Please help me recover my wife's stolen iphone

[JoLLyRoGer]

This happened last night. My wife is gone on a trip and called me to tell me her iphone was stolen.

I personally never loaded any tracking software on the phone and I don't think she has either.

Is there a way to install something to the phone remotely via her itunes account that will allow us to track it and possibly recover the phone?

Thanks,
-JR

 

[TheStu]

It may be too late but:

http://www.apple.com/iphone/built-in-apps/find-my-iphone.html

 

[JoLLyRoGer]

OK, thanks for that. I'm not sure if it will come up with it eventually, but I loaded that app on my ipad and it came up with her iphone but it said that a location was not available and shows a little red dot by it.

So basically find my iphone knows the phone exists, but I can't tell much else from it.

Does this mean the app is active on her iphone and maybe it's just turned off or....?

 

[T_Yamamoto]

Phone is probably turned off

Go to the Verizon or where ever you got it and ask them to track it

 

[kaerflog]

Kiss the phone goodbye.
If its ATT, its gone.
If its Sprint/Verizon, you can get the ESN reported stolen but thats as much as you can do.

 

[basslover1]

OK, thanks for that. I'm not sure if it will come up with it eventually, but I loaded that app on my ipad and it came up with her iphone but it said that a location was not available and shows a little red dot by it.

So basically find my iphone knows the phone exists, but I can't tell much else from it.

Does this mean the app is active on her iphone and maybe it's just turned off or....?

I'm pretty sure you have to actually turn on the find my iPhone feature in the device settings. I don't know if it's on by default so I'd keep checking periodically to see if it shows up. You should however be able to remote lock it without needing it set up initially, I would recommend doing that at the least.

 

[randomrogue]

Once you find it do you think the police would even waste their time getting it though?

 

[basslover1]

Once you find it do you think the police would even waste their time getting it though?

I think I've read stories where people have lead police right to the offender. Makes the job pretty easy for them if someone else is doing the legwork and the police just have to show up so you get your stolen property back.

 

[pm]

It's possible that it's turned off, but more likely the problem is that the tracking software isn't installed.

If it is enabled, you can a point to the location within about 10 feet. And I have heard that if you take the map from Find my iPhone to the police that they will actually drive over and confront the people with it and generally those people are intimidated enough to give it up. I've read a couple of success stories like this. As others said, regardless of anything it's worth calling the carrier and telling them it's stolen.