# Finding the owner of an iPhone? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 11, 2023, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-the-owner-of-an-iphone/992984 "2023-11-11T14:58:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![19USMC69](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/ac91a4/32.png) [@19USMC69](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/19USMC69)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2023, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-the-owner-of-an-iphone/992984/1 "2023-11-11T14:58:44Z")
Just found what looks like a newer IPhone. It’s powered up, but locked. Is there any way to find the owner? How about bringing it to an Apple Store? ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2023, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-the-owner-of-an-iphone/992984/2 "2023-11-11T15:20:11Z")
Just keep it charged. If the owner had half a brain cell, it’s registered with “Find My iPhone,” and they will be able to post a message to the screen for you to contact them. ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2023, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-the-owner-of-an-iphone/992984/3 "2023-11-11T15:33:05Z")
My wife and I have our phones set up with and ICE (In case of emergency) setting. This also works with Iphones too. If the iPhone is locked, follow these steps: **Press the Home button.** **Tap Emergency.** **On the Emergency call screen, you can make a call or tap Medical ID to see ICE Contacts and any medical information stored on the device**. ---
**Author:** ![19USMC69](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/ac91a4/32.png) [@19USMC69](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/19USMC69)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2023, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-the-owner-of-an-iphone/992984/4 "2023-11-11T15:36:42Z")
Worth a try. I am keeping it charged. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2023, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-the-owner-of-an-iphone/992984/5 "2023-11-11T16:13:07Z")
Most phones will tell you what service they’re on when the screen lights up, even if locked. When I found one, I went to T-mobile, they looked up & contacted the owner (If I remember they could look up the IMEI after popping the back cover off). I left it with them, only after the owner knew it was in that store to come pick it up there. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2023, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-the-owner-of-an-iphone/992984/6 "2023-11-11T16:34:23Z")
Keeping it charged for the half of humanity who aren’t Apple-ites is certainly easier now that Apple uses the same charging connector as the rest of the world. ---
**Author:** ![19USMC69](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/ac91a4/32.png) [@19USMC69](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/19USMC69)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2023, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-the-owner-of-an-iphone/992984/7 "2023-11-11T17:20:51Z")
Took racer72’s suggestion. It worked. I found his sister. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2023, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-the-owner-of-an-iphone/992984/8 "2023-11-12T02:10:30Z")
I have had my email address displayed on the lock screen for years now. Samsung phone. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2023, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-the-owner-of-an-iphone/992984/9 "2023-11-12T02:18:03Z")
I also have my email on my lockscreen. I figure it couldn’t hurt to make it easy for someone to contact me if they find my phone and want to be helpful. Mine’s a Pixel, but I’ve done that with every phone I’ve had for two decades, now. ---
**Author:** ![scudsucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scudsucker/32/14101_2.png) [@scudsucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scudsucker)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2023, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-the-owner-of-an-iphone/992984/10 "2023-11-12T02:44:22Z")
I found one when hiking. I just waited for someone to call it. As with the OP it was the owner’s sister, so easy to arrange a time & place to hand it over. ---
**Author:** ![zbuzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zbuzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zbuzz)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2023, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-the-owner-of-an-iphone/992984/11 "2023-11-12T04:50:10Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Keeping it charged for the half of humanity who aren’t Apple-ites is certainly easier now that Apple uses the same charging connector as the rest of the world. As of six years ago, nearly 2/3 of US households owned an Apple product and its corresponding charger, a number that has almost surely gone up since then. So, no, it probably was never a big problem. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2023, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-the-owner-of-an-iphone/992984/12 "2023-11-12T12:57:27Z")
I’ve owned Apple products for years, but the chargers aren’t compatible. You can’t charge the phone with the laptop charger. So i think that number is overstated. That being said, I’d hope the thing stayed charged long enough for someone to call it. My experience finding phones is that they are still charged when i find them, and i can poke around and look at the lock screen and probably the emergency contacts (although I’d have to Google how to do that ) ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2023, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-the-owner-of-an-iphone/992984/13 "2023-11-12T14:30:58Z")
> [@zbuzz](#): > > As of six years ago, nearly 2/3 of US households owned an Apple product and its corresponding charger, a number that has almost surely gone up since then. So, no, it probably was never a big problem. Well, that says 1 time in 3 your precious Apple product will be dead within a day of you losing it. I don’t care, since I don’t have Apple products. But 1/3rd of owners of lost Apple products might. My lock screen has always had my SO’s mobile number on it. Both for lost phone purposes and for “we found this guy unconscious; who should we call besides 911?” purposes. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2023, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-the-owner-of-an-iphone/992984/14 "2023-11-12T15:26:22Z")
Turns out, it’s not a significant problem. Find My iPhone will show the last location that the phone had power, and will automatically update that if it’s powered on. Modern phones will even update their location if nothing else in the phone has enough power to operate - even when “off.” So unless you find the phone and then stick it on a shelf and ignore it, the owner is likely to be able to contact you. Years ago, I bought an iPhone on ebay. When I plugged it in, I got a message to contact the owner. I did, and he said the phone had been stolen quite awhile before I bought it. We worked out a deal where he reimbursed me for what I had paid for it, and I shipped it to him across country. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2023, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-the-owner-of-an-iphone/992984/15 "2023-11-12T15:40:34Z")
but it’s only the latest fruit phone that uses USB-C & many people haven’t updated yet. ---
**Author:** ![zbuzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zbuzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zbuzz)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2023, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-the-owner-of-an-iphone/992984/16 "2023-11-13T00:38:55Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > You can’t charge the phone with the laptop charger. No, that’s wrong. Apple power adapters that come with laptops and iPads can charge iPhones. ---
**Author:** ![zbuzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zbuzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zbuzz)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2023, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-the-owner-of-an-iphone/992984/17 "2023-11-13T00:45:46Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Well, that says 1 time in 3 your precious Apple product will be dead within a day of you losing it. The point is, that’s probably just as good an average if you lose your Samsung or Motorola or any other. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2023, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-the-owner-of-an-iphone/992984/18 "2023-11-13T03:21:48Z")
Well, 2/3 of folks have non-apple phones, and those all use the same chargers. Used to be micro-usb, and now it’s usb c. Most non-apple households probably have both of those lying around. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2023, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-the-owner-of-an-iphone/992984/19 "2023-11-13T03:22:47Z")
> [@zbuzz](#): > > Apple power adapters that come with laptops and iPads can charge iPhones. I’m dubious. I have three apple laptops (an ancient one, the one i use, and my mother’s) and they each use incompatible power cords. They all use a form of the magsafe cord. A different form of it. The newest can also be charged with USB-C, which is handy.