Just connect the locked phone to iTunes. Do the sequence of button pressing to get it in DFU and restore and Update and the phone is brand spankin new. Don't feel bad about taking somebody elses lost phone. Its life.!
Found 3G!
- Thread starter skidmatic
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Agreed. The OP demonstrated he was happy to have a "free" device with absolutely zero interest on returning it the owner...
I wonder if it was actually found to begin with and just simply stolen?
I wonder if it was actually found to begin with and just simply stolen?
^ That if the OP made any try to get it back to the owner of the iPhone, say give it to AT&T or Apple and get the billing address from the serial and somehow get it to them would leave the OP without the iPhone. I'm sure either of those options would leave him empty handed.
Emerica! How R U? While reading through this it has dawned on me why I even was interested in getting the iPhone in the first place. I work in an office. It's a busy, crowded, lots of people in and lots of people all over the place type of facility, 9 floors to be exact. Well, last June, I was walking in the hall and a visitor to the building (I knew this because he was dressed casual and didn't know where he was going.) came out of the men's room and flagged me down. I said, "Hi, may I help you?" He holds up an iPhone (1st generation) and says, "I found this in the bathroom. Can you track down who it belongs to?"(honest dude, he could have kept it and left the building - no one would have known
) I took it (Skeeving a little cause it did come out of the bathroom 
) and I assured him i would find who it belonged to. I went back to my office and started messing with it. Right off, It was so much fun! There was no ID that i could find so i went to the phone book and started to mess around there. I found a number marked home. I called it from the phone a teenaged boy answered the phone and said "Hi dad what is it now. I'm doing what you told me." I was like ooookay! I introduced myself and told him the phone was found in the mens room here at work and i had no idea who it belonged to. The boy professed his thanks and that he and his mom had just gotten that phone for his dad for his birthday that was the week before. He was so happy. He got his mom on the line and she conferenced in me and the owner. A few minutes later the guy appears at my office door. He was so happy and he didn't even realize he lost it in the mens room. He was in a wheel chair and had already enough to do in the mens room so loosing the phone in there was like not surprising to him. He too was elated the family thanked me for my honesty. When the wife and son came to visit the father a few weeks later they came to thank me in person. It was nice.I say all that to say, that is how i got involved with getting the new 3G. After tinkering with his phone i fell in love with it and professed to my husband we were going to buy this when the new one came out.
I can't believe i forgot about that little introduction to the iPhone world. It was an overall good experience that lead me to get to know the iPhone and make the decision to cross over into the iworld
.I know that was a long story, but i wanted to share it. I can't believe i forgot it. It's not surprising though. Too much has happened.
I wish most folks would just pause and think, what if this were mine in the hand of someone else? I would want them to do the right thing.
Thats great and all, but not everyone lives in such a nice world.
He lost it in a corporate setting, on the same floor, so im pretty sure that if you decided to keep it and word got out that a co-worker lost his iPhone and u suddenly have one...well things wouldn't be to great.
Clearly, the OP "found" the phone with a clear intention of not giving it back...so yes he stole it.
Close this thread please.
He lost it in a corporate setting, on the same floor, so im pretty sure that if you decided to keep it and word got out that a co-worker lost his iPhone and u suddenly have one...well things wouldn't be to great.
Clearly, the OP "found" the phone with a clear intention of not giving it back...so yes he stole it.
Close this thread please.
Sorry Londonrockz. I'm not trying to anger anyone. I just wanted to share why i ever even got started with the iPhone. Actually his office was on another floor he just had a meeting on my floor. I didn't mention that. but you are correct. It is an office setting and we don't live in such a nice world at all.
Again Londonrockz, I wasn't trying to piss anyone off or anything.
As Emeica said, all he had to do was call an Apple or Att store. They would know who it was registered to and how to get it back to them.
Adnurahs, Maybe '...we don't live in such a nice world at all.' but thanks for trying to make it a little better.
everyone keeps saying this. this is not true. Apple will not help you return a stolen phone. They are able to, but they don't. Not to say it's not worth a try - you might get a helpful employee. I know a few Apple store employees and they confirmed that they don't help return ipods, iPhones, computers, etc. How much wasted time would that be for Apple?
As for ATT, I think they only disable. I'm not sure they help return phones or not.
I'm sure of my info about Apple, but not so much at ATT.
well a co-worker of mine's child had their iPod stolen and somehow the Police were able to trace the serial # that was registered with iTunes and found their phone #, called them, and returned the kid's iPod. A classmate had stolen it. So its possible. Its all about the serial #.
5 minutes?
i can't say for sure as i have not found myself in that situation, but surely they would at least look up the serial number and give the person a call.
If they don't, that's a WHOLE other discussion...
I agree - It's possible, but also very, VERY rare.
5 Minutes - per customer. How many iPods, Laptops, iPhones, etc are stolen every day? Hippo - you're one to understand logic, when most here don't. Surely you see how this would be a taxing situation for Apple.
This is part of what I was basing this on, along with my buddies who work at the Apple store:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20078671/
It was a special that ran a couple years ago. Anyway, my point isn't that it can't be done, but simply that it won't be done by Apple.
i don't know how many ipods/iPhones are lost... but i know only a small fraction end up in honest hands... and even fewer than that would have the common sense to call Apple or ATT.
Anyway, i only skimmed the article you linked-to, but it looked like it was about stolen or completely lost ipods... which is quite a different story than finding the owner of a found ipod/iPhone.
Anyway, i only skimmed the article you linked-to, but it looked like it was about stolen or completely lost ipods... which is quite a different story than finding the owner of a found ipod/iPhone.
I read a fair amount of that article, it didn't really apply to the situation. It was about gadgets that were straight up stolen, not turned into the store. Acosmichippo has a point, a very small fraction of those found would get turned into an Apple/AT&t store anyways. I know both stores have their busy times but Apple stores are always over staffed, I see too many employees sitting on their asses. They could get up and spend 5 minutes tracking them down. And I know AT&T has their down times. How many people buy phones at 10:15am on a Tuesday morning?
I agree with that mostly. It's a great theory - but will it happen? No. That is the sad truth.
well, it's pointless to argue about what Apple/att will or won't do. The point is, calling them about a recovered iPhone is a reasonable and responsible thing to do.
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