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skysailing

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jun 26, 2012
243
0
It should not be an app and should not have the option to be turned off.
 

Intell

macrumors P6
Jan 24, 2010
18,955
509
Inside
It is a stock feature, not an app. You can disable the deactivation of it in the restrictions settings, turn off account changes.
 

aristobrat

macrumors G5
Oct 14, 2005
12,292
1,403
Isn't the iOS app only used for tracking the iPhone from the iPhone?

I've never had the iOS app installed on any of my iOS devices, but I've always been able to find them fine.

As for making the tracking of the devices' location mandatory, wow. There are a ton of people (including the US gov't) that would flip the heck out if it couldn't be disabled.

I think it's cool that Apple asks you up front, each time you setup the device, if you want to turn it on (instead of leaving it up to the user to figure out where in Settings the feature is located, and making them manually hunt to turn it on).

To each their own. :)
 

skysailing

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jun 26, 2012
243
0
Isn't the iOS app only used for tracking the iPhone from the iPhone?

I've never had the iOS app installed on any of my iOS devices, but I've always been able to find them fine.

As for making the tracking of the devices' location mandatory, wow. There are a ton of people (including the US gov't) that would flip the heck out if it couldn't be disabled.

I think it's cool that Apple asks you up front, each time you setup the device, if you want to turn it on (instead of leaving it up to the user to figure out where in Settings the feature is located, and making them manually hunt to turn it on).

To each their own. :)

I hear you. You can track the phone from a computer and an iPad actually.
I'm saying it should be mandatory because it is 10x safer.

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that would make it so you have to have location services on all the time.

Some people don't want that.

No they should just have location service on for that feature 24/7. Optional for all other apps.
 

aristobrat

macrumors G5
Oct 14, 2005
12,292
1,403
Stolen iPhone's have skyrocketed. So, yes.
What country are you in? In the US, the big four carriers have recently started sharing stolen phone information, and are preventing phones reported as stolen from being used on their networks. That's got to greatly reduce the value of any stolen phone, IMO.
 

skysailing

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jun 26, 2012
243
0
What country are you in? In the US, the big four carriers have recently started sharing stolen phone information, and are preventing phones reported as stolen from being used.

US. Having Find My iPhone be mandatory would surely protect the iPhone. Especially since you can now call the cops to where it is.
 

aristobrat

macrumors G5
Oct 14, 2005
12,292
1,403
I guess it's the chicken and egg thing.

Find my iPhone should make it easier to recover a stolen iPhone.

Carriers working together to not allow stolen phones (of any make/model) to be activated on their networks should make it less likely that a phone is stolen in the first place.

Neither system is fool proof. If your phone is stolen and then shipped overseas for sale, I don't think either method above protects you.
 

SideStepSociety

macrumors 6502
Feb 12, 2011
376
14
Vancouver, BC
As these devices become more popular, more people will know to toss it into airplane mode until they get home and can do a simple DFU restore.

I see Find My iPhone as a thin possibility for recovery, rather than an absolute. There are lots of dumb criminals, but iPhones are meant to be easy, and that is their downfall.
 

thewitt

macrumors 68020
Sep 13, 2011
2,102
1,523
Find my Phone is a stock feature. When you first set up your phone and activate an iCloud account, you are asked whether or not to enable it. If you chose not go, that's your choice.

The app is just to track someone else's device and has nothing to do with tracking your device.

Without the app you can track the phone a iCloud.com.
 

thewitt

macrumors 68020
Sep 13, 2011
2,102
1,523
Find my Phone is not theft protection. Wasn't intended to be, and isn't.
 

Nale72

macrumors regular
Nov 13, 2012
216
0
Sweden
And if the thief takes out the sim? Hint: you're screwed.

Really, the find my phone doesn't really track the phone, but the sim? I thought it was "locked" to the phone.

On my previous phone (Xperia Ray) I had an app called Wavesecure that was locked to the phone. You could set it to lock the phone if you started it with another sim (with an option to showing information of who the owner was and contact him or the police) and at the same time a text message was sent to one or more persons you selected at installation saying that a new sim had been inserted to the phone and saying the phone number of the new sim.

The phone could then be unlocked with a pin and you could let the program know that this sim was trusted on the phone. You could also remotely trace and wipe the phone through a web site and also send a text message to the person who had "found" your phone.

Even though I knew "find my phone" couldn't do all this, i at least thought it wouldn't be disabled if you just inserted a new sim. In that case it's pretty useless if it gets stolen. Sad to see Wavesecure isn't in the app store if this is the case.
 

Rajani Isa

macrumors 65816
Jun 8, 2010
1,161
72
Rogue Valley, Oregon
I hear you. You can track the phone from a computer and an iPad actually.
I'm saying it should be mandatory because it is 10x safer.

----------



No they should just have location service on for that feature 24/7. Optional for all other apps.

The problem with that is battery life. That is one of the main reasons (other than privacy) that people turn off location services.

----------

Really, the find my phone doesn't really track the phone, but the sim? I thought it was "locked" to the phone.

On my previous phone (Xperia Ray) I had an app called Wavesecure that was locked to the phone. You could set it to lock the phone if you started it with another sim (with an option to showing information of who the owner was and contact him or the police) and at the same time a text message was sent to one or more persons you selected at installation saying that a new sim had been inserted to the phone and saying the phone number of the new sim.

The phone could then be unlocked with a pin and you could let the program know that this sim was trusted on the phone. You could also remotely trace and wipe the phone through a web site and also send a text message to the person who had "found" your phone.

Even though I knew "find my phone" couldn't do all this, i at least thought it wouldn't be disabled if you just inserted a new sim. In that case it's pretty useless if it gets stolen. Sad to see Wavesecure isn't in the app store if this is the case.

IIRC< the issue is removing the sim deactivates the cell sevice - and the phone usually has to ask to access a wifi network (if there is even one available).

I believe the "find my" is locked to the iOS installation.
 

cheezeit

macrumors 6502
Jul 10, 2010
493
55
Dallas, TX
someone mentioned it else where but i wish you can add a passcode to shutting the phone off... it would make the find my iphone a lot better and more successful.
 

moonman239

Cancelled
Mar 27, 2009
1,541
32
Yeah, I'm one of those guys who doesn't think that would work.

I'm thinking more along these lines: Make an iPhone that absolutely refuses to work for anyone without the owner's permission. If it's locked and can't see your face, it won't do a thing. If it's unlocked and you shout something, the phone knows it's being stolen and will lock and start recording video and audio from both cameras and send it to you ASAP. Then you can turn that clip in to the police and they will be able to identify the thief.

EDIT: When I say do nothing, I mean it won't even turn off if it knows you didn't grant permission.
 

cheezeit

macrumors 6502
Jul 10, 2010
493
55
Dallas, TX
Yeah, I'm one of those guys who doesn't think that would work.

I'm thinking more along these lines: Make an iPhone that absolutely refuses to work for anyone without the owner's permission. If it's locked and can't see your face, it won't do a thing. If it's unlocked and you shout something, the phone knows it's being stolen and will start recording video and audio from both cameras and send it to you ASAP. Then you can turn that clip in to the police and they will be able to identify the thief.

lol might as well implant the phone into your hand like in total recall... place on any glass and you get the display
 

Triangle Man

macrumors member
Sep 24, 2012
86
0
It's not just for stolen iPhones.

I woke up one morning and went to use my phone when suddenly I couldn't find it. It has fallen out of my pocket at a friends house that I was at the night before. When I used Find my iPhone, it showed me a map and when I saw what the address was, I knew where my phone was.

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lol might as well implant the phone into your hand like in total recall... place on any glass and you get the display

Dude... SPOILERS. I haven't seen the movie yet.
 

aristobrat

macrumors G5
Oct 14, 2005
12,292
1,403
US. Having Find My iPhone be mandatory would surely protect the iPhone. Especially since you can now call the cops to where it is.
Daring Fireball had a link to an interesting news article, where a malfunction with Sprint incorrectly shows phone locations as being at one particular home (where they're not).

If you lose your cellphone, don't blame Wayne Dobson

Good article to read, but there was one quote which reminded me of this thread:

North Las Vegas police spokesman Chrissie Coon said the department rarely dispatches officers to locations based on cellphone GPS coordinates.

That makes me wonder how many police departments actually won't go help you fetch it?
 

takeshi74

macrumors 601
Feb 9, 2011
4,974
68
Last edited:

Carlanga

macrumors 604
Nov 5, 2009
7,132
1,409
The app itself is just to find other iOS devices. Don't confuse the app vs the feature

The functionality/feature of find my iphone is activated by choice when you first activate an iPhone w/ iCloud which is needed anyways to use find my iPhone. So its as stock as possible and still a choice if you don't care for it.
 
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