Find My iPhone: Yes, My Teenager Lost Another Phone

A True Story, brought to you by Find My iPhone and my occasionally forgetful teenage son.


My 15 yr old son has an iPhone.

The same phone that he used his Christmas and birthday money to buy about 7 months ago.

Firs you need to know this:
He doesn't have the best tract record with cell phones.
He's dropped one down the sewer.
He's gone swimming with one.
He's dropped one in the toilet.

But, after few years and some gained maturity and responsibility, and his own money,
and he's ready for a smartphone.

He's done a surprisingly great job of keeping up with it ...
until a few weeks ago.

He left his phone at our apartment complex pool.
Overnight.
And realized the next morning that it was missing.

So, he calls me at work.
In a panic.

 Enter: Find My iPhone. (accessed through Apple's iCloud.)

This is so wonderfully cool.
With Find My iPhone, through GPS, you can see on a map
where your phone is currently located.

You can send a message and/or sound to it, remote lock it and/or remote wipe it.
The sound emits at full volume, even if your phone was on silent, for two minutes.

My son did this, with no luck.
So, when I got home from work, we went searching.

I downloaded the free Find My iPhone app, and then started searching for his phone.

The GPS showed his missing phone was still in our apartment complex,
but located near another building.

So, we went a-knocking.
We knocked on every single door in that building.
No one answered.
except one.
A teen boy was working with a crew putting in new carpet in an empty apartment ...
but he said hadn't seen the phone.

We were about to give up, when I decided we needed to access the Find My iPhone app again and have it send the noise ... and then we heard it.

A pinging.

From the bushes right by the apartment with the carpet installers.

We found the phone!

Someone had ditched it (probably freaked out by all the noises it was making and all the message we had sent). They'd stripped off his OtterBox Case, darn it.

Thank goodness for Find My iPhone!!

FYI, Find My iPhone must be enabled in the iCloud settings on your device for you to locate it with this app.

 Because my with my son's track record, there's no way I was buying him a replacement.


 (This post was not sponsored in any way by Apple or iPhone. It's a true story, and I'm SO thankful we were able to find the phone.)


 

6 Signs you might be addicted to an iPhone

As I've mentioned before, my iPhone was stolen on April 1st this year, and I might have been cursed.
And since then, I've been going through iPhone withdrawal.
Clearly, I was addicted.
It's good to go without technology every now and then...
although not good when your technology is STOLEN.



Signs you might be addicted to an iPhone:


6. You hear iPhone rings, chirps and noises everywhere you go.
5. You aren't really somewhere unless you've "checked in"
4. You don't know how you're going to wake up in the morning because it was your alarm clock
3. You find yourself stealing your children's iTouches when you head to the bathroom
2. You realize you can't photograph and upload to Facebook or Twitpic every cool view or silly animal you see
and
1. You feel phantom vibrations in your pocket





If you have a smartphone, get a tracking app ASAP.  If your phone is stolen, you don't have a lot of recourse and you're screwed out of a lot of money.

I've filed a police report, but I honestly don't expect to see that phone again.



Oh, iPhone, where fore art thou?!
I miss you so!

These are a few of my favorite apps.

I wanted an iPhone for a long time, and then I finally got one for Christmas 2009.

I've found some strange apps for the phone,

but these are the following FIVE applications that I use every single day on my iPhone

(not in any particular order):

1. Facebook - It's so easy to update my status while waiting in line somewhere. Most my family and friends are on Facebook and it's so fun to keep up with people when I'm too busy to talk.

2. We Rule - This game is so much fun! You own a castle and build houses and businesses (a tavern, a bookstore) and grow crops (magic aspargus!).

3. We Farm - Very similar to We Rule, but you own a farm, raise animals (cows, chickens, ostrich) and grow stuff (lettuce, tomatoes, eggplant).

4. Words With Friends - It's similar to Scrabble and you can play anyone who has an iPhone! I have 7 games going right now with friends and family.

5. Email - I have my gmail account connected to my phone and can check mail wherever I am.

6. Maps - Ok, I don't use this every day but the times I do use it, indespensible!!!

7. The Weather Channel - I need to check the 10 day forecast regularly.

8. Messages - This is where I text everyone, and it formats the texts like a conversation. Unlimited and extremely useful.

What are your favorite apps?

Do you have an iPhone?

Do you want an iPhone?

Caged Angel

Artistic vision?

Religious statement?

Taken with my iPhone at Market Street.

Sleepy Annie

Here's a photo of Annie just waking up.

It's not the best photo quality...because I took it on my NEW iPhone!!

I've wanted an iPhone forever.

I finally saved up enough for one.

It's refurbished, so discounted.

I'm SO excited!!!