Hey everyone, I have a lost iPad that I think was stolen a few months ago from a hotel. I've searched everywhere but no luck, and now the Find My app just keeps saying 'no location found.' It says that Lost Mode will be enabled once it's online. I'm really worried—if someone did steal it, could they wipe or reset it to use for themselves? If they did manage to do that, would it still show 'no location found'? I assumed if they tried to charge it, it would pop up again on the Find My app when it turns on. Is there a way they could turn it on, reset it, and I'd never see it pop up in Find My? I just want to figure out what's going on because it was the most expensive thing I've ever bought, and I feel really bad about losing it. 😢
2 Answers
Nope, the person who took your iPad can't just wipe it without you knowing. First off, they need to know your passcode to access any information. If it's a Wi-Fi-only model, it won't reconnect to Wi-Fi until it's unlocked. So that means the Lost Mode command will stay pending in Find My until it connects to the internet. If they erase it and set it up again, they'd need an internet connection, and then it would receive the Lost Mode command. Plus, with Activation Lock still in place under your Apple ID, bypassing it would require your login details. So Apple won't help anyone get unauthorized access to your iPad while it’s in Lost Mode or pending that mode.
True! That sounds like a good possibility. If it was stolen, it might have been sold for parts. Unfortunately, that's pretty common with stolen devices. Hopefully, someone doesn't get to use it, but at least it sounds like your data should be safe!
Thanks for the reassurance! It helps to know my data might be okay.