find my iphone
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iPhone survives 13,500 foot fall from skydiver's pocket
A few months ago we told you about an iPhone that survived a 1000-foot fall unscathed. CNN reports that another skydiver's iPhone recently flew out of his pocket during a dive and made an uncontrolled descent to Earth -- 13,500 feet below. Skydiver Jarrod McKinney's iPhone wasn't quite as lucky in its fall as the other iPhone was; although the iPhone technically survived the fall and was still capable of receiving calls, both glass surfaces shattered. Using what CNN calls a GPS tracking app (probably Find My iPhone), McKinney located his iPhone 4 atop a two-story building half a mile from where he landed. McKinney did have his iPhone in an Incipio case, but a 2.5-mile fall is asking a bit much from any case. He plans to get the screen replaced. Meanwhile, a skydiving instructor on the same jump was so impressed that the iPhone survived its own impromptu dive that he plans to pick one up himself. For the rest of you skydivers, please either leave your phones behind or at least keep them secure inside a zipped pocket when you dive. It's amusing to read these stories and fascinating to see how much abuse the iPhone can take, but I'd really rather not have some skydiver's wayward iPhone hit me in the head at 120 miles per hour, would you?
Finding an iPhone the old-fashioned way
Ben Patterson and his wife learned a hard lesson on using Find My iPhone after traveling to Manhattan's East Village to visit a friend. After a lovely evening, they hopped from one cab to another as they traveled back to Brooklyn. His wife froze with fear when she realized her iPhone was missing. All her contacts, emails, photos and more were likely in the backseat of another cab and possibly in the hands of a stranger. The couple fired up the Find My iPhone app on Patterson's iPhone 4 and was disappointed to discover his wife's phone was not being tracked. There was no way to find it, lock it or wipe it. Patterson remembered setting up the tracking service, but he never double-checked to make sure it was working. Now that the iPhone was gone, it was too late. The pair followed the standard protocol for handling a lost phone. They called the cab company, but got nowhere since they did not have a cab number or any identifying information. Then they called AT&T and both deactivated the SIM card and reported the phone missing. She fired up an old iPhone 3GS and moved on. Almost a week later, she received a phone call from an unusual number. She answered the call and was shocked to discover it was a sales associate from a local AT&T store. They had her phone! A young woman had found it in the back of the cab and returned the phone to the store. For once, it wasn't technology like Find My iPhone that led to the return of a missing phone, but the kindness of strangers.
Apple patent reveals possible Find My iPhone improvements
Apple filed a patent application detailing new security features that could potentially make their way into the Find My iPhone service. These new features would greatly expand the control each user has over his or her missing iPhone and include: The ability to let users selectively protect files on a handset instead of locking the entire phone. A scrambling feature that would prohibit access to sensitive data on the phone without taking the drastic step of a remote wipe. Unscrambling would be available when the handset is retrieved. A remote recording feature that uses the mic on the iPhone to capture the voice of the thief and his or her surroundings. Remote messaging feature that would warn the thief of any recording or location tracking activity. An enterprise-friendly feature that prohibits access to sensitive functions or apps on the missing handset. Patent applications are not to be mistaken for future product roadmaps, and many of the ideas detailed in them never make out of the concept stage. Fingers crossed that these security features are some of the few that actually land in their targeted product.
Find My Mac kicks off with Lion
In the latest Developer Preview of Lion, Apple has activated the new Find My Mac feature. Like Find My iPhone, Find My Mac allows users to locate their Macs from any web browser or iOS device. As noted by 9to5 Mac, the Find My Mac setup is available through the Mail, Contacts and Calendars setting in System Preferences. Simply click "Allow," and your Mac is ready to be tracked. Once enabled you can use any web browser or iOS device to track your Mac. When found you can choose to play a sound or send a message, remote lock the Mac or remote wipe the Mac. However, remote locking and wiping will prevent you from locating the Mac again. The Find My Mac feature will be free, all you need to use it will be Lion and a free iCloud membership. This feature is sure to be a bane to thieves, and no doubt we'll be hearing stories about how Find My Mac thwarted more thieves in the future.
Apple updates Find My iPhone app with offline device support
Among all the hoopla about iCloud and iOS 5 today, Apple has also quietly updated its Find My iPhone iOS app. Version 1.2 adds features for devices that are offline. Now when a user is unable to locate a device because it is offline, that user will receive an email if the device comes online and is located. The update also adds the ability to remove an offline device from their list of Find My iPhone devices using the app itself. Previously the user had to log into MobileMe's Find My iPhone page through a desktop-based web browser. Find My iPhone is a free download.
Umpire strikes out as Find My iPhone goes horribly wrong
Find My iPhone: helpful utility or breeder of social discord? You be the judge... or, in this case, the umpire. In New Jersey, youth baseball umpire Carl Ippolito lost track of his iPhone and became convinced it had been stolen out of his car, reports the Hunterdon County Democrat. Ippolito used the FMi app on his son's phone to track down his device, and the service's location readout led him to the spot where he found 27-year-old Brent Johnson chatting on an iPhone. The aggrieved Ippolito, assuming that Johnson was holding his iPhone, tried to talk to him about it. When Johnson moved to walk away, Ippolito grabbed him and punched him, cutting his chin. Foul ball! Not only is it inappropriate to assault people, even if you think they stole your phone, but it turns out Ippolito's iPhone was at the snack shack at the nearby baseball field, in the spot where he accidentally left it -- Johnson was using his own, perfectly legal iPhone. Ippolito was later arrested on charges of assault and disorderly conduct. The moral of the story? As we have said repeatedly before, confronting someone based on Find My iPhone tracking is Not. A. Good. Plan. If you think your phone's been stolen, call the cops -- not the brute squad. Thanks to Charles for the tip.
Find My iPhone app thwarts another thief
It's becoming a familiar story: a ne'er-do-well miscreant attempts to steal an iPhone, only to be thwarted by Apple's free Find My iPhone app. Today's tale comes from Manchester, England. James Bird is an aerospace engineering student at Manchester University. As he recounts, when his iPhone was stolen he alerted his friend, Nick, who tracked the iPhone using Find My iPhone on his computer. Nick then handed his own phone to James and a mutual friend Alex, who received running commentary on the iPhone's whereabouts from Nick back at the computer. Finally they spied the man who likely had the phone and he took off on foot. After a footrace, James and Alex chased the man onto a bus and confronted him. James asked for the phone and the man denied having it, but the bus driver refused to drive until the suspect could prove he was not in possession of the phone. Realizing he was caught, he handed the iPhone over. As fate would have it, there was a police car behind the bus. The suspect was then arrested. Go, technology! I've had first-hand experience myself with using Find My iPhone to retrieve a lost (but not stolen) iPhone. This is the first app everyone should install -- even if you're not in the habit of losing your phone while preparing a skydiving run.
iPhone 4 survives 1,000 foot fall from Air Force plane
Late last night, we received an email from U.S. Air Force Combat Controller Ron Walker, who wrote to tell us an incredible story about his iPhone 4 and a minor workplace mishap. Staff Sergeant Walker's duties as a jump master require him to ensure that his aircraft is in the proper location before sending parachute jumpers into the air. One week ago (on March 16), he stuck his body out of the plane's open door to look for landmarks as the plane sped through the air at 130 knots (about 150 mph), about 1,000 feet above the ground. As he did so, the Velcro seal on his pocket flew open, and out popped his iPhone. Airman Walker could do nothing but watch it fall away from the plane; he assumed it was lost forever, not to mention destroyed by the fall (for reference, that drop is roughly equivalent to tossing a phone off of a 90-story skyscraper). Later, he told his tale of loss to his colleagues on the ground, one of whom installed the Find My iPhone app on his iPhone. Within minutes, the app found the wayward phone, still active, and Walker and his buddy hopped on ATVs and tracked it down in a wooded area about 2 miles away. Not only was the iPhone undamaged, Walker reports, it was in perfect working order -- "not a scratch on it, not even dirty." That's the phone itself in the photo above. The phone was wearing a Griffin case at the time of its unexpected journey, but no special aerodynamic protection. (It wasn't even this Griffin case, which is designed to meet military standards.) Thanks to Staff Sgt. Walker for sharing this iPhone recovery saga, and for his continuing service to our country. We're glad it turned out so well. Next time, however, make sure the iPhone is wearing a parachute and carrying a flare gun. [Airman Walker also shared his story separately with iLounge.]
Find My iPhone leads to a late-night chase in Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv resident Ori Goshen realized the benefit of Find My iPhone when an unexpected late-night car ride left him without his iPhone. Goshen hopped into a car with two strangers and gave them directions, using his iPhone, in exchange for a ride closer to his apartment. (Bad decision? Quite possibly.) What started out as an innocent ride turned into a nightmare when the two men began quizzing him about places to find some sordid late night activity. At his first opportunity, Goshen bolted from the car to head to his apartment and immediately realized he'd left his iPhone in the car seat he'd just vacated. Arming himself with his Mac notebook and an Android handset, Goshen went on a hunt for his phone using the maps on Find My iPhone and Google Maps. Undaunted by the late hour, Goshen took to the streets of Tel Aviv with phone and notebook in hand. Guided by his phone's GPS coordinates, he came upon the car sitting at a red light. Goshen hopped in the back seat and asked the shocked men for his iPhone. They claimed to have no knowledge of the phone, but Goshen rang the iPhone using the remote ring feature. He quickly snatched the ringing phone from the front seat and bolted out of the car as fast as he could. After arriving home from his adventure-filled recovery mission, Goshen savored the moment with a frosty beverage and some hard-won life lessons.
Find my iPad turns up English rugby legend's missing tablet
Former England rugby captain Will Carling has been reunited with his stolen iPad after tracking it down with Apple's free Find My iPhone app. The best part is that he live-tweeted his hunt for the thief. Carling noticed his iPad was missing after leaving it on a train. He then used Find My iPhone to pinpoint its location and was off. While the chase was no doubt a harrowing experience for Carling, some of his tweets are amusing in hindsight: "breaking news! My Ipad has moved! It is now at the station! This is like Enemy of the State !!" He eventually pushed a message to the iPad telling its handler that s/he was being tracked, "followed" it (virtually) to a police station and rejoiced at its recovery. Well done. This isn't the first time we've heard of a successful recovery via Find My iPhone, but it is the first time we've seen the victim live tweet the process. [Via Computer World]
A new use for Find My iPhone: Popping the question, Apple style
If you're a regular TUAW reader, you know we do a live show on Sunday evenings called the Talkcast. If you are a regular listener to the Talkcast, you know that I almost always give a shout out to our regular listeners, and I have been known to get up on a soapbox about how important our community is to us and that your tips and contributions are a very big part of our site. This is a wonderful example of how our regulars helped out one of our own. In case you missed it: on the episode recorded the Sunday before Christmas, we had Andrew (aka Macfan64) on with a very important question for us. He was going to propose to his girlfriend on Christmas, and he wanted to see if there was a way he could use his iPad to do it. After discussing a few ideas, it was suggested that a good way to start off would be to hand her the iPad (she was always taking off with it anyway to play -- what else? -- Angry Birds), and after loading a web page built specially for the occasion, she'd be off on a treasure hunt through the house. She was sent around to find things throughout the house by messages sent to the iPad using the Find My iPhone app (controlled by a family member). Eventually, she was led to the living room where the last item she found was a DVD to play. On the DVD was a slideshow of photos of the two of them together, and when the slideshow was over, Andrew offered the ring and popped the question. Luckily I didn't have to wait too long to find out how this turned out; I got a note on Christmas Day that she had accepted! It was wonderful to hear that Andrew was successful, not to mention that some of our Talkcast regulars were directly involved in making it happen. You can see highlights from the evening in Andrew's video on YouTube. If you keep an eye out for the end credits, you'll see that TUAW got a shout out for helping Andrew come up with the idea, in a nice Star Wars style crawl, no less. On behalf of all the folks here at TUAW, I am pleased to offer Andrew and Amy congratulations on their engagement and the best of wishes on their upcoming wedding.
Police hunt down stolen iPhone in chopper
Police in Australia take iPhone theft seriously; so seriously, they will not hesitate to employ the use of a helicopter to nab a thief who has made off with one of Apple's prized mobile devices. The story begins in a hospital in Heidelberg, Australia where an iPhone was stolen from an unsuspecting woman. The woman's iPhone presumably had the now well-known Find My iPhone app setup installed, and the police used the app on another device or MobileMe to track and locate the iPhone in the neighboring suburb of Greensborough. Lucky for the lady and her missing iPhone, a police helicopter was already in the area and was dispatched to the iPhone's GPS coordinates. The tracking was so accurate that the helicopter was able to spot the thief riding a stolen bike down a city street. The 16-year old suspect ditched the bike as soon as the helicopter was hovering above him (who wouldn't?) and ran towards the Tram to make a hasty escape. The suspect was apprehended by police on the ground in Bundoora, and the unfortunate lad was caught with the stolen iPhone and some marijuana. He is now being charged with burglary, theft and the possession of cannabis. Mark that down as another win for the now free Find My iPhone service and another loss for iPhone thieves. Thanks to Gavin B for sending this in!
Find My iPhone no longer needs automatic mail delivery to be enabled
Apple has recently eliminated one of the configuration requirements and potential points of failure for Find My iPhone (FMI) on your iOS device. About a year ago we reported that there were three settings that you had to have enabled in order for FMI to work: 1. Under Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars > (Your Mobile Me account), you must set "Find My iPhone" to ON. This is not enabled by default. 2. Settings > General > Location Services has to be on. 3. Under Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars > Fetch New Data, you must either enable Push OR have fetch set to Every 15 minutes, 30 minutes or Hourly. If you disable Push and set Fetch to "Manually," Find My iPhone will not work. The first two requirements were fairly obvious. If FMI wasn't enabled, and if Location Services were disabled, you wouldn't expect FMI to work. The third requirement was a little less obvious, and I only discovered it when I tried to set mail to "manual" and was warned that it would make FMI cease to function.
Tips for protecting your iPhone from loss
Worried about losing your iPhone? You aren't alone. While many people lose their phones, there are a few precautions you can take in advance before it happens to you. Luckily for us, Jason D. O'Grady over at ZDNet recently lost (and found) his iPhone after it went missing for a few days, and he decided to share some of his tips on how to protect your iPhone from loss -- and how to get it back if you ever lose yours. Some of O'Grady's suggestions are obvious, like enabling Find My iPhone (which we have talked about here before), but there are a few more ideas on his list that may surprise you which you should check out. In addition, our very own TJ Luoma has a few more suggestions to maximize your chances of recovering your iPhone, and Steve Sande learned a few things after losing his iPhone a while back. The important thing is to take these steps before you lose your phone so that in the event of loss you are already prepared to try to get it back. While I don't do a ton to protect my own iPhone, I do use passcode lock, and I do a backup of it each and every day, just in case. Losing my phone would be bad, but losing the data on it would be even worse.
Find my iPhone to be free in iOS 4.2 for current-gen devices
Update: As pointed out by Aulia Masna, the fine print on the free Find my iPhone instructions makes it clear that the service is only available for the iPhone 4, the iPad or the current (4th generation) iPod touch. 3GS, 3G and original iPhone owners are out of luck; however they can still subscribe to MobileMe and get Find My iPhone as part of the paid service. There's also a grandfather clause of sorts: if you create your Find My iPhone account on a qualified current-gen device, you can then use that same ID to enable FMI on any iOS 4.2 device, which allows you to stretch back to the 3GS, 3G and previous-gen iPod touch at least. ----- The ability to remotely locate your iPhone is one of the most appreciated and sought-after features of Apple's MobileMe package. If you've been on a frantic Black Friday shopping spree, for example, and accidentally left your phone behind at an unknown store, you can quickly dial up Find my iPhone on your Mac to figure out where your errant smartphone is hiding. Once you've upgraded your iPhone or iPad to iOS 4.2, however, you'll be able to use Find My iPhone for free with the iPhone 4, iPad, and 4th Gen iPod Touch. To activate the feature, go to Settings. Select "Mail, Contacts, Calendars" and choose to Add an Account. Enter your existing Apple ID username and password, which is the same information you use to interact with iTunes. Free use of Find My iPhone is a significant competitive advantage for iPhones and iPads. It's a handy feature which brings great peace of mind to its users. Hats off to Apple for making it available even outside the MobileMe account.
Apple's Find My iPhone / iPad service now free, doesn't require MobileMe
We'd been sort of hoping Apple would just make MobileMe a completely free service, but it looks like we're taking baby steps instead: Find My iPhone / iPad is now free for iPhone 4, the iPad, and the fourth-gen iPod touch running iOS 4.2.1. As with the paid feature, you'll be able to locate your device on a map, lock it, display a message, play a sound, or remotely wipe your data from any browser or the updated iOS app, which should presumably go live sometime today along with iOS 4.2.1 itself. Like we said, it's a baby step, but hey -- we never say no to free. Update: Okay, so this is strange -- Find My iPhone is free for all devices running iOS 4.2.1, but you can only register for the service from an iPhone 4, iPad, or new iPod touch, unless you pay for MobileMe. Why? We'd guess it's to limit it to owners of the newest gear, but whatever -- if you've got an iPhone 4-toting friend you can totally get in on the action.
MobileMe finds a missing iPad but it's not a happy ending
Find My iPhone/iPad is one terrific benefit of MobileMe. In fact, to me, it is the best part of the service. For an Indiana man, the ability to find a missing iPad worked as it should, but too late to do much good. Here's the depressing story. One of our readers was moving stuff into his car with his Dad. With hands full, Dad put the iPad on the hood of the car. Then the pair drove off, leaving the iPad in the street. When our reader discovered the missing iPad he went straight to MobileMe, and the service dutifully located the iPad a few blocks away. The police assumed the iPad was stolen, and as they searched the apartment building where the location was, the police asked the owner to send a sound to the iPad so it could be found. They did locate the iPad, and the guy who had it said he found it in the street and was going to try to find the owner the next day. The iPad had been run over while it was in the street, and the case didn't look too spiffy, but amazingly the iPad still worked well enough to contact MobileMe servers, but the screen was cracked and not displaying anything. Lessons #1: don't leave your iPad on the top of a car. It's unlikely to stay there. Lesson #2: Find My iPhone really does work. Lesson #3: the iPad can "take a licking and keep on ticking," as the watch commercials used to say. Check the gallery for Find My Phone in action and the grim results. %Gallery-107065% Thanks to Jack K. for sending us his tale of woe
Found Footage: Homemade stratospheric capsule uses iPhone GPS
In the midst of all the excitement and hype surrounding today's announcements, we thought we'd share this popular and heart-warming tale of a father and son believing in their dreams and reaching for them. Seven-year-old Max Geissbuhler and his dad, Luke Geissbuhler, dreamed of visiting space. After eight months of determination and preparation, and with the help of a weather balloon, a HD video camera, and an iPhone, they got pretty close. Housing the equipment in a specially designed, insulated case (filled with some hand-warmers) and hoping to capture "the blackness beyond our earth," the pair launched their explorer in August of this year. The video above is the story of that journey. Climbing almost 19 miles, their craft flew into the stratosphere, capturing some rather impressive video footage along the way. International convention puts space at 100km. Once the weather balloon burst (due to lack of atmospheric pressure), the capsule began its decent back to the Earth -- aided by a deployed parachute. But how did they locate the unit once it had landed back on earth? Well, that's where the iPhone came into play. They used a GPS tracking app on a borrowed iPhone (that's how you know who your real friends are, by the way) to locate the downed capsule and recover it. From all of us at TUAW, we say well done to you, Max and Luke Geissbuhler. The family is now gauging interest in a 'how-to' book for other parental explorers.
Verizon's Mobile Recovery: like 'Find my iPhone,' but for VZW Android, webOS and BlackBerry handsets
Fancy the idea of having Big Brother track your handset if it goes missing, but aren't so keen on owning an iPhone, ponying up for MobileMe and signing a deal with AT&T? Fret not, fretful one, as Verizon Wireless has just launched an extension of its Total Equipment Coverage program that essentially provides the same services, but for VZW-branded BlackBerry, webOS and Android phones. The full list of compatible phones is down there in the source, and the best news is that the Mobile Recovery app is offered free of charge to those already ponying up $7.99 per month for TEC. When enabled, it will allow users to remotely lock the device, sound an alarm (solving the infamous "couch cushion" dilemma) and wipe contacts from the phone. If a recovery proves unsuccessful, the carrier will supposedly provide you with a next-day replacement, but we've got an idea that there are quite a few lines of fine print to read beforehand. At any rate, it's a lovely option to have -- particularly if you're already paying for TEC -- and it's available to download and activate as we speak.
MobileMe iDisk app and Find My iPhone updated with bug fixes
If you've been having problems with the Apple MobileMe iDisk app, or even if you haven't noticed anything weird, it's a good idea to get the latest update. The newest version (1.21) fixes a problem opening Keynote files in some circumstances on the iPad. Rotated images now show in the correct orientation, and there are the usual unspecified 'stability and performance improvements.' Meanwhile, the Find My iPhone app has been bumped to version 1.01. The updated app supports the new iPod touch and fixes some translation issues in French, German and Japanese. There are also 'various bug fixes.' The apps work on the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, so check the app store for the free updates pronto.
