iPod touch Found iPod Touch- Need to Break Password?

[jimglidewell]

For those who said, LET THIS THREAD DIE! I say, keep it alive - it may not help but at least it gives you a big heads up -

DON'T LOSE YOUR IPOD!

Good advice, but ultimately accidents and mistakes happen.

What can be discerned from this zombie thread is that there are people who are "on the fence" and who might return your iPod/iPhone if you make it easy for them to do so.

I do believe that locking your device is the only prudent thing to do, so how can you provide contact info for someone who finds your device?

On my original touch, I just put a sticker with my name and phone number on the back. Kinda ugly. These days, on my iPad, I took my wallpaper of choice and overlaid it with my name and phone number (using a graphics program on the Mac, though I probably have at least one iPad apps that will do this these days...). So, the first thing the finder will see when he/she hits the power or home button is my name and phone number.

This by no means guarantees that a misplaced iPad will come back to me, but it eliminates some "it's too difficult to find the owner" rationalizations that a basically honest person might use to justify keeping it.

The vast majority of people are honest and are willing to do the right thing - but you have to make it easy and get them to act immediately, or the chances of them doing anything goes down quickly.

And you're probably even more likely to get it back if you use a female name as the "owner"...

 

[old-wiz]

I put a sticker on the back with name and address and phone. It's better than nothing.

 

[lanulos]

I put a passcode on my ipt 3g just now (haven't been using a code since I have Locktopus) and I tried reading the files with the Windows program iPhoneBrowser, and I was able to get root access; I copied the AddressBook .sqlitedb files to my PC, all without ever entering the passcode. I guess I could find the UDID somewhere too. I'm sure Apple would be able to find the account holder for a given iPod, even if locked; they just don't want to be bothered.

 

[SidBala]

Photoshop a tiny message onto your wallpaper. Or just paste a small label on the back. Something like:

If found call:
<home phone number>

This way, if you are lucky enough to lose your iPod to a "good" person, you will get it back.


BTW: The police in NYC, I am sure have much better things to do than to find the owner of a lost iPod. It will probably be in the station for a week until someone decides to bag it.

 

[thekb]

"The right thing to do" is a statement that I rather loathe and despise. Who is to say what is right and what is wrong? Morality is such a fickle and ambigious subject that it will almost always leads to debates such as these.

Wow ... this is seriously messed up. Right is right and wrong is wrong. Moral ambiguity (aka moral relativism) is a very slippery slope.

The OP, or anyone else that finds something of value like this, should at least make SOME attempt to find the owner. It may be a long shot, but do something. How long does it really take to call Apple or the police station and get their advice? Craigslist ads are free and take 2 minutes to create. Print 3 flyers and tape them up in immediate proximity to where you found the item. There, you've spent all of 10 minutes total and given the owner a chance to find something that they may have saved up for months to buy.

 

[lanulos]

Back to the original question, getting rid of a forgotten/unknown passcode, which has legitimate uses, it turns out it's pretty easy, using iPhoneBrowser, as I speculated above. Here is a video guide:
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/5011551/how_to_remove_passcode_from_iphone_or_ipod_touch/

 

[Ollie N]

Back to the original question, getting rid of a forgotten/unknown passcode, which has legitimate uses, it turns out it's pretty easy, using iPhoneBrowser, as I speculated above. Here is a video guide:
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/5011551/how_to_remove_passcode_from_iphone_or_ipod_touch/

but it needs too be jailbroken

 

[LeighAnna Jones]

Does anyone else realize this thread is 4 years old?

 

[lanulos]

but it needs too be jailbroken

Oh...yeah...oops. Forgot there are non-jailbroken ones.

Does anyone else realize this thread is 4 years old?

Actually, not quite 3 years old (Feb 2008), and parts are brand new. And why is this a problem? We should start a new thread, and lose the accumulated wisdom of the ages?

 

[CI1]

If I lost an iPod in New York I wouldn't even bother going to a police station - I would just take it as a loss. The odds of having someone turn it in, as well as going to the right station are astronomical. If you can unlock it and track the person down, that's great. If you turn it into the police, guaranteed someone there is going to pilfer it out of the lost and found and the original owner will never get it even if they check. Sucks to be the person who lost it, but be glad you found it.

Edit - And certainly I'm not trying to advocate theft. If it was very likely the original owner would find it if you turned it into the police, I would certainly suggest doing it. I just think if you turn it in, it will go mysteriously missing at the police station. Sad to say I know, and perhaps a bit of cynicism on my part.

When you turn it in at the Police Pct they will give you a receipt for it . If no one claims it within 2 weeks or so it gets sent downtown . After a couple of years or so it will be auctioned off . Don't be so quick to say the police will end up pocketing it just because thats what you would do smartarse.

 

[CI1]

Anyone that thinks bringing the iPod to a NYC police station gives it any shot in hell of getting back to the owner is naive. That thing will be taken home by one of NYC's Finest in about 30 seconds. Place an ad on cragislist, contact Apple (who will tell you to bug off) and then wait about a week. Then it is up to you what to do with it.

Once you turn it in the police are mandated to give you a receipt for it and so its all documented and logged genius.You're obviously a hater and still pissed off at the NYPD after you had your butt whipped by them for acting like an arsewhipe.

 

[traxxasthomas]

I found it on the sidewalk in NYC. There is no name on the outside anywhere or any contact information. I can take it to the police but whoever dropped it wouldn't know which police station to go to because there are so many in NYC. I would like to keep it and unlock it but I don't know if that's the right thing to do based on the situation.

By any chanch did you find it by the empire stat building because my friend lost one around there!


Please tell me if you did, his dad is pretty upset

 

[LeighAnna Jones]

By any chanch did you find it by the empire stat building because my friend lost one around there!


Please tell me if you did, his dad is pretty upset

I doubt it's the same iPod, this thread has been around since February 2008.

 

[pianojoe]

I live in Europe. What can I learn from this thread?

• There are no lost property offices.
• The police is NYC corrupt, and will themselves steal whenever they see the chance.
• Being honest is being frowned upon by at least one third of the posters.
• Doing the obvious (if your police is corrupt as you say), contacting Apple so that they either return the device to the rightful owner, or relay your contact info to him, was suggested by 2 posters.

Uh oh.

 

[TuffLuffJimmy]

There are no lost property offices.

It's called a police station here.

The police is NYC corrupt, and will themselves steal whenever they see the chance.

Being honest is being frowned upon by at least one third of the posters.

No, but it is stupid to turn in an iPod that will never meet its original owner.

Doing the obvious (if your police is corrupt as you say), contacting Apple so that they either return the device to the rightful owner, or relay your contact info to him, was suggested by 2 posters.

Apple will not contact the person who registered the iPod.

 

[JamesGorman]

People will disagree with me, but Id just keep it. Unless I could definitely find the owner myself, no other option seems viable.

 

[Waragainstsleep]

Putting the serial in here will tell you if it was registered or not:
https://selfsolve.apple.com/agreementWarrantyDynamic.do

If it is registered, you could call Apple, give them the serial and ask them to call the customer for you and supply some contact details of some sort. They may or may not agree to this. I know first hand that they have no interest whatsoever in recovering stolen kit.

They cannot share the owners details with you by law but I see no reason they couldn't make a phone call. You might get more help in store but they often have access to less customer details than the guys in the call centres.

There are some sites where people can register stolen serial numbers, you might also check whichever ones you can find.

If you can't get past the code without wiping it, (you can't) and if it hasn't been registered or Apple won't call the owner for you, then you may as well keep it. There really isn't anything else you can do to trace the owner and I agree that handing it to the police in a city the size of NYC is just going to make an NYPD employee or a particularly observant opportunist as happy as you would be to get a free iPod Touch. I bet half of the people telling you to hand it in anyway wouldn't bother themselves.

 

[pepi]

Keeping it is not the right thing to do, and you know this. The excuse that the owner wouldn't know which police station to go to is just an excuse for you to keep it. The logical thing to do is to take it to the police station nearest where you found it. That would also be the logical place for the owner to begin their search. If they opt for another police station initially, it's likely they will be willing to call several in order to pin down their expensive possession. I know I would.

Do the right thing. By picking it up, you accepted the responsibility of attempting to get it to it's rightful owner. Follow through, file a report and drop it at the police station nearest where you found it. Your honor is worth more than any Apple product.

Then we would have another new member asking "How do I reset my password on my iPod"

 

[bwrairen]

Wow ... this is seriously messed up. Right is right and wrong is wrong. Moral ambiguity (aka moral relativism) is a very slippery slope.

The OP, or anyone else that finds something of value like this, should at least make SOME attempt to find the owner. It may be a long shot, but do something. How long does it really take to call Apple or the police station and get their advice? Craigslist ads are free and take 2 minutes to create. Print 3 flyers and tape them up in immediate proximity to where you found the item. There, you've spent all of 10 minutes total and given the owner a chance to find something that they may have saved up for months to buy.

So, you looked up "found electronic device" in your Morality Codebook and "post 3 flyers" is what is listed there?? MORALITY IS A GRAY AREA. There is no such thing as "right is right" and "wrong is wrong". Just because YOU would contact Apple, call the police, put up flyers and post on CL, doesn't mean that is the RIGHT thing to do. Maybe someone else would do MORE (Why not put up a hundred flyers? Why not post on CL in every city in the US, just in case the person that lost it was a traveler?), and maybe someone else would do less.

Why should we use YOUR actions as a benchmark? Would doing more make someone "more right"? What you described is what feels right to you. That is great....for you. Don't try to project your view of morality on to everyone else.

For example, if someone molested my child...would it be ok to shoot them in the head? I think it would....but there are many people that think it wouldn't be. I am not saying they are wrong, but I don't think I am either.

Sorry about the rant in a 3 year old thread, but I just hate it when people try to tell other people what is "right and wrong".

I would attempt to find the original owner....to a point that I, not you or anyone else, were comfortable with.

 

[traxxasthomas]

I doubt it's the same iPod, this thread has been around since February 2008.

I know just playing

 

[LeighAnna Jones]

So, you looked up "found electronic device" in your Morality Codebook and "post 3 flyers" is what is listed there?? MORALITY IS A GRAY AREA. There is no such thing as "right is right" and "wrong is wrong". Just because YOU would contact Apple, call the police, put up flyers and post on CL, doesn't mean that is the RIGHT thing to do. Maybe someone else would do MORE (Why not put up a hundred flyers? Why not post on CL in every city in the US, just in case the person that lost it was a traveler?), and maybe someone else would do less.

Why should we use YOUR actions as a benchmark? Would doing more make someone "more right"? What you described is what feels right to you. That is great....for you. Don't try to project your view of morality on to everyone else.

For example, if someone molested my child...would it be ok to shoot them in the head? I think it would....but there are many people that think it wouldn't be. I am not saying they are wrong, but I don't think I am either.

Sorry about the rant in a 3 year old thread, but I just hate it when people try to tell other people what is "right and wrong".

I would attempt to find the original owner....to a point that I, not you or anyone else, were comfortable with.

Right and wrong are not printed in a book; like this is right and this is wrong.

Like you said; it is partially what you think.

For instance; you find an iPod and take it to a police station far away; because you know the owner would never look for it there. So after a period of time; you get it back because no body claimed it.

The action was right; Hey! You took it to a police station! That's physically right.

But your intentions were wrong; you took it to a police station very far away from where you found it so you would be 100% positive that no one would claim it. Right physical actoin; wrong mental action.

Now some poor idiotic person might have not known there was a police station nearby. They might have taken it to a police station that was farther away; not knowing that it was closer. They were thinking; "I need to get this back to the owner." So they thought the far one was the nearest; and hoped someone would claim it.

Right physical action; they took it to the police station.
Right mental action; they thought for the other person too; and thought the far station was the closest.

If you think about it in different ways then it makes more sense.

 

[KSR]

Well I'd suggest you do as you see right. It'd be nice of the OP to at least try to return as the person is probably a wreck without it. I've had my iPod Touch for only a week now and I would be heartbroken if I had lost it. There aren't many people out there that would return it, and we all know that, but think of it as if you had lost it. You'd want it back.

Ultimately, it comes down to your decision at the end of the night. So do as you feel is right.

If you're thinking of returning it, try going to an Apple store and see if they can track the purchase through the serial number. It's your best bet since the iPod is locked.

 

[Sweetfeld28]

If you're thinking of returning it, try going to an Apple store and see if they can track the purchase through the serial number.

I don't think Apple will give out that kind of information, but maybe they could try and contact the original owner through their iTunes account/Apple ID?

 

[J&JPolangin]

...apple just wants to sell another unit (why do you think their stock is so high)

 

[LeighAnna Jones]

...apple just wants to sell another unit (why do you think their stock is so high)

Just wait. It'll drop once everyone finds out about Steve.