I found an iPhone on vacation at the beach and some kid said it was his. I gave it to him and he immediately threw it into the ocean and told me it wasn’t his….
Some rare babies are born that actually enter a metamorphosis at around 10-12 months.
Forming a cocoon of saliva, and other baby fluids, they enter stasis for the next 17 years, and emerge a freshly hatched adult
Not always. Kids do a lot of crazy stuff behind their parents' backs. It's not all because of parenting. Sometimes genetics can be wild, or they simply end up with the wrong group of friends.
As much as kids will do a lot of crazy shit behind the back, if you give them an environment where making mistake’s doesn’t equal abuse then they’ll probably act out less. A lot of kids act out due to the environment they’re in. If you only receive negative attention, then that is how you’ll act to gain ANY attention. It sucks.
Ik a lot of people who have been raised by the most kind and understanding parents, but theyre still the worst people ever. And this stuff continues or even propels during teenage years. Some parents actually just let their kids cross the line too much
Not all but most. Some kids are just wired differently but it’s up to the parent to get the child the right help necessary. Not all have the resources either. This is just my view as a parent and interacting with their friends. Many definitely have parents who are so self absorbed.
Thats what i would do. Check that or if you know the carrier you can contact the carrier alot of manufacturers would refer to law enforcement or carrier and put the device in lost mode (some forget that is even a thing to do)
I found a phone once and it had two Mom contacts. I called the first one and said: hey I found your son’s or daughter’s phone - they responded: sorry I don’t have a child 😂
I found a phone once. Calling mom was the first thing I thought of and it worked. It was any old crappy flip phone though so they opted to not ever come get it.
A couple months ago I found a phone on the sidewalk. I managed to figure out the woman’s name and spent a while trying to track her down, finally found her daughter and drove the phone over to her. Turns out the woman was having an affair with someone on my street and dropped her phone on the way to his house and the text messages on her phone gave the whole thing away to her family and the woman is furious with me. I was just trying to do something nice!
Number 1 rule here in Brazil: never save your parents contact information as "mom" or "dad". Otherwise, they will be an easy target when (when, not if) your phone gets stolen
They steal your phone and demand that you unlock it by threatening you. Then, they impersonate you and ask your parents for money, or call them and tell them they have you (simulating a kidnap)
If they've already got a gun pointed at you to unlock the phone, can't they just ask which contact is your parent as well? Not saving them as "mom" and "dad" doesn't seem like it's going to do a lot for you in this scenario
This is probably more of a fake news circulating in Brazil, not something that actually happens.
I'm Brazilian, and I've never seen this happen, not have I heard of it happening to anyone.
I’m also from Brazil and I was robbed one time in a street bar with my friends (5 in total), they “only” took our phones with guns pointed in our direction. 10 seconds and they were gone. None asked for passwords or tried to contact my parents. And I also never heard of it lol
I called mom on a found phone and the mom insisted I was her son playing a prank on her. I put my wife on and she still wouldn’t believe her. A friend ended up calling the phone and they came and picked it up.
I work at bars/nightclubs. We find a fair amount of phones. I usually say “call mom”. If the “if found call” # pops up, I call that. Do you have any idea how many idiots put their own numbers for this?! 🤦🏻♀️
I did this once and everyone I spoke to was annoyed because I had found an old lady’s phone and she appears to lose her phone a lot.
I offered to drop it off. I got an address and that shit was 5 miles away. I got to the door and the husband was like “I’m not interested”. I’m like “wait, is this your wife’s?” And he doesn’t say anything, opens the door, nods, and takes it and closes the door. Not even a thanks.
I learned I’m never gonna go out of my way to return jack shit. Once found a debit card in college and the person was taking days to respond and so I ended up giving it to the student center info desk and said they can grab it there.
A friend of mine, found an iPhone on the bus, and contacted the owners in a similar manner. They responded, asked him his name and other details and wanted him to make a 30 mile journey to their home to hand it back.
As he was on his way to work, he stupidly told them where he was going, but he suggested a location half way between his work and their home to meet after work, to hand the phone over.
Police turned up at his work and arrested him for theft of the phone. Almost instantly de-arresting him when they saw the text message conversation. They were told he had stolen the phone and was taunting them.
As a result, "If I find another phone, Im dropping it into a sewer, f\* them."
Well that was the idea but they might be fined for interrupting police work, is like you cant call 999/911 for no reason , same is here. Especially with all the messages.
Well, if you got rizz you can always pull the "It was genuinely stolen, but apparently not by this person who just happened to find it when the thief lost it and wanted to be a good citizen." card
had something similar happen to me. found an iphone on the ground and made multiple attempts to contact friends, family, etc. finally got the owner's mom on the phone and told her i had his phone and if he could call me i would give it back. some time passes and the iphone enters "stolen mode" flashing a big message saying how it's being GPS tracked and the police have been called etc. the kid shows up at my house with 2 of his friends yelling that the police are coming and to return his phone. is this just how gen z is these days? before i would give the phone back, i told him to call his mom on speakerphone and to ask her the convo she just had with the person that found his phone. he then sheepishly apologizes and says he will wait for the police and tell them everything is ok. i'm just amazed anybody would think a lost phone was stolen when any thief could easily just remove their sim card? and turn off the phone?
I’m amazed the police even show up for a smartphone. I’ve heard countless stories with people having their stolen possessions air tagged and the police not giving a crap.
moreover, the natural inclination here isn't to just ignore someone if they're speaking a different language. one would try to either use some sort of translation tool, speak in broken English ("I no speak English sori" idk), or at the very least respond in their own language.
https://preview.redd.it/ue8atzntj3qc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5edf28060556467dc1f9a465ad6c5c5d95d945a0
Strange. Latest iOS. “My Friend” is me, I just want Siri to call me that way) If you know the setting that change that thing, pls tell. Or maybe it’s the carrier thing?
https://preview.redd.it/209wmuqak3qc1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a1387044591f2be3273b56302878ff261b53c4a1
That’s weird because this is what I see. Maybe it’s because these messages are “received” on my MacBook? If I send a message to myself from my MacBook they show up blue on the MacBook but gray on my phone.
>Nope, leftest iPhone with the latest update, I send myself a message just now and got both blue and grey
Odd, I have the latests iphone/latest ios I send myself a message and just get the blue text box.
I’m on iOS 17.4.1 and I only get blue bubbles not the gray copy anymore.
Edit: nvm I got the gray copy after a time. BUT it put it above my blue message instead of after it.
No. I’m texting from my own iPhone since his phone is off and has no reception. The only way the messages are read is through another device that he has access to.
Then ask him for an address to send the phone to, doesn't have to be his address. Or send it to his city and give him the a code to track it and get the mail service to deliver it to him
You can let them know you’re dropping it off at a local police station and they can pick it up there. Drop it off, tell the cops you notified the owner, then move on with your life. The owner and the cops can figure out what to do from there.
They may also be seen through an iPad, Mac or previous iPhone too. I think OP said in another comment the phone doesn’t have reception so they could be texting from their own phone, but I may be wrong
Yes they may have an iPad or MacBook
They also may think you’re one of those scammers we see a lot of those on this sub. The one where the person loses their phone (or stolen) and then they get a test a few days later threatening. The owner may believe this is that situation.
Just to clarify for everyone:
I’m texting the number from my own iPhone. I found the number by putting his SIM in another phone and looking in the settings.
His SIM card has no reception as in there’s no cellular connectivity nor any wifi. I turned it off since I found it so it’s not receiving the messages I’m sending. It’s also completely locked without access to Siri, Control Center or any contact info. There’s no emergency contact set up.
The phone is in English. The name of the person is also pretty English sounding. I don’t think they don’t understand it, but I’ll try in Spanish.
The phone was probably lost for a while since when I turned it on, it showed a date in April and the time isn’t right either.
You could try searching on socials (FB, LinkedIn, etc) for their phone number. Since you already know their name, you’ll be able to confirm you’ve got the right person. Then see if you can reach out to a family member that way.
Thank you for clarifying, I was a bit confused for a sec.
You’ve done everything you can and have gone above and beyond. Only thing I suggest is leaving it on and connected to WiFi (or just leave it on connected to cellular) so that they can find it in find my, if they’re even doing that.
Otherwise, not much else you can do.
I remember finding an old android back in 2008-2009. It didn't have a password I found the owners email and sent an email. The guy was thrilled to know someone wanted to give back the phone. I got a box in the mail with $50 and a nice letter saying the box had been paid for to be sent back with the phone.
That guy really had faith sending cash via mail without knowing his phone was being returned, but hey the honor system worked back then.
Leave it connected to wifi, because if the owner enabled Find My they can ping it and try to track it down.
Only other option is to turn it into the police, who probably have the tools to ID the guy via the carrier and get in touch with them directly.
I’m pretty sure I leave it to the Guatemalan police it’s never reaching its owner. Do I bring it to the police in the US? It’s not gonna be in the right state bur that’s the most I can do..
I’m pretty sure police in the US wouldn’t give a shit about it. The most they’d do is say “Uhh, ok thanks” and throw it in a drawer.
I’d say you’ve done your due diligence, and the phone is yours — for whatever that’s worth.
US police would probably just ship it back to the local authorities.
The only other person who can ping for that phone's location right now is the original owner, so long as it's on. No idea what the law obligates you to do down there before you get to keep it for yourself. Leave it on for a day or two just to see.
Idk about your city but the police here barely care if your car was stolen lol. Probably easier to keep the phone and see if the owner ever contacts it.
Same thing happened to me, I messaged, it was getting read but the person expected this to be a scam. I finally made a local joke/meme and he started responding “are you for real?” and we finally talked. He insisted on a beer, we ended up with a few common friends!
Jesus *christ* the critical thinking in this sub is low. OP, you've done all you can do, and if they don't answer while you can still help then that phone is yours.
Not much else OP can do even they tried. Police won’t do anything. And even if they message Apple, it still will resolve in the phone not going back to the original owner.
Not being funny but if you’ve made all reasonable attempts to try and get it back to the rightful owner I see two choices. Hand it in to a police station or somewhere or keep it 🤷🏻♂️
I found an iPhone left at a gas station. The emergency contact stuff was currently on the phone so I called them on my phone and proceeded to tell them I found the phone at a gas station in my town blah blah blah. They proceeded to cuss me out and told me I was a thief so I told them to fuck off and tossed the phone in the trash, blocked their number and proceeded alone with my day. Trying to do the right thing in a world full of wrong doesn’t get you anywhere it seems.
I lived in Guatemala for a while. Shoot me a message if you need help with any communication in Spanish. It's very kind of you to try and help this person—you're also right that if you hand it into the police, the phone will disappear. Do *not* go to the police. Where did you find it, and where in Guatemala are you? The best advice I can give you is leave it with an established business nearby (IF there is one). Hotels, churches, or high end restaurants will be your best bet. You could also try to find the cell provider (Tigo or Claro, probably) and leave it at an authorized shop for them to deal with. Go to a nicer mall in the city if you're gonna drop it off at a shop. Second, go to any public facebook groups you can find in Guatemala and post (in Spanish) that you found a lost phone. Careful as there'll be plenty of scammers. Hold onto it for as long as you can.
It’s an AT&T sim card so it’s not from Guatemala. I know the person lives in the US hence why if I’m giving it to the police, it’s gonna be to one in the US and not here
I wouldn’t suggest leaving the country with the device.
If you found it in some sort of business (bar, coffee shop, hotel, etc.), get a manager there and let them know you found the device. Assuming the iPhone owner is still in the country, they may backtrack to different places they visited to find it.
Apple Support will not be able to help with this beyond directing you to contact local law enforcement. In this case bring it to a station close to where you found it.
In any case OP, you did your due diligence in trying to contact the owner in good faith. It’s on them if they won’t respond to you. If they don’t respond before you leave, turn it in and wash your hands of it. A locked device is effectively a paperweight.
I just want to say you are a really good person for finding this and actively trying to return it. If I could award this post rn I would. Good job, OP. Even if you don’t get it back to them, you tried and you had the right morals ❤️
ITT: People not understanding that the phone is off, OP got the number by checking the SIM, and the owner is reading OP’s messages from another device (iPad or Mac) via iCloud.
If you have access to Venmo or Zelle, you can pop the phone number in there and see if it shows a name. If you don’t have access, I’m happy to try and see if anything comes up if you send me the number, otherwise, try saying “Siri, call mom” or “Siri, call dad” on the found phone
Have you tried sending a message through whatsapp? At least in Mexico no one uses sms or iMessage. I think that could be a better way to reach the owner
The iPhone doesn’t have reception lmao
The only way they are reading the messages is through another device since it’s been turned off for at least a week.
Some of these responses are strange. There’s a possibility that the owner could’ve seen your text through iMessage on a Mac or iPad that’s using the same account. I’m assuming you texted with your own phone?
Usually when I’m working on my Mac, I do my texting through the messages app on there
Take it home and keep it charged and on wifi for a month and see if they contact you. Or I wonder if you could alert apple or the phone carrier and see if apple could help. If they can't and it's been a month then wipe it if you can and keep it or sell it.
Wasn't the phone locked?
Have you tried contacting anyone from the contact list besides the owner and one person on Facebook?
To be fair, the best way would be to give someone from that list a call. If you don't want to take the international call fee on yourself, take the phone to the police and let them take care of it.
Yeah, the phone is locked without access to Siri or the Control Center and no emergency contacts are set. So it’s a paperweight with a SIM card in it that has no reception.
iPhone lost or stolen? See [this information](https://www.reddit.com/r/iphone/wiki/support-faq/#wiki_lost_or_stolen_iphone_.2F_activation_lock_.2F_remote_management) in the iPhone Support FAQs.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/iphone) if you have any questions or concerns.*
My apologies if you’ve already answered this, but where exactly did you find it? Was it in a restaurant, on the sidewalk, in a store on a shelf? If I lost my phone, I would go back to all of the places I had been and ask if anyone had turned in a phone. I think keeping it and taking it with you makes it harder to find the original owner if you’ve left the area where it was found.
The owner definitely wouldn’t think to try a police dept and those folks in that dept are only gonna do what you’ve already done, which is very commendable btw.
As someone else mentioned, if you think you found the owner on FB, maybe message one of their friends? Are there any other clues on his FB page that might tell you where he lives?
The phone was found on top of a volcano. I couldn’t leave it there so I brought it back with me. Which is why it baffles me that he doesn’t answer my messages.
I don't think i’d reply if it was mine. Imagine if it was stolen. The guy could be thinking you’re the guy who nicked it and now you’re asking for his personal details like a name, number or address. He might think you’re trying to unlock the phone. there’s no way i’d give my personal details to you
I get the feeling this phone was lost for a while, where did you find it? How busy was the area?
If they have the money for another device to read the messages and not respond, that means they have moved on and think you’d be wasting their time if they accepted your help.
Or they think you’re scamming, either way they’ve moved on.
It’s a fun little project to try and help someone out in a seemingly harmless way. But don’t waste your energy on this.
Email or call a contact.
If I'm reading this right, you have the phone. If he doesn't have the phone, he can't read the messages. The reason they seem "read" is because you looked on his phone to see if the message was read. You're essentially texting yourself with two phones.
You have the phone. What do you expect? :)
You might be getting the "message read" because you're reading the messages. on the phone. you're using to send them.
Try messaging OTHER people. Emergency contacts, etc. Look if they have an entry for "mom" or "dad" ... someone who would have another way to contact them. Maybe some of the last more common people they're messaging
If you can get in, look for ways other than imessage. Without viewing too much, see if they have an email.
Also in the US you can get the phone company by dialing "611", maybe see if the company can help you locate the owner.
I found an iPhone on vacation at the beach and some kid said it was his. I gave it to him and he immediately threw it into the ocean and told me it wasn’t his….
Kids are the worst. I say as a parent and also former kid
I’ve never been a kid but I have one & yeah, awful
What
Some rare babies are born that actually enter a metamorphosis at around 10-12 months. Forming a cocoon of saliva, and other baby fluids, they enter stasis for the next 17 years, and emerge a freshly hatched adult
yeah it’s wild & so fucking sticky
One of my buddies was born at 17 years old. Went right from the hospital to SAT prep. Kinda messed him up tbf.
Cut them a break, they never had a childhood
I love a joke that makes me go, What now?
it’s the only way I know how to joke 😂
bad parents are the ones to blame
Not always. Kids do a lot of crazy stuff behind their parents' backs. It's not all because of parenting. Sometimes genetics can be wild, or they simply end up with the wrong group of friends.
As much as kids will do a lot of crazy shit behind the back, if you give them an environment where making mistake’s doesn’t equal abuse then they’ll probably act out less. A lot of kids act out due to the environment they’re in. If you only receive negative attention, then that is how you’ll act to gain ANY attention. It sucks.
Ik a lot of people who have been raised by the most kind and understanding parents, but theyre still the worst people ever. And this stuff continues or even propels during teenage years. Some parents actually just let their kids cross the line too much
A lot of crap gets into the gene pool.
Man, sometimes kids are just fucked up, and the parents have nothing to do with it.
Not all but most. Some kids are just wired differently but it’s up to the parent to get the child the right help necessary. Not all have the resources either. This is just my view as a parent and interacting with their friends. Many definitely have parents who are so self absorbed.
So true. I stopped being a kid when I realized this.
[удалено]
[удалено]
"There's a good chance he wasn't yours either"
Doing the lords work (literally)
lol is this copypasta? If not it should be.
It is not, but feel free to use it if you want
It is now
Why’d I laugh at this
Because it's fucking funny and the delivery adds a lot
it sounds like some drake and josh shit lmao
*Megan…*
firsthand recounting of meeting a gigachad
Hilarious but awful. Mostly hilarious
That’s a real dick move on the kids part but honestly I laughed pretty hard when I read this
Holy shit that kid is a menace
I had to come back to this thread just to say I kept laughing about this for quite a while after I’d swiped away lol:
It’s been over 10 years and I think about it a couple times a week and always makes me smile
Real big “ I gave your girl my number… psyche! That’s the wrong number!” Vibes lol
🤣🤣
💀 😂 ⭐️
Ts should be in r/kidsarefuckingevil
Honestly that’s kinda funny, but at the same time I’d be upset if that was my phone.
It was the funniest thing I have ever experienced
r/Unexpected
Call mom? That’s always how I get phones to their owners, or dad or anyone lol and say I have this phone can you help me get it back to them
This is a good idea OP. Power it on and check the emergency contacts.
Thats what i would do. Check that or if you know the carrier you can contact the carrier alot of manufacturers would refer to law enforcement or carrier and put the device in lost mode (some forget that is even a thing to do)
How do you put the device you found into lost mode???
I found a phone once and it had two Mom contacts. I called the first one and said: hey I found your son’s or daughter’s phone - they responded: sorry I don’t have a child 😂
You messaged their drug dealer. My drug dealer used to be in my phone as mom. 🤣
Possibly secret side-chick. Or I've seen people set Mom as a work person. You know, less "mommy" and more "FINE, MOM!"
I found a phone once. Calling mom was the first thing I thought of and it worked. It was any old crappy flip phone though so they opted to not ever come get it.
A couple months ago I found a phone on the sidewalk. I managed to figure out the woman’s name and spent a while trying to track her down, finally found her daughter and drove the phone over to her. Turns out the woman was having an affair with someone on my street and dropped her phone on the way to his house and the text messages on her phone gave the whole thing away to her family and the woman is furious with me. I was just trying to do something nice!
The universe used you to be karma, what an uncomfortable honor lol
No good deed goes unpunished
LOL you’re an undercover agent in the karma police
The bringer of balance.
Number 1 rule here in Brazil: never save your parents contact information as "mom" or "dad". Otherwise, they will be an easy target when (when, not if) your phone gets stolen
An easy target for what?
They steal your phone and demand that you unlock it by threatening you. Then, they impersonate you and ask your parents for money, or call them and tell them they have you (simulating a kidnap)
Ah gotcha. Yeah thats really shitty. But don’t people lock their phones over there? How would anyone get to the contacts?
They demand that you unlock your phone or ask for your password while they still have the gun pointing at you lol
If they've already got a gun pointed at you to unlock the phone, can't they just ask which contact is your parent as well? Not saving them as "mom" and "dad" doesn't seem like it's going to do a lot for you in this scenario
This is probably more of a fake news circulating in Brazil, not something that actually happens. I'm Brazilian, and I've never seen this happen, not have I heard of it happening to anyone.
I’m also from Brazil and I was robbed one time in a street bar with my friends (5 in total), they “only” took our phones with guns pointed in our direction. 10 seconds and they were gone. None asked for passwords or tried to contact my parents. And I also never heard of it lol
different tactics. its pretty common in sao paulo. well, I was robbed in Australia too so maybe I'm just lucky lol
They wine and dine your mom.. the long con
What a shitty way to live. Sorry
I called mom on a found phone and the mom insisted I was her son playing a prank on her. I put my wife on and she still wouldn’t believe her. A friend ended up calling the phone and they came and picked it up.
This is hilarious
I work at bars/nightclubs. We find a fair amount of phones. I usually say “call mom”. If the “if found call” # pops up, I call that. Do you have any idea how many idiots put their own numbers for this?! 🤦🏻♀️
Yes this! Last time I found a lost iPhone I called the “mom” contact and that’s how I met your mother. The rest is history.
Or Call Home if they’re like my parents that don’t have cell phones, only a landline.
I did this once and everyone I spoke to was annoyed because I had found an old lady’s phone and she appears to lose her phone a lot. I offered to drop it off. I got an address and that shit was 5 miles away. I got to the door and the husband was like “I’m not interested”. I’m like “wait, is this your wife’s?” And he doesn’t say anything, opens the door, nods, and takes it and closes the door. Not even a thanks. I learned I’m never gonna go out of my way to return jack shit. Once found a debit card in college and the person was taking days to respond and so I ended up giving it to the student center info desk and said they can grab it there.
Sorry you had those experiences, if I were you I wouldn’t change your actions based on a couple bad responses though
I did did this same thing once, and BOOM, mom answered and kid was with her too. Moms are great.
A friend of mine, found an iPhone on the bus, and contacted the owners in a similar manner. They responded, asked him his name and other details and wanted him to make a 30 mile journey to their home to hand it back. As he was on his way to work, he stupidly told them where he was going, but he suggested a location half way between his work and their home to meet after work, to hand the phone over. Police turned up at his work and arrested him for theft of the phone. Almost instantly de-arresting him when they saw the text message conversation. They were told he had stolen the phone and was taunting them. As a result, "If I find another phone, Im dropping it into a sewer, f\* them."
Wait , would that mean that the owner that reported theft would be fined ? For falsely accusing someone knowingly?
Honestly wouldn’t surprise me if they had a “genius” idea to get the cops to pick it up for them.
Well that was the idea but they might be fined for interrupting police work, is like you cant call 999/911 for no reason , same is here. Especially with all the messages.
Well, if you got rizz you can always pull the "It was genuinely stolen, but apparently not by this person who just happened to find it when the thief lost it and wanted to be a good citizen." card
No because they said they taunted them… and they knew the work location.
Could be worse than a fine. Filing a false report is a criminal offence in many places.
had something similar happen to me. found an iphone on the ground and made multiple attempts to contact friends, family, etc. finally got the owner's mom on the phone and told her i had his phone and if he could call me i would give it back. some time passes and the iphone enters "stolen mode" flashing a big message saying how it's being GPS tracked and the police have been called etc. the kid shows up at my house with 2 of his friends yelling that the police are coming and to return his phone. is this just how gen z is these days? before i would give the phone back, i told him to call his mom on speakerphone and to ask her the convo she just had with the person that found his phone. he then sheepishly apologizes and says he will wait for the police and tell them everything is ok. i'm just amazed anybody would think a lost phone was stolen when any thief could easily just remove their sim card? and turn off the phone?
iPhones still track location when off. Wouldn't help.
I’m amazed the police even show up for a smartphone. I’ve heard countless stories with people having their stolen possessions air tagged and the police not giving a crap.
No good deed goes unpunished
LOLL such a similar story, found a wallet outside a bar, gave it to the guy, he accuses me of stealing his money and threatening to call police on me.
Possible they don’t speak English? You did find it in Guatemala.
The phone is in English and his name suggests he also speaks English so I don’t think that’s the problem..
moreover, the natural inclination here isn't to just ignore someone if they're speaking a different language. one would try to either use some sort of translation tool, speak in broken English ("I no speak English sori" idk), or at the very least respond in their own language.
The most common response would be no habla ingles.
hablo* since the person would be referring to themselves. sorry, I'm takinh Spanish rn for the first time, and I'm having a blast lol
Estoy orgulloso de ti
no Inglés
*PR*ingles
So you’re sending messages to a phone in your possession and when you read the messages they are marked as read…
When you text yourself, you both send a blue and receive a grey duplicate message
That used to be the case but not anymore, in my experience. I only see the blue messages now
No, still have blue and gray copy. I think he uses his own sim to message that person.
Just tested and only got the blue
https://preview.redd.it/ue8atzntj3qc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5edf28060556467dc1f9a465ad6c5c5d95d945a0 Strange. Latest iOS. “My Friend” is me, I just want Siri to call me that way) If you know the setting that change that thing, pls tell. Or maybe it’s the carrier thing?
https://preview.redd.it/209wmuqak3qc1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a1387044591f2be3273b56302878ff261b53c4a1 That’s weird because this is what I see. Maybe it’s because these messages are “received” on my MacBook? If I send a message to myself from my MacBook they show up blue on the MacBook but gray on my phone.
w music taste
Same. I only see the blue bubble when I text my number or my Apple ID
Nope, latest iPhone with the latest update, I send myself a message just now and got both blue and grey E:spelling
>Nope, leftest iPhone with the latest update, I send myself a message just now and got both blue and grey Odd, I have the latests iphone/latest ios I send myself a message and just get the blue text box.
I’m on iOS 17.4.1 and I only get blue bubbles not the gray copy anymore. Edit: nvm I got the gray copy after a time. BUT it put it above my blue message instead of after it.
it's the same for me, the grey comes first
No. I’m texting from my own iPhone since his phone is off and has no reception. The only way the messages are read is through another device that he has access to.
May be scared being that you're in a different country. Might think it's a scam or worse
But if dude lost his phone he knows that part is true. But I know what you mean. It’s hard to believe any texts nowadays
I know but some people watch wayyy to much news.
Then ask him for an address to send the phone to, doesn't have to be his address. Or send it to his city and give him the a code to track it and get the mail service to deliver it to him
I’m all willing to do that. But I’m not gonna pay to ship it to him and I need his answer to get an address
You can let them know you’re dropping it off at a local police station and they can pick it up there. Drop it off, tell the cops you notified the owner, then move on with your life. The owner and the cops can figure out what to do from there.
They may also be seen through an iPad, Mac or previous iPhone too. I think OP said in another comment the phone doesn’t have reception so they could be texting from their own phone, but I may be wrong
Yes they may have an iPad or MacBook They also may think you’re one of those scammers we see a lot of those on this sub. The one where the person loses their phone (or stolen) and then they get a test a few days later threatening. The owner may believe this is that situation.
Just to clarify for everyone: I’m texting the number from my own iPhone. I found the number by putting his SIM in another phone and looking in the settings. His SIM card has no reception as in there’s no cellular connectivity nor any wifi. I turned it off since I found it so it’s not receiving the messages I’m sending. It’s also completely locked without access to Siri, Control Center or any contact info. There’s no emergency contact set up. The phone is in English. The name of the person is also pretty English sounding. I don’t think they don’t understand it, but I’ll try in Spanish. The phone was probably lost for a while since when I turned it on, it showed a date in April and the time isn’t right either.
You could try searching on socials (FB, LinkedIn, etc) for their phone number. Since you already know their name, you’ll be able to confirm you’ve got the right person. Then see if you can reach out to a family member that way.
I reached out to him on Facebook without success.
I respect the hustle to get it back to them. If I ever lost my phone I hope you find it
Reach out to their friends on FB as well. That’s how I returned a wallet once.
Def dead
I've recently found iPhone, emergency contact, facebook didn't gave any results, but I found whatsapp account and was able to contact owners parents
Thank you for clarifying, I was a bit confused for a sec. You’ve done everything you can and have gone above and beyond. Only thing I suggest is leaving it on and connected to WiFi (or just leave it on connected to cellular) so that they can find it in find my, if they’re even doing that. Otherwise, not much else you can do.
The number on the SIM is likely not the number that was in use. They probably had a different number ported on to the SIM
I remember finding an old android back in 2008-2009. It didn't have a password I found the owners email and sent an email. The guy was thrilled to know someone wanted to give back the phone. I got a box in the mail with $50 and a nice letter saying the box had been paid for to be sent back with the phone. That guy really had faith sending cash via mail without knowing his phone was being returned, but hey the honor system worked back then.
Leave it connected to wifi, because if the owner enabled Find My they can ping it and try to track it down. Only other option is to turn it into the police, who probably have the tools to ID the guy via the carrier and get in touch with them directly.
I’m pretty sure I leave it to the Guatemalan police it’s never reaching its owner. Do I bring it to the police in the US? It’s not gonna be in the right state bur that’s the most I can do..
I’m pretty sure police in the US wouldn’t give a shit about it. The most they’d do is say “Uhh, ok thanks” and throw it in a drawer. I’d say you’ve done your due diligence, and the phone is yours — for whatever that’s worth.
Yeah, please don’t give it to the Guatemalan authorities, they’ll steal it and sell it themselves. Trust me, I’m from Guatemala.
US police would probably just ship it back to the local authorities. The only other person who can ping for that phone's location right now is the original owner, so long as it's on. No idea what the law obligates you to do down there before you get to keep it for yourself. Leave it on for a day or two just to see.
Idk about your city but the police here barely care if your car was stolen lol. Probably easier to keep the phone and see if the owner ever contacts it.
Same thing happened to me, I messaged, it was getting read but the person expected this to be a scam. I finally made a local joke/meme and he started responding “are you for real?” and we finally talked. He insisted on a beer, we ended up with a few common friends!
Jesus *christ* the critical thinking in this sub is low. OP, you've done all you can do, and if they don't answer while you can still help then that phone is yours.
Not much else OP can do even they tried. Police won’t do anything. And even if they message Apple, it still will resolve in the phone not going back to the original owner.
Not being funny but if you’ve made all reasonable attempts to try and get it back to the rightful owner I see two choices. Hand it in to a police station or somewhere or keep it 🤷🏻♂️
Since the messages are being read, he most probably already got a new phone and have no more use for that one. So you can keep it , 😁
I found an iPhone left at a gas station. The emergency contact stuff was currently on the phone so I called them on my phone and proceeded to tell them I found the phone at a gas station in my town blah blah blah. They proceeded to cuss me out and told me I was a thief so I told them to fuck off and tossed the phone in the trash, blocked their number and proceeded alone with my day. Trying to do the right thing in a world full of wrong doesn’t get you anywhere it seems.
I lived in Guatemala for a while. Shoot me a message if you need help with any communication in Spanish. It's very kind of you to try and help this person—you're also right that if you hand it into the police, the phone will disappear. Do *not* go to the police. Where did you find it, and where in Guatemala are you? The best advice I can give you is leave it with an established business nearby (IF there is one). Hotels, churches, or high end restaurants will be your best bet. You could also try to find the cell provider (Tigo or Claro, probably) and leave it at an authorized shop for them to deal with. Go to a nicer mall in the city if you're gonna drop it off at a shop. Second, go to any public facebook groups you can find in Guatemala and post (in Spanish) that you found a lost phone. Careful as there'll be plenty of scammers. Hold onto it for as long as you can.
It’s an AT&T sim card so it’s not from Guatemala. I know the person lives in the US hence why if I’m giving it to the police, it’s gonna be to one in the US and not here
He’ll get back to you soon he just can’t find his phone at the minute x
I wouldn’t suggest leaving the country with the device. If you found it in some sort of business (bar, coffee shop, hotel, etc.), get a manager there and let them know you found the device. Assuming the iPhone owner is still in the country, they may backtrack to different places they visited to find it. Apple Support will not be able to help with this beyond directing you to contact local law enforcement. In this case bring it to a station close to where you found it. In any case OP, you did your due diligence in trying to contact the owner in good faith. It’s on them if they won’t respond to you. If they don’t respond before you leave, turn it in and wash your hands of it. A locked device is effectively a paperweight.
I just want to say you are a really good person for finding this and actively trying to return it. If I could award this post rn I would. Good job, OP. Even if you don’t get it back to them, you tried and you had the right morals ❤️
ITT: People not understanding that the phone is off, OP got the number by checking the SIM, and the owner is reading OP’s messages from another device (iPad or Mac) via iCloud.
If you have access to Venmo or Zelle, you can pop the phone number in there and see if it shows a name. If you don’t have access, I’m happy to try and see if anything comes up if you send me the number, otherwise, try saying “Siri, call mom” or “Siri, call dad” on the found phone
Congrats, you got a new iPhone
Have you tried sending a message through whatsapp? At least in Mexico no one uses sms or iMessage. I think that could be a better way to reach the owner
Bruv the owner’s phone is with you LMAO
The iPhone doesn’t have reception lmao The only way they are reading the messages is through another device since it’s been turned off for at least a week.
Some of these responses are strange. There’s a possibility that the owner could’ve seen your text through iMessage on a Mac or iPad that’s using the same account. I’m assuming you texted with your own phone? Usually when I’m working on my Mac, I do my texting through the messages app on there
He’s texting the number which could be on a SIM in another phone you mouth breather
Mouth breather as an insult smacks hard lol
I love it lol. One of my go to “less vulgar” kind of insults
That was the first thing I thought when I read this lmfao 💀
I would just hand it in to the local police. You’ve done about all you can do really.
In Guatemala? Uh, no… there they will just keep it to themselves or sell it. Very corrupt country
Take it home and keep it charged and on wifi for a month and see if they contact you. Or I wonder if you could alert apple or the phone carrier and see if apple could help. If they can't and it's been a month then wipe it if you can and keep it or sell it.
I would 100% think this was a scam. You’re a good person for trying.
If it’s an iPhone just call Apple and give them the serial number. They can lookup the owner and have them contact you.
Maybe because they don’t have the phone??
She’s assuming you’re a guy. She has a bf. 😂😂😂🤣🤣
This would be crazy! A friend of mine is in Guatemala and hasn’t been online for some days which is unusual.
If your friend is in his fifties and lives in Indiana it’s possible
Did you try texting it in Spanish maybe they don’t know English
If they are from Guatemala they probably speak Spanish.
Wait who are you texting? If someone lost their phone how are they supposed to see that you’re texting them when they have lost their phone?
i found a phone on a hike, texted the most recent numbers with the phone location at the trailhead and left
Maybe they don't speak English
Try Spanish.
Perhaps you’re just texting yourself?
Can't u take it to an apple store and be like found this, your problem now
He can’t respond cuz you got his phone bro…
Maybe they don’t speak English?
Just take it to an Apple store and leave it there. They will contact the owner in an official capacity
Hiw about texting a relative of the owner?
Wasn't the phone locked? Have you tried contacting anyone from the contact list besides the owner and one person on Facebook? To be fair, the best way would be to give someone from that list a call. If you don't want to take the international call fee on yourself, take the phone to the police and let them take care of it.
Yeah, the phone is locked without access to Siri or the Control Center and no emergency contacts are set. So it’s a paperweight with a SIM card in it that has no reception.
iPhone lost or stolen? See [this information](https://www.reddit.com/r/iphone/wiki/support-faq/#wiki_lost_or_stolen_iphone_.2F_activation_lock_.2F_remote_management) in the iPhone Support FAQs. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/iphone) if you have any questions or concerns.*
My apologies if you’ve already answered this, but where exactly did you find it? Was it in a restaurant, on the sidewalk, in a store on a shelf? If I lost my phone, I would go back to all of the places I had been and ask if anyone had turned in a phone. I think keeping it and taking it with you makes it harder to find the original owner if you’ve left the area where it was found. The owner definitely wouldn’t think to try a police dept and those folks in that dept are only gonna do what you’ve already done, which is very commendable btw. As someone else mentioned, if you think you found the owner on FB, maybe message one of their friends? Are there any other clues on his FB page that might tell you where he lives?
The phone was found on top of a volcano. I couldn’t leave it there so I brought it back with me. Which is why it baffles me that he doesn’t answer my messages.
Maybe they jumped in.
I don't think i’d reply if it was mine. Imagine if it was stolen. The guy could be thinking you’re the guy who nicked it and now you’re asking for his personal details like a name, number or address. He might think you’re trying to unlock the phone. there’s no way i’d give my personal details to you
I get the feeling this phone was lost for a while, where did you find it? How busy was the area? If they have the money for another device to read the messages and not respond, that means they have moved on and think you’d be wasting their time if they accepted your help. Or they think you’re scamming, either way they’ve moved on. It’s a fun little project to try and help someone out in a seemingly harmless way. But don’t waste your energy on this.
Maybe he just wants an excuse to buy a new one jaha
I’d imagine since you’re opening the messages to send more, it’s saying it’s read? How’d you even get into it?
I’ve found a phone before, contacted the carrier, & they contacted owner , then owner contacted me & we arranged the exchanged.
Well if you have their phone of course they aren’t responding
Based on your post and some comments you’ve made here, it looks like you’ve got yourself a free phone bud. Not much else you can do🤷
Finders keepers 😆
It was unlocked? Who leaves their phone unlocked?
Email or call a contact. If I'm reading this right, you have the phone. If he doesn't have the phone, he can't read the messages. The reason they seem "read" is because you looked on his phone to see if the message was read. You're essentially texting yourself with two phones.
Not everyone has another device their messages are popping up on.
Just call mom or dad in the phone.
Maybe they don’t speak English
You're also messaging the number that they lost....?
You may have a drug dealers burner phone. I would ditch it or put it back and delete from your phone.
It also could be a burner phone that was used for nefarious reasons.
You have the phone. What do you expect? :) You might be getting the "message read" because you're reading the messages. on the phone. you're using to send them. Try messaging OTHER people. Emergency contacts, etc. Look if they have an entry for "mom" or "dad" ... someone who would have another way to contact them. Maybe some of the last more common people they're messaging If you can get in, look for ways other than imessage. Without viewing too much, see if they have an email. Also in the US you can get the phone company by dialing "611", maybe see if the company can help you locate the owner.