Cell Phones

Found locked iphone, how do I return it?

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  • May 9th, 2020 7:03 pm
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Apr 12, 2013
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if its iOS 8 then it will be locked and u wont be able to activate it unless u have the itunes password on the phone, unless ofc unless he turned that feature off.
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Mar 25, 2003
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BlueMax wrote: yeesh, more than a day later and still no response... is there any chance I can use this as a phone for myself? A 5C isn't cheap! Some groups have said a phone in this situation is bricked, others say you can use it as an ipod, others say you can zap/unlock it and use it with a new SIM card... I'm beginning to think I got lucky here. I'm just surprised the kid who lost it gave up so quickly!
If is a kid / Teenager . Then reason to not contact you, is because he/she now have a reason to ask parents for new phone. Probably iPhone 6!!
probably lost it on purpose LOL
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Nov 11, 2012
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Maybe it was a stolen phone from the start the someone couldn't get into and dumped it. Weird to not have the owner calling and texting etc non stop.
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Oct 24, 2001
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shmogt wrote: Maybe it was a stolen phone from the start the someone couldn't get into and dumped it. Weird to not have the owner calling and texting etc non stop.
Probably. All the guides say this thing is locked up for good and I don't have a cable for the dead battery. Tried taking it to a Telus store tonight but was surprised it's no longer in the mall. Will have to try another place on my way to work or something.
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Oct 24, 2001
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HowEver wrote: The answer remains: return it to an Apple store if you can. That worked for me.
It's only a 90 minute drive... :mad:
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Apr 16, 2002
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BlueMax wrote: It's only a 90 minute drive... :mad:
Contact Apple and ask for a prepaid shipping label. They should be able to send you one and you can have phone sent back to them at no charge.

That being said, you've jumped through many hoops already. Sounds like the owner isn't interested in getting it back. Like others have said, try a full reset from Itunes and keep it for yourself if you want.
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Sep 28, 2010
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sprung wrote: Contact Apple and ask for a prepaid shipping label. They should be able to send you one and you can have phone sent back to them at no charge.

That being said, you've jumped through many hoops already. Sounds like the owner isn't interested in getting it back. Like others have said, try a full reset from Itunes and keep it for yourself if you want.
That won't help if it's activation locked with an appleid(the reset).
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Nov 10, 2013
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ceredon wrote: That won't help if it's activation locked with an appleid(the reset).
We don't know if it has iCloud activation lock.
We only know that it's password locked with 4 digit password which is bypassed in the event of wiping the phone.
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put it on CL or KJ $$$profit
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Aug 17, 2008
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Almost 5 years later, @BlueMax what did you end up doing? A tech challenged friend found an iPhone this weekend and is debating what to do as well.
Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him = Never argue with an idiot, they'll only bring you down to their level & beat you with experience
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Nov 2, 2002
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I think this wins the prize for the oldest revived thread. Congratulations!

I found cell phones a few times myself. I always charge them and leave them powered up. Eventually the person who lost it will call or text it. If they don’t, I would check which provider it is tied to and ask them to locate the owner by SIM card # or IMEI. But never had to do do that yet.
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Jan 13, 2014
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We've had 8-year old threads revived, but in general the posts haven't been worth reviving a thread for as the topic has long since been irrelevant. In this case though, it actually is!

Apple store or carrier is the best way to do this, although if you want to wait a few days to see if the owner calls it, that sometimes works as well.
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Aug 11, 2018
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MrMom wrote: Almost 5 years later, @BlueMax what did you end up doing? A tech challenged friend found an iPhone this weekend and is debating what to do as well.
try to activate siri (hold home button or power button) and say "call home/dad/mom/or any common name"
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Aug 17, 2008
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My friend is an Android user, so I charged the iPhone and called the owner, who was able to leave the message below. I tried to leave the phone at an Apple Store, but Apple has a policy of not taking phones. I had to leave another message that the phone was at the mall security desk.
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Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him = Never argue with an idiot, they'll only bring you down to their level & beat you with experience
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I just asked Siri who owns my phone and it popped up with my wife's info. Well played Siri lol
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Oct 24, 2001
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Nothing I could ever do with it or any of the locked phones I've found over the years. ;) Recycled the lot of 'em since no one ever claimed them.
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