Found a 3G iPhone - How to find the owner?

[planemechanic]

I found an iPhone on an airplane and want to know how to find the owner so I can send it back to them. It is locked and says Iphone is disabled - Connect to iTunes. There is no engraving or other ID on it. Any ideas on how I can be a good samaritan? I am 500 miles away from the nearest Apple Store.

Thank you.

[cessna1466u]

You could try to go to an AT&T store, they might be able to track the owner buy the phone number.

[deftdrummer1]

There's a website - I can't remember the name right this second, but it is for lost iphones. Its a place for those that have lost their with someone who has found. It's amiable that you was wanting to return it. Most wouldn't even consider it.

[planemechanic]

I am not currently in the US, so the Apple store or the AT&T store are out of the question. When I plug it in iTunes tells me that it can not connect to M. J*******'s iPhone. If you know the link to that site it would be great.


If I can't find a way to return it, what can I do with it. Is it possible to turn it into a pay-as-you-go phone?

[anypats]

Well I would contact the airline and ask if they have had an inquiry for a lost iPhone. The person that lost it more than likely would check with the airline over doing a search on the internet for a lost iPhone site.

[bobb-mini]

The iPhone doesn't have a list of emergency numbers one can dial wo a password? If yes, one of those should be his Mother, Lawyer and what not.

[SteveFLHTCI]

Emergency number only shows a dial pad. No way to get into the phone book.

iTunes won't work because the phone is locked. No way to get the ime number I can see as the phone is sealed. Looks to me like only 2 ways.....1 is an apple/AT&T store, the other is try to unlock it....there are only 10,000 combinations ;-) One problem with that...I have mine set to erase everything if the wrong passcode is entered 10 times.

[iRestore]

The IMEI and Serial number for the phone are printed on the sim card tray. If you use a small paper clip and pop it out you will be able to read the small print on the tray. Contacting an AT&T store is the only way to do it. Apple does not have the information of the phones since you have to have AT&T to use them

[bobb-mini]

Emergency number only shows a dial pad.
That's dumb.

What if I am laying bleeding and I only have enuff blood for 2 pushes?

Hey don't laugh, I see it all the time at the movies. :D

[ReyZero]

Hey don't laugh, I see it all the time at the movies. :D

I'm actually curious about that too, I'd like to see emergency information when you click the button, with your name and someone to contact. Shame, you dead son!

[PCthug]

Contact the airline, they will have a passneger list on who occupied the seat where you found it. They will also look at who the M. J******* was on the previous flight or one near to it.
Failing that, take it into ANY reputable mobile phone store, as they all talk to one another, and will have ways of finding the original owner.
If that still doesnt work, hand it into the police.

Changing it to 'Pay as you go', is theft, as it doesnt belong to you.

[lebkin]

You don't have to visit an Apple or AT&T store. Both have phone service as well. So you could also call Apple or AT&T and see if they could help you connect with the phone's owner.

[bobb-mini]

Contact the airline, they will have a passneger list on who occupied the seat where you found it.
Because I have insider information... THIS IS WISHFUL THINKING.

The airline is only responsible for your CHECKED luggage and not any carry-ons. Meaning the airline does not have to, nor have the resources to keep track/follow up of items left on their planes everyday every flight. All they do is gather up everything in a pile and turn them in to their lost&found department. After a short while of not claiming, the pile is disposed or given to the Salvation Army or some such organization.

It's up to u to contact the airline with precised location where u think u may had left it and precised description of your item, any uniquely identifiable features, and within the next day, but certainly no more than 2 weeks or so, after which items are discarded.

[VipFREAK]

That's dumb.

What if I am laying bleeding and I only have enuff blood for 2 pushes?

Hey don't laugh, I see it all the time at the movies. :D

Even if you were to have enuff blood to dial 911 you'd probably die sooner than they responded to the call because cell phones don't get priority like land lines.

At least here that's the case...

[ReyZero]

I still think the iPhone should have ICE or an emergency information/contact section.
Regardless, I'd smack the guy for losing his iPhone in the first place! Things aren't cheap

[bobb-mini]

Even if you were to have enuff blood to dial 911 you'd probably die sooner than they responded to the call because cell phones don't get priority like land lines.
One hopes, at least when one manages to make a connection b4r lapsing into unconsciouness, the smart ppl on the other end knows to trace the call.

[PCthug]

Because I have insider information... THIS IS WISHFUL THINKING.

The airline is only responsible for your CHECKED luggage and not any carry-ons. Meaning the airline does not have to, nor have the resources to keep track/follow up of items left on their planes everyday every flight. All they do is gather up everything in a pile and turn them in to their lost&found department. After a short while of not claiming, the pile is disposed or given to the Salvation Army or some such organization.

It's up to u to contact the airline with precised location where u think u may had left it and precised description of your item, any uniquely identifiable features, and within the next day, but certainly no more than 2 weeks or so, after which items are discarded.

So, if the op got a plane from A to B at 3pm, and sat in Z1 (he found the phone on seat Z2). The airline at A couldnt look at the passenger list for the previous flight, and see who sat in seat Z2? Or see if any of the passengers were M. J********?
Or are you saying that they wouldnt be bothered, or have the time to look at it.
Also M. J****** may have contacted the lost and found at the airport. If the op contacts them, they may have taken the owners details down to pass on.

[bobb-mini]

So, if the op got a plane from A to B at 3pm, and sat in Z1 (he found the phone on seat Z2). The airline at A couldnt look at the passenger list for the previous flight, and see who sat in seat Z2? Or see if any of the passengers were M. J********?
Or are you saying that they wouldnt be bothered, or have the time to look at it.
They could look, but they won't. Because of a 70s Federal rule, the Airline is forbidden from sharing passenger information (from the days of plane h i j a k s, popular in the 70). And they don't have the resource to be a "middle" man between the reporter and the owner. No biggie for ONE item, but u have to think MACRO. Airlines gets tons of stuff left on their planes everyday, and they are not about to decide that your iPhone is more important than the next passenger's daily planner.

Also M. J****** may have contacted the lost and found at the airport. If the op contacts them, they may have taken the owners details down to pass on.
Typically if lost in Airport, the said airport has its own lost&found department. Stuff lost on plane, the Airline's lost&found department. And if u left it in rental car, it would be the rental car's L&F, and NONE OF THESE ENTITIES TALK TO EACH OTHER, for the purpose of lost items.

[ReyZero]

First off, his name is PCThug so I can't take him seriously anyway.
Second point, I'm guessing the passenger already contacted the air line, but since someone else has it, they couldn't say they found one. So either the OP goes to the airline and in a stroke of luck can recall the passenger claiming a lost iPhone, or he'll have to get in contact with Apple/AT&T and hope they can deal with it.

[bobb-mini]

Here in Frisco, there's been recent Ads of "There's an App for Every Purpose on the iPhone."

Surely by now there is an App than sits in the background and u have to enter a password everyday to reset it, otherwise it enables itself, notes its present location and email/text/sms the info to a pre-scribed address. Should be fairly simple to program I'd think.

[ReyZero]

There are apps that put gps locations to a website that runs in the background

[anypats]

I saw a show on Discovery a while back about what happens to lost items from airlines. It goes to a freaking massively huge warehouse where everything is completely catalogued. So if a black Samsonite bag is lost (passenger or airline fault) it will stay at the airport for a few days but then sent to this warehouse. They will open the bag and try and find information that will connect them with the owner (which they said usually does not happen). They will enter every item into a computer database and then shelve it with an ID number. When someone calls in to describe their bag and things in it, they said they can usually locate it within seconds. It was amazing how big this place was and how many bags and items they had in there. They even had wedding dresses and even an engagement ring that was appraised at $23,000 dollars. They said they are required to keep the items for a certain period of time after which they can consider it abandoned and can sell it. And yes, they sell it, not donate it to charity.

Again, it's a long shot but OP should turn it over to the airline (it should have been handed to a flight attendant when first found). If the owner called to inquire about the lost phone, this place has his information and possibly the serial number and can get in contact with him.

[bobb-mini]

I saw a show on Discovery a while back about what happens to lost items from airlines. It goes to a freaking massively huge warehouse where everything is completely catalogued.
What u describe is CHECKED luggage, which the airline IS reponsible for and WILL try to reunite them with owners.

Am making a BIG (wow) assumption that the iPhone was left in the cabin, and that, the airline is not responsible for.

Whether u agree with it or not, that's the deal. When u purchase the ticket, u can ask to see for the Contract of Carriage, it spells out what the airline will or wont do.

[ReyZero]

Only problem I see now is the person may have already contacted the airline but they couldn't find it because OP has it

[bobb-mini]

Only problem I see now is the person may have already contacted the airline but they couldn't find it because OP has it
Then OP is taking ^$%& too long... :D

This would only work if OP (aircraft mechanic?) works for the airline, or the airport staff believe that OP just walked off the plane. A few days after the fact, the airline is not going near something that who knows what happened to it and potentially assume liability.


Last month there was an article about sum1 leaving a phone at a McDonalds, he called, and the staff said, Yup we got it. A few days later he got it back, but found his pictures (naugty?) posted on the Internet and sued McDonalds. So as u can see, businesses don't want any hassles with customers' belongings if they don't have to.

[ReyZero]

Simple solution is to not forget things, I want a bluetooth thing on my keys that beeps when I'm 30 feet away from my iPhone, because I never want to leave my house without it. That should include my wallet as well :P

[anypats]

What u describe is CHECKED luggage, which the airline IS reponsible for and WILL try to reunite them with owners.

Am making a BIG (wow) assumption that the iPhone was left in the cabin, and that, the airline is not responsible for.

Whether u agree with it or not, that's the deal. When u purchase the ticket, u can ask to see for the Contract of Carriage, it spells out what the airline will or wont do.
They talked of both checked luggage as well as things left in the cabin. Coats, jackets, carry-on luggage, phones, laptops, books, eyeglasses, pretty much everything. Just because the airline says it is not responsible does not mean that they won't collect it and hold it for a time.

As far as the assumption, the OP said that they found the iPhone on the airplane. Don't know where else they would find it other than the cabin. Last time I checked, passengers were only allowed in the cabin and the lavatories.

[PCthug]

They could look, but they won't. Because of a 70s Federal rule, the Airline is forbidden from sharing passenger information (from the days of plane h i j a k s, popular in the 70). And they don't have the resource to be a "middle" man between the reporter and the owner. No biggie for ONE item, but u have to think MACRO. Airlines gets tons of stuff left on their planes everyday, and they are not about to decide that your iPhone is more important than the next passenger's daily planner.


We are not talking about sharing passenger information (from one to another). The op could send it back to the airport or a police station, who could obtain the details. I guess they have more important pressing things to do, but having someone employed to sort out lost and found could be subsidised by the sale of unclaimed items, or by handling charges on returned items. It would reunite property and owners, and would get rid of the need to store these items. It is also good for PR.
But i guess if the op really wanted to return it, he would have handed it in at the time of finding it.



First off, his name is PCThug so I can't take him seriously anyway.
Second point, I'm guessing the passenger already contacted the air line, but since someone else has it, they couldn't say they found one. So either the OP goes to the airline and in a stroke of luck can recall the passenger claiming a lost iPhone, or he'll have to get in contact with Apple/AT&T and hope they can deal with it.

Firstly, my name isnt PCThug, its Matt. Secondly, why cant people copy simple lettering down as it is PCthug (as in PC thug) and not PCThug (as in PCT hug).
I have been a police officer for 18 years, and got my name from an episode of the Simpson's, where lisa's teachers says to her 'its pc thugs like you that stop decent women landing a husband', and stands for politically correct. I just thought it funny.

Thirdly, i apologise for going off topic.

[bobb-mini]

It would reunite property and owners, and would get rid of the need to store these items. It is also good for PR.
If you haven't noticed, the airline industry is perhaps only 2nd in annoyance to tech support. It's been like that forever, and after all these years, one shouldn't think they don't know how to do P.R. Alas, nothing have improved. They still don't have end-to-end luggage tracking like UPS/FEDEX. Why? Would be good P.R. wouldn't it? When u go in and ask, "where is my luggage?" they should be able to tell u, aha! it's got stuck at location blah-blah. But NOPE, they don't know. I will let u figure that one out.

Anypats, I DID SAY they hold cabin items for a while, they just won't actively do anything to them. But am regurgitating info now. Think I said enuff about the subject.

[ReyZero]

Firstly, my name isnt PCThug, its Matt. Secondly, why cant people copy simple lettering down as it is PCthug (as in PC thug) and not PCThug (as in PCT hug).
I have been a police officer for 18 years, and got my name from an episode of the Simpson's, where lisa's teachers says to her 'its pc thugs like you that stop decent women landing a husband', and stands for politically correct. I just thought it funny.

Thirdly, i apologise for going off topic.
I always read your name as PC thug, that was the joke, can't take you serious.
Also, your name isn't PCThug, no capital T, so why would I make that assumption?
Pretty fail right here.

On second note, airlines have enough problems at the moment, with all their non-up-to-code planes in the sky.