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well yah if you're someone that doesn't pay close attention to your items then yes a password is great. I'd never pack my iPad in a bag and just hope for the best lol

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anytime ur phone locks you have to do it. i'm on my phone daily. i may use it for a minute and lock it and set it down. few minutes later i'm back to it. i'd have to type my password 30+times a day. Your lazy if you can't keep track of your device and it gets lost.

You can adjust the time before the screen locks. I would rather type in my password 30 times a day then be out of luck if it's lost. Laziness has nothing to do with losing a device since it happens to the most diligent of people
 
You can adjust the time before the screen locks. I would rather type in my password 30 times a day then be out of luck if it's lost. Laziness has nothing to do with losing a device since it happens to the most diligent of people

i know you can adjust the time....i know how an iPhone operates thank you :)

if you lose a device....it's pretty simple....you're not that careful with your devices. The most diligent of people don't lose their devices. It's the careless lazy ones.
 
i know you can adjust the time....i know how an iPhone operates thank you :)

if you lose a device....it's pretty simple....you're not that careful with your devices. The most diligent of people don't lose their devices. It's the careless lazy ones.

They may not lose it, but can get it stolen.
 
you tell it to the people who get mugged at gun point.

there is a difference of getting mugged at gun point and leaving it on the airplane man. did i really have to spell it out?

plus if that happened, they'd have my wallet with everything in there. last thing i'd worry about is my email since i have zero info in it.
 
nope, unless it somehow auto-connects? find my iPhone doesn't mean anything if the person even just turns the iPad off.

In that case, isn't it better to keep your iPad unlocked so that you at least have a chance of detecting its location remotely?
 
In that case, isn't it better to keep your iPad unlocked so that you at least have a chance of detecting its location remotely?

it doesn't matter if it's locked or unlocked. anyone that knows anything about find my iPhone will just turn off the device and it won't be located. If apple really wanted to protect its users...require passcode to turn off your device.
 
to the OP:
if you initiated a remote wipe via Find My iPhone, even if your iPad was off or not connected to WiFi at the time, I believe it should wipe quite quickly next time it connects to the internet, assuming the thief didn't immediately turn off WiFi or do something like a clean restore without ever being in wifi range.

the iPad has hardware encryption so the wipe apparently happens within minutes (it is just deleting the encryption key). and it sounds like if the wipe is successful you should get a confirmation email afterwards.

Find My iPhone certainly isn't foolproof, but I think it still helps in some cases.

also, re: enabling the passcode on your iPad, don't forget you can also set it to automatically erase all data on 10 failed passcode attempts.
 
it doesn't matter if it's locked or unlocked. anyone that knows anything about find my iPhone will just turn off the device and it won't be located. If apple really wanted to protect its users...require passcode to turn off your device.

the thing is if someone stole your ipad or phone, they're gonna have to turn it on if they want to use it or even if they want to erase it. otherwise, it might as well be a brick for all the good it'll do them. now, i'm not saying findmyiphone can't be defeated, just that it at least gives you a better chance to recover your device than not having it.
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the other thing that i wanted to point out is that if data security is important to you, should your ipad or iphone be stolen/lost/left behind, is to make sure you enable the erase after 10 failed attempts. by not enabling that feature, even if you think you've secured your device with a 4 digit passcode, brute force cracking of a 4 digit password doesn't take that long with some diligent effort.

so if you want to protect your data, do it right.
 
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the thing is if someone stole your ipad or phone, they're gonna have to turn it on if they want to use it or even if they want to erase it. otherwise, it might as well be a brick for all the good it'll do them. now, i'm not saying findmyiphone can't be defeated, just that it at least gives you a better chance to recover your device than not having

Well if the person knows anything they won't even turn it on, they will connect to to their computer in restore mode and wipe the device without it ever actually booting up. Just like that, your device is gone without a trace. It's very easy actually
 
the thing is if someone stole your ipad or phone, they're gonna have to turn it on if they want to use it or even if they want to erase it. otherwise, it might as well be a brick for all the good it'll do them. now, i'm not saying findmyiphone can't be defeated, just that it at least gives you a better chance to recover your device than not having it.
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the other thing that i wanted to point out is that if data security is important to you, should your ipad or iphone be stolen/lost/left behind, is to make sure you enable the erase after 10 failed attempts. by not enabling that feature, even if you think you've secured your device with a 4 digit passcode, brute force cracking of a 4 digit password doesn't take that long with some diligent effort.

so if you want to protect your data, do it right.
DFU and restore as new in iTunes
No turn on is required
 
Well it took about nine hours, but FINALLY it was wiped! Before you see the email I received, let me say a few things.

One, I'm not lazy, the IPad is new, first time out of the house and gets used all day long. To setup a password would literally mean typing it in 100 times a day. Yes, my house is like Fort Knox and there is no worry of theft there.

Two, you can not use find my iPhone, mobile me or anything else to "locate" the iPad when it is turned off (believe me; I tried).

Three, Delta is already giving me the runaround about filing a police report in both cities since we are not 100% sure (although I'm 99.9% sure) which city it was taken in. They told me they usually don't cover electronics or baggage.

You must understand, I had a regulation size carryon that I fully expected to take on the plane until I got to the jet entrance (realized it was a CRJ200 commuter) and they told me they had to tag the bag and place it underneath. The flight is 25 minutes long and therefore I had no intentions of using the iPad for the five minutes we were going to be above 10k feet.

Four, I wonder if apple has a way of identifying the location that the ip address used to initiate the "wipe" came from.

Here's the letter and thanks for your ideas about an Amex coverage and contacting the Dept of Trans.

Dear MobileMe member,

The remote wipe of XXXX’s iPad3 requested at 12:53 PM on April 20, 2012 began at 9:00 PM on April 20, 2012.

All media, data, and settings are being permanently erased from XXXX’s iPad3. This process may take up to two hours, depending on your device. Please note this process cannot be cancelled.

If you retrieve your device after completing a remote wipe, you can connect it to your computer and use iTunes to restore it to a previous backup. If you were previously syncing with MobileMe, you can re-enter your MobileMe settings on your device to immediately restore email, contacts, calendars, and bookmarks.

If your iPhone or iPad WiFi + 3G has been lost or stolen, be sure to contact your carrier to suspend your wireless service
 
Sorry for your loss but there is no need to enter your password "100 times per day." Just set the lock delay to 2-4 hours. If you are constantly waking your iPad for use, you will be well under the minimum lock interval and will not have to enter a password. In your circumstance a delay of 30 minutes would have worked perfectly and with your heavy frequent use you may only need a password 2-3 times per day max. 100 is a bit dramatic, no?

Lesson learned for sure.
 
Everyone should at minimum require passcode after 4 hours.

Four hours? You might as well not have a password.

Well it took about nine hours, but FINALLY it was wiped! Before you see the email I received, let me say a few things.

One, I'm not lazy, the IPad is new, first time out of the house and gets used all day long. To setup a password would literally mean typing it in 100 times a day. Yes, my house is like Fort Knox and there is no worry of theft there.

Two, you can not use find my iPhone, mobile me or anything else to "locate" the iPad when it is turned off (believe me; I tried).

Three, Delta is already giving me the runaround about filing a police report in both cities since we are not 100% sure (although I'm 99.9% sure) which city it was taken in. They told me they usually don't cover electronics or baggage.

You must understand, I had a regulation size carryon that I fully expected to take on the plane until I got to the jet entrance (realized it was a CRJ200 commuter) and they told me they had to tag the bag and place it underneath. The flight is 25 minutes long and therefore I had no intentions of using the iPad for the five minutes we were going to be above 10k feet.

You should have taken it on the plane. It's what I've done in the same situation because I'm not letting them stow it. I can't imagine a scenario where I'd let it out of my possession when traveling.
 
This is true. While not the same as the OP, I had my iPad replaced recently by a Genius. When I got home and realized I didn't wipe it, it relieved me that it had a passcode.

I tried wiping it via iCloud.com, but it had already been powered off.

The Genius is supposed to make you restore/wipe at the Apple Store. If they didn't have you do this, it seems like they deviated from procedure.
 
Four hours? You might as well not have a password.

At least this provides some protection with less annoyance for some people. That's why I said minimum. If a thief shuts off the phone to avoid tracking, next time he turns on the phone it'll automatically be locked regardless of 4 hour setting.
 
i know you can adjust the time....i know how an iPhone operates thank you :)

if you lose a device....it's pretty simple....you're not that careful with your devices. The most diligent of people don't lose their devices. It's the careless lazy ones.


So you have not lost anything in your entire life? There is such a thing called accident and if you tell me you can prevent accident under all circumstances, start calling yourself God then. Or else, go bark somewhere else.
 
If you're not sure which city airport took the iPad, did you think maybe you just forgot it at home or hotel room, friends house etc?
 
Sorry for your loss but there is no need to enter your password "100 times per day." Just set the lock delay to 2-4 hours. If you are constantly waking your iPad for use, you will be well under the minimum lock interval and will not have to enter a password. In your circumstance a delay of 30 minutes would have worked perfectly and with your heavy frequent use you may only need a password 2-3 times per day max. 100 is a bit dramatic, no?

I just checked the pass code options, and there's no option for a 30-minute delay. It jumps from 15 minutes to 1 hour. Too bad, as 30 minutes seems like a good time interval for protection in case of loss/theft.
 
Why cannot people learn if they are going to be putting a iPhone or iPad somewhere where you are not going to be to set the password and wipe if entered incorrectly too many time along with a lockscreen wallpaper with instructions on how to return if it is a honest person. This way a internet connection is not required to wipe it.

I would never put electronics in baggage. It all comes with me in the carry on.
 
i know you can adjust the time....i know how an iPhone operates thank you :)

if you lose a device....it's pretty simple....you're not that careful with your devices. The most diligent of people don't lose their devices. It's the careless lazy ones.

Huh? You never lost your keys? What is more important than that?

Question for the board on this topic: can someone just override the passcode and wipe the device completely? The thief would not have access to any of the prior users' data, but would at least have a free ipad...or does the device just become entirely non-functional if a passcode is not entered, and there is no way to circumvent it?
 
Huh? You never lost your keys? What is more important than that?

Question for the board on this topic: can someone just override the passcode and wipe the device completely? The thief would not have access to any of the prior users' data, but would at least have a free ipad...or does the device just become entirely non-functional if a passcode is not entered, and there is no way to circumvent it?

Oh, you can always restore an iDevice to factory settings, but you would wipe any personal data on the device in the process. So if the device is passwoed protected, the thief would have a new iDevice, but no access to the original owner's data. In fact, there was a thread a few years ago, I think it was an iPhone or maybe the original iPad, where the owner set a new password right before leaving on a trip, took some pictures with the device, came home and realized they'd forgotten the new password. All the brain power of the forum, genius bar, and Apple care couldn't come up with a way to break through the password protection to retrieve those photos. So if you lose a password protected iDevice, your data is quite safe -- and to many people, that is more important than the price of the device.
 
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