Apple Privacy sometimes goes too far

[lovehateapple]

I recently found a lost iphone in a shopping cart. The flap that folds up to prevent groceries from falling out through the holes where a child's legs go had fallen down over the iphone and the owner didn't realize it. Anyway, I took the phone to the nearest apple store and asked if they could look up the user's apple id and notify them that their phone had been found. The apple store employee said their privacy policy prevented them from doing that. I ended up taking the phone back to the store where I found it and turned it into the lost and found. I hope the owner was able to recover their lost iphone.

IMO apple's privacy policy should not prevent them from helping return lost devices to their rightful owners.

 

[Nermal]

You might have had better luck by popping the SIM out and then contacting their phone company. If the customer is on a contract then they'll have up-to-date contact details and should be able to notify them.

Edit: Of course this won't work if they have an eSIM.

 

[TheIntruder]

I doubt Apple would want to open up that can of worms, when it would divert resources away from making profits selling (new) hardware, to potentially sticky support situations, and open it up to legal challenges from the wackos who think Apple is responsible for ruining their lives.

Countless personal devices are misplaced or lost every single day, and the company would receive little palpable benefit from providing such a service.

Legacy Contacts, Account Recovery Contacts, and Activation Lock/Find My already exist to help users in those regards.

 

[baconcat_8964]

I would agree with the current policy that unless the device owner discloses their contact information on the lost mode screen, nobody should be able to access any personal information.

 

[eyoungren]

I recently found a lost iphone in a shopping cart. The flap that folds up to prevent groceries from falling out through the holes where a child's legs go had fallen down over the iphone and the owner didn't realize it. Anyway, I took the phone to the nearest apple store and asked if they could look up the user's apple id and notify them that their phone had been found. The apple store employee said their privacy policy prevented them from doing that. I ended up taking the phone back to the store where I found it and turned it into the lost and found. I hope the owner was able to recover their lost iphone.

IMO apple's privacy policy should not prevent them from helping return lost devices to their rightful owners.

I had this happen to me too. A young woman left her entire purse (with her phone) in her shopping cart in the cart return. This was at night, so we (my wife and I) did not go to Apple, nor did we turn her stuff in to Walmart (where we were shopping).

We activated SIRI on her phone and told SIRI to call 'mom'. A lady answered and my wife spoke to her in Spanish (my wife is Mexican-American).

Shortly thereafter, the young woman's father and her boyfriend arrived and took possession of the lady's purse and phone. They wanted to give me money, but I didn't see a point to that.

 

[lovehateapple]

Countless personal devices are misplaced or lost every single day, and the company would receive little palpable benefit from providing such a service.

I think there would be a lot of good will if apple could somehow help people get their lost devices back and it might even drive increased brand loyalty. Probably difficult to quantify or measure though...

 

[lovehateapple]

I had this happen to me too. A young woman left her entire purse (with her phone) in her shopping cart in the cart return. This was at night, so we (my wife and I) did not go to Apple, nor did we turn her stuff in to Walmart (where we were shopping).

We activated SIRI on her phone and told SIRI to call 'mom'. A lady answered and my wife spoke to her in Spanish (my wife is Mexican-American).

Shortly thereafter, the young woman's father and her boyfriend arrived and took possession of the lady's purse and phone. They wanted to give me money, but I didn't see a point to that.

Good on you for doing that 🍻. In your case, the purse's owner was lucky you were able to activate Siri, but since you found her entire purse, I'm assuming her driver's license or some other identifying item was in it so you weren't without other ways to contact her. In any case I'm glad to hear your story had a happy ending...

 

[eyoungren]

Good on you for doing that 🍻. In your case, the purse's owner was lucky you were able to activate Siri, but since you found her entire purse, I'm assuming her driver's license or some other identifying item was in it so you weren't without other ways to contact her. In any case I'm glad to hear your story had a happy ending...

To be fair to you, there are some details I left out.

1. My formative years were in Texas during the mid-1970s. So I was taught not to be going through women's purses. At the time, all I saw was a purse.

2. My wife wasn't with me at the time. I drove home, which is about 9 minutes from that Walmart.

3. I handed the purse to my wife and SHE dug through it. The young woman had the phone as I mentioned, but all I recall ID wise was a Lifeguard card (something issued to lifeguards at local public pools I believe). I don't recall seeing anything else regarding ID.

4. I was Googling what to do. While doing that, I charged her phone because it was low and I didn't want it shutting off.

5. I had my wife call because based on the name on the Lifeguard card I assumed the 'mom' would be speaking Spanish.

6. When the young woman's father and boyfriend showed up it was at our house. I met them outside.

I left these details out of my original post because my point was that there are alternatives other than turning a phone in to lost/found or trying to get Apple to contact the owner. If this ever happens to me again, I'll try the SIRI trick again. Most people seem to have SIRI on - I don't. So, it was fortunate for us that this worked.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I had this happen to me too. A young woman left her entire purse (with her phone) in her shopping cart in the cart return. This was at night, so we (my wife and I) did not go to Apple, nor did we turn her stuff in to Walmart (where we were shopping).

We activated SIRI on her phone and told SIRI to call 'mom'. A lady answered and my wife spoke to her in Spanish (my wife is Mexican-American).

Shortly thereafter, the young woman's father and her boyfriend arrived and took possession of the lady's purse and phone. They wanted to give me money, but I didn't see a point to that.

To be fair to you, there are some details I left out.

1. My formative years were in Texas during the mid-1970s. So I was taught not to be going through women's purses. At the time, all I saw was a purse.

2. My wife wasn't with me at the time. I drove home, which is about 9 minutes from that Walmart.

3. I handed the purse to my wife and SHE dug through it. The young woman had the phone as I mentioned, but all I recall ID wise was a Lifeguard card (something issued to lifeguards at local public pools I believe). I don't recall seeing anything else regarding ID.

4. I was Googling what to do. While doing that, I charged her phone because it was low and I didn't want it shutting off.

5. I had my wife call because based on the name on the Lifeguard card I assumed the 'mom' would be speaking Spanish.

6. When the young woman's father and boyfriend showed up it was at our house. I met them outside.

I left these details out of my original post because my point was that there are alternatives other than turning a phone in to lost/found or trying to get Apple to contact the owner. If this ever happens to me again, I'll try the SIRI trick again. Most people seem to have SIRI on - I don't. So, it was fortunate for us that this worked.

Bravo.

Very well done, you.

 

[TheIntruder]

I think there would be a lot of good will if apple could somehow help people get their lost devices back and it might even drive increased brand loyalty. Probably difficult to quantify or measure though...

Good will, yes. Loyalty, perhaps.

But business is about cold hard sales, and the ROI on such a service would be questionable, given the risks and hassle involved.

Especially now, since Tech has tossed aside the cloak it used to wear about Doing Good™ and Saving the Earth™ being driving forces behind its businesses.

The more recent, and current behavior of the Tech oligarchy, and its CEOs, has made clear that now it's all about the filthy lucre -- honesty, transparency, truth, and effects on society be damned.

There is little admirable in Tech now. They've forced out the old, and have taken over, and you have little choice but to submit, to live a practical life, not one like Ted K. in a cabin in the woods.

 

[KaliYoni]

Or Apple could go old school for an "if found" program...
;-)

 

[eyoungren]

Or Apple could go old school for an "if found" program...
;-)

Once upon a time…there was a jailbreak tweak for that.

"If Found"

Appeared right on the unlock screen.



User set the preferences as to which phone number it would dial.