What is the definitive way to find stollen iPhone?

[armpit44]

I had my iPhone lifted from my shopping cart at Safeway. It has "find my iPhone" and "Oh My Phone" set up, I think. I pulled it up on FMi and it doesn't show. I still have not tackled "OMP". Any advice? I suspended it with ATT. Called it first and they hung up then texted a message to them, but they didn't "do the right thing".

 

[hang-the-9]

AT&T should be able to get you a rough location on it. Since you already have a few apps to try to track the phone, use those. Also file a police report.

 

[armpit44]

I've discovered a lot of very new info, ex., Korean app; "Oh My Phone" rumored to have their own Satellite, that is more accurate. Also, another rumor says Apple helps people find their hardware in europe. Thanks for the time and effort.

 

[hang-the-9]

There is no way that a private company have have an accurate GPS satellite system in place, it takes more than one satellite to get the position of a device. Paying to launch and maintain satellites just to locate lost phones is not a good business plan, how much do you think they'd have to charge you to find a phone if they were paying to launch rockets into space?

And they can't use cell tower triangulation because that would mean they'd be working with the cell phone company using the same tech as them.

 

[armpit44]

There is no way that a private company have have an accurate GPS satellite system in place, it takes more than one satellite to get the position of a device. Paying to launch and maintain satellites just to locate lost phones is not a good business plan, how much do you think they'd have to charge you to find a phone if they were paying to launch rockets into space?

And they can't use cell tower triangulation because that would mean they'd be working with the cell phone company using the same tech as them.

Good point now the suggestion seems so ridiculous. Guess I'd just like to think that among the things it can do would be to track itself down. I found my iPad when it was stolen 3 weeks prior but when it appeared on the screen and apple offered me "Lock it down?" I said X yes, and when they offered "Wipe Data?" I said yes X . What they didn't mention was to wipe data would "turn it into a paper weight" end quote Apple rep. That needs to be fixed!
Also I could find my phone because I have 3 different accounts with apple after trying to log in and getting no where I created new accounts. When I couldn't log in and was told my password was incorrect, even though I had emailed a copy to myself each time, the solution was to reset the password. Problem was where ever Apple has been sending email to it wasn't me. I've had the same email accounts with Yahoo.Gmail.ATT and gay.com for years, so they must have sent it to my old earthlink address, from 8 years ago, thus for years I've been unable to reset my passwords for Apple. I would take the security questions like my OWN BIRTHDATE and fail them because Apple actually somehow has my birthday wrong. A weird question to fail. So this time I was in for the long haul to try and find my cloud ( they all look alike ya know) so I was asked for my last 4 CC numbers. Ok! Except my card expired and was replaced 6 weeks ago. I fumbled through my paperwork to try and find those old numbers but my bank is just as security obsessed as Apple, and when I called them the next day they wouldn't tell me. They suggested a conference call with Apple, a suggestion that Apple said we don't do conference calls, especially with banks! (at least they know who the predators are). So I finally got in to a Cloud, because the Apple dude started me all over. So I have my cloud for my new iPhone4S, but I never saw the iPhone that was stolen. I know security is uber important but if I had a dime for the times I and many I know have been told they are using the wrong password, when we know we are not, I could buy us all a beer. Thanks.

 

[hang-the-9]

Well, all those password issues were not Apple's fault, they only go by what you entered into the system. If you entered the birthday wrong when you setup the account or put in an old email and never updated it when it chanced, nothing they can do. The Wipe Data will set the device to factory default, the OS should still be on there, so it will not really brick it, unless they also have an OS wipe feature so the stolen iPad would be totally useless.

I have never seen a computer system reject a correct password, every single time someone ends up saying to me "oh yea, I forgot I changed it before I went on vacation" or "oops, that was my other password to something else". The only time I have seen a password bug was in a BlackBerry where it would all of a sudden start rejecting valid passwords. I've also seen people try something 3 times in front of me, fail, tell me what the password is, I type it in, works fine when I type it. Means they just typed it in wrong.

 

[armpit44]

Best answer selected by armpit44.