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Lost my Apple Watch today...

W

walt7788

macrumors member
Original poster
May 7, 2012
40
23
Sport, 42 mm, black Sport band but silver aluminum case. First Apple product I ever lost.
At the pool. Probably stolen by now. I didn't have a passcode on it, but I also didn't set up Apple Pay on it. Do I have to worry about anything security-wise? Really don't know what info the Watch actually stores in memory....Hopefully whoever finds it will just wipe my data from it....

Also...I guess I should just wait till they have decent location/wiping software for the watch, before I get a new one? total bummer.
 
That definitely sucks. I've been at the pool multiple times per week for hours all summer and thankfully stashing my AW, i6, wallet and car key fob in this has kept them safe...

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1438145361.565438.jpg
 
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walt7788 said:
At the pool. Probably stolen by now. I didn't have a passcode on it,
Click to expand...
Is it probably stolen? Yeah. But call the pool and ask them if they found a watch. Won't hurt. I work at a water park and I've seen phones just floating down the lazy river before. A lot of times a good person will bring us seemingly lost phones and then when people come looking for them we have them. Call ASAP.
 
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Feel bad for you. Good thing about Apple Pay not being set up and quite honestly I wonder what people could see stored on one's unlocked Watch. I know there is memory devoted to photos and music. But does it hold your friends phone numbers for example or when you select a friend does it go to the iPhone for the info so on the Watch it's more of a link? Really clueless about this. Curious why you didn't have the watch set up with Passcode. I'm sure your post will make people who haven't used Passcode think twice now.

I'd love to think it will be turned in at the pool. I was shopping a few years back and accidentally left my iPhone apparently in the shopping cart and didn't notice it when I left. Man I know that panic and sinking feeling all too well when you realize it. Hadn't set Find My iPhone on it either (got "I told you" from hubby). I drove to my husband's office which was nearby since I didn't have a phone to call out on and he called the store I was in and asked if someone had turned in a phone and thankfully someone did. I did have it passcode locked though so at least didn't have to worry about unauthorized calls, etc. Good luck with the pool. There are good people out there.

BTW doesn't Apple have the registration number for your Watch logged into their system when you pair it....thinking if it was stolen, sold and the next person tries to pair it with another phone wouldn't Apple see that number again pop up in their system? Wonder if letting Apple know it was stolen would be worth reporting.
 
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I wouldn't assume it has been stolen. An honest person would hand it in.
Btw if you had set up Apple pay on the watch it would require a password to use.
 
Ys, do call the pool. I lost an $1000 gold bracelet whilst shopping last Saturday. I rang the store and someone had found it in a shopping cart and handed it in. There are honest people still!
 
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walt7788 said:
Sport, 42 mm, black Sport band but silver aluminum case. First Apple product I ever lost.
At the pool. Probably stolen by now. I didn't have a passcode on it, but I also didn't set up Apple Pay on it. Do I have to worry about anything security-wise? Really don't know what info the Watch actually stores in memory....Hopefully whoever finds it will just wipe my data from it....

Also...I guess I should just wait till they have decent location/wiping software for the watch, before I get a new one? total bummer.
Click to expand...

How did you pay for it? Some credit cards (Amex, for instance) will cover lost or stolen items for a specified time after purchase.
 
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walt7788 said:
Sport, 42 mm, black Sport band but silver aluminum case. First Apple product I ever lost.
At the pool. Probably stolen by now. I didn't have a passcode on it, but I also didn't set up Apple Pay on it. Do I have to worry about anything security-wise? Really don't know what info the Watch actually stores in memory....Hopefully whoever finds it will just wipe my data from it....

Also...I guess I should just wait till they have decent location/wiping software for the watch, before I get a new one? total bummer.
Click to expand...
As one of the other posters stated only a synced music playlist and any photos are actually on the watch. Once away from your phone it really doesn't have access to anything else.

Even without wanting to set up Apple Pay you really should have a passcode set on the device. If they got both your phone and the watch you could have some serious issues.
 
Thanks folks. I called the pool again today, no luck, so who knows. Whether it's lost or stolen, it's gone. Yes, I should have had a passcode on it, but I just moved to NYC, and before I moved, I lived in a place where there was no need for a passcode (e.g., rural), and it just didn't cross my mind to do so. You can definitely bet I will put passcode on all my devices now!

However! Big thanks to Roller -- I called Amex, b/c that's what I bought it with, and I was still (barely!) within the 90 days they give you for purchasing electronics that are then stolen or accidentally damaged, and I filed a claim with them. If they approve it, they will reimburse me the cost of the watch! So now I just have to wait 2-3 days for a decision. Hoping for the best! Thanks all.
 
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walt7788 said:
However! Big thanks to Roller -- I called Amex, b/c that's what I bought it with, and I was still (barely!) within the 90 days they give you for purchasing electronics that are then stolen or accidentally damaged, and I filed a claim with them. If they approve it, they will reimburse me the cost of the watch! So now I just have to wait 2-3 days for a decision. Hoping for the best! Thanks all.
Click to expand...

One clarification: Amex's standard coverage is theft (i.e., stolen) and accidental damage. They do not cover a loss unless you have a Platinum card. Therefore, you do not want to admit you merely lost it (as you did in your OP) because if you do, they'll deny your claim, unless you happen to be a Platinum cardholder.
 
papbot said:
As one of the other posters stated only a synced music playlist and any photos are actually on the watch. Once away from your phone it really doesn't have access to anything else.

Even without wanting to set up Apple Pay you really should have a passcode set on the device. If they got both your phone and the watch you could have some serious issues.
Click to expand...

I haven't tried after rebooting the Watch, but I am able to access texts received on the Watch once the phone has been turned off and the Watch has requested and accepted the passcode.

Can anyone else confirm this?

I'm really sorry you lost your Watch, OP. I hope you're able to recover it or at least can get a replacement via insurance.
 
walt7788 said:
Thanks folks. I called the pool again today, no luck, so who knows. Whether it's lost or stolen, it's gone. Yes, I should have had a passcode on it, but I just moved to NYC, and before I moved, I lived in a place where there was no need for a passcode (e.g., rural), and it just didn't cross my mind to do so. You can definitely bet I will put passcode on all my devices now!

However! Big thanks to Roller -- I called Amex, b/c that's what I bought it with, and I was still (barely!) within the 90 days they give you for purchasing electronics that are then stolen or accidentally damaged, and I filed a claim with them. If they approve it, they will reimburse me the cost of the watch! So now I just have to wait 2-3 days for a decision. Hoping for the best! Thanks all.
Click to expand...
Yay happy ending! :) (Assuming they approve)
 
anez said:
I haven't tried after rebooting the Watch, but I am able to access texts received on the Watch once the phone has been turned off and the Watch has requested and accepted the passcode.

Can anyone else confirm this?.
Click to expand...
I can confirm. I can access text, email, calendar events, and even contact info by force touch in messages and creating a new message.
EDIT: Tired again after reboot, I could still do everything listed above.
 
walt7788 said:
PS the diaper idea is awesome!
Click to expand...

Ha, thanks but I can't take credit. Saw it on a BuzzFeed list of "Summer Hacks" I believe it was. I thought it was genius and it has worked well thus far. This evening there was a chance of showers so I also brought along a Ziploc bag and stuck the diaper in it. It REALLY looked like something no one in their right mind would want to mess with. LOL
 
Krabba said:
Ha, thanks but I can't take credit. Saw it on a BuzzFeed list of "Summer Hacks" I believe it was. I thought it was genius and it has worked well thus far. This evening there was a chance of showers so I also brought along a Ziploc bag and stuck the diaper in it. It REALLY looked like something no one in their right mind would want to mess with. LOL
Click to expand...

Hahhaha I like this idea, too! I'm off to Florida in few weeks and I'll defy use this to hide my stuff while I'm at the pool!

OP - good luck with the Amex claim. Hopefully you'll get a payout and will be no worse off :) I lost my beat up iPhone 3GS on the London Underground a few years back. Luckily my pictures and stuff were backed up to iCloud so it wasn't a total disaster, but I still remember it was a major bummer at the time.

Fella.
 
OK! I heard from AMEX and they decided to honor my claim! So I got the $ back for the watch! Yay!
While I am tempted to run out and get another one, I think it would be wise to wait until the Fall when Apple rolls out some additional security features for the WatchOS. At least then I would worry a bit less if I ever lost it again. Thanks all!
 
tillsbury said:
Surely Apple Pay won't work at all without the phone the watch is tied to?
Click to expand...

No, Apple Pay does not require cellular connectivity and cards on both the iPhone and Watch have their own DANs (Device Account Numbers) so they work independently.

You can leave your iPhone at home and still be able to pay with Apple Pay with your Watch, as long as you enter the passcode.
 
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walt7788 said:
OK! I heard from AMEX and they decided to honor my claim! So I got the $ back for the watch! Yay!
While I am tempted to run out and get another one, I think it would be wise to wait until the Fall when Apple rolls out some additional security features for the WatchOS. At least then I would worry a bit less if I ever lost it again. Thanks all!
Click to expand...

Great for you! But why wait when you can go ahead and set up your passcode. Especially if you really enjoy your watch as I do.
 
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There is also that handy feature that you can have the Watch unlock when you unlock your phone. I have iPhone with Touch ID so unlocking the Watch is really simple and quick. No need to mess with the passcode.
 
walt7788 said:
Sport, 42 mm, black Sport band but silver aluminum case. First Apple product I ever lost.
At the pool. Probably stolen by now. I didn't have a passcode on it, but I also didn't set up Apple Pay on it. Do I have to worry about anything security-wise? Really don't know what info the Watch actually stores in memory....Hopefully whoever finds it will just wipe my data from it....

Also...I guess I should just wait till they have decent location/wiping software for the watch, before I get a new one? total bummer.
Click to expand...

Sorry for the loss but how exactly did you add Apple Pay on it with no passcode?
 
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