Having Your iPhone Stolen Can Have a Happy Ending: A Real-World Experience

There's no panic like the kind that sets in when you realize you've left your phone somewhere, as even Apple found out last year. Will it be where you last set it down? If you're lucky, someone turned it in, or you'll find it where you left it. But not all phones make it back to their owners when they are left behind.

Worse than leaving your phone on a bar top is having it forcibly taken from you. My boyfriend Alex was lucky. He recovered his iPhone 4 after it was stolen earlier this month. With some help from the Cincinnati Police and Apple's free Find My iPhone app, he walked away from his robbery a little bit bruised, but still in possession of his smartphone.

Robbery with Assault
It happened as he was on his way home from a work-sponsored event at a bar near our apartment. Walking alone with his hands full, I guess he looked like a good target: chances are, he would have something expensive in his pocket. Approaching the house, Alex heard some movement behind him as a teenager ran beside him and punched my boyfriend square in the jaw.

The papers in his hands scattered on the street, the attacker fled down an alley, and as Alex bent down to pick up his belongings more two kids approached. They asked if they could help him, and he accepted, saying he needed to call 911. He pulled his iPhone 4 out of his pocket. That's when one of the kids swiped it out of his hand and ran into the same alley --- a scheme with a one-two punch, literally.

It was a confusing, unsettling turn of events. Alex was just a few feet away from his own front door, so he dropped his bags off at home and went back to the bar he'd just come from. He placed a call there to 911, and within a few minutes the Cincinnati Police were at the scene.

Apple To the Rescue
Alex had enabled Find My iPhone, a function of the Mobile Me service, when he first purchased the phone, and it turned out to be the app that brought his device back.

Logging in on a laptop at the bar, Alex was able to track the phone's new location and show the police exactly where it had been taken, just a few blocks away. The police brought him to the scene, he identified his attacker, and the phone was located inside an apartment. The officers asked Alex for his passcode, and when it was a match, the phone was restored to its owner.

It Could Happen to You
What Alex went through was an ugly situation, but it ended in the best possible way. A crime of opportunity like that one can happen anywhere, and the best you can do is take precautions.

Find out what tracking capabilities your phone has and whether or not you need to enable it. Most do not come enabled, so take the next five minutes and check it out.

Those with an Apple's latest models can use the Find My iPhone feature for free -- those with earlier versions need a paid subscription to Mobile Me. In either case, you need to set it up ahead of time. If your phone is already lost, it's too late.

This app can also be used to remotely lock the device, or even wipe the contents.

Avoiding a situation like the one Alex found himself in is important, but taking the time to figure out how to track your phone can be the advantage you need if it goes missing.