered with Apple using this email address.
To discuss this matter, please contact the following law enforcement representative:
Detective’s name Police Department Name and Phone Number Case Number
We understand that your privacy is important. Please be assured that Apple has not shared any of your personal information with this third party. You may review Apple’s Privacy policy at http://www.apple.com/legal/privacy.
This concern has been documented in Apple case number *******4.
Track An Ipad By Serial Number
Best regards,
Track My Serial Number
Apple Customer Care
Report it Stolen
Your next step will be to report the stolen device to your local law enforcement agency. Make sure you have the serial number to give to law enforcement.
You can also report your device as stolen online using websites like Stolen-Property.com. This is a free website that enters your item into a database that is used by pawn shops and others to track stolen property that comes into their business.
Find My Ipad By Serial Number
Hopefully, you will find your iPad, but if your are unable to recover it you may be able to file an insurance claim if it was stolen from your home or car. Check with your insurance agent to find out if the device was covered under your policy.
