Can The Police Track Your Stolen iPhone? (What The Police Say)

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If you are one of those unlucky people whose iPhone recently was stolen and are wondering whether you can get it back somehow, this post is for you. This article explains whether you can track down you’ve stolen iPhone with the help of Apple or the police, let’s get to it.

Police cannot track your stolen iPhone even if the Find My gives you a location. The app gives an approximate location which is not precise especially in densely populated areas. Police cannot use a search warrant to search for a stolen iPhone unless they know the exact location.

Even if the police wanted to find it in the words of Patricia Wessels, spokeswoman for the Rotterdam-Rijnmond police- the police “are not allowed to just start searching 300 homes” if the iPhone’s location is in a densely populated area like an apartment block or a college campus.

My friend from the US iPhone was stolen and he was in the same situation the police could do NOTHING to help him.

Since you cannot find you’ve stolen IP with help of the police, keep reading to find out whether you can shut it down or block it with Apple’s help. 

Can Apple Shut Down Stolen iPhone?

Apple cannot shut down stolen iPhones. However, the owner can shut down a stolen iPhone and set a passcode by using the Find My feature. The next time someone tries to reboot it, they won’t be able to do so until they enter that passcode.

When it comes to tracking or shutting down your stolen devices, Apple can be of no help. They would advise you to contact your local law enforcement or track your device using the Find My feature. They won’t even lock the device if you ask them to. So you will need to manage it by yourself with Find My. 

If your iPhone k is stolen and there is a chance that you can get it back, you should consider shutting it down rather than erasing all the data. The Find My feature can help you with that.

Read Apple’s guide on how you can shut down your stolen iPhone using Find My

How to Shut Down A Stolen iPhone

Here’s how you can shut down your stolen iPhone

  1. On another Apple device or PC, go to iCloud.com.
  2. Sign in with your Apple ID credentials.
  3. Click on the Find iPhone icon.
  4. Now click on All Devices in the top bar and select your iPhone. You will be able to see its location and when it was last active. 
  5. Now click on the Lock button.

Note: Only choose the Lock option if you think that you can somehow retrieve your iPhone. Locking the device will shut down your iPhone You will also be prompted to set a four-digit passcode for your iPhone. This way, no one can reboot or unlock your iPhone without entering that four-digit passcode. So your data is safe from being compromised.

However, if there is no way you can retrieve your stolen/lost iPhone you should opt for the Erase Mac option. Erase Mac will permanently delete all of your files, programs, applications, and even the operating system, making sure that none of your data falls into the wrong hands

Curious if Apple Care covers stolen iPhones? Learn everything about Apple Care in my guide.

Can Apple Block A Stolen iPhone?

Apple cannot block any of its devices or users. There are chances that Apple keeps a list of the serial numbers of stolen devices. But it never blocks any stolen MacBooks or phones. They leave it up to the user to block their lost/stolen device using the Find My feature. 

Apple would not do anything without a court order if your device is stolen. They leave that up to the law enforcement agencies. Instead, they suggest their users block their stolen devices themselves by using Find My.

Your best bet is to block your iPhone using Find My. Moreover, contact Apple Support and tell them about your stolen iPhone. Request them to keep your iPhone serial number in their registry so that whenever someone brings it in the store for repair, they will be alerted.

Next, change all of your passwords, including those of your credit cards, debit cards, PayPal or any other payment services, social media accounts, Apple accounts, and any other accounts that you had logged in on that iPhone

Now block your stolen iPhone by logging into iCloud.com and using the Find My feature to locate and lock your iPhone It will shut down your iPhonend set a passcode selected by you to prevent anyone from using your iPhone. However, this would only work if the stolen iPhone s connected to the internet. 

If you forget your Apple ID when your iPhone is stolen and want to recover it, you can check out my detailed guide.

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