Apple Files New Find My iPhone Patent

[Phillip Swanson]

A new patent filed by Apple adds a number of new features to the "find my iPhone" service. Sadly none of them will make it less embarrassing when you use the service to locate your phone, only to discover it in the recliner in front of your family.

The new patent outlines a new mode that alerts an iOS user that their phone is under surveillance and actively having its location tracked. The message alerting the user would be followed by the ability to cancel the request by entering a passcode, correctly of course. Also, the ability to contact the default owner of the phone has been added, just in case someone was in the process of figuring out who to return the device to.

There is one feature outlined in the Patent that tickles my inner spy. The ability to have phone calls, and text messages recorded and sent to a server once the phone has been compromised and put into lock-down mode. The devices camera can be used to capture images of the surroundings as well and have them transmitted to the server. This will undoubtedly make obtaining these records for evidence worlds easier.

Source: USPTO [via CNET]

[EddieLeonard]

sweet! i cant wait to get this one lol

i bet it will be for iphone 5 only though... they will probably say "the iphone 4 isnt powerful enough"...

[ShredNasty]

That's awesome and all, but lost iPhone + DFU + restore = Find My iPhone is useless. Until Apple changes that, iPhone thieves won't be stopped by cute lil locks or trackers on GSM models. There is literally nothing that can stop an AT&T iPhone 4 from being restored and untraceable. VZW iPhones, however, will have their ESN number permanently banned as soon as it's reported lost/stolen, rendering it a useless brick.

[PlatoTheForms]

That's awesome and all, but lost iPhone + DFU + restore = Find My iPhone is useless. Until Apple changes that, iPhone thieves won't be stopped by cute lil locks or trackers on GSM models. There is literally nothing that can stop an AT&T iPhone 4 from being restored and untraceable. VZW iPhones, however, will have their ESN number permanently banned as soon as it's reported lost/stolen, rendering it a useless brick.

well, it still can be used for everything else but making phone calls, wait... fring, skype, textfree and more and more, that is if you have wi-fi 24/7 which is possible

[alexevo]

That's awesome and all, but lost iPhone + DFU + restore = Find My iPhone is useless. Until Apple changes that, iPhone thieves won't be stopped by cute lil locks or trackers on GSM models. There is literally nothing that can stop an AT&T iPhone 4 from being restored and untraceable. VZW iPhones, however, will have their ESN number permanently banned as soon as it's reported lost/stolen, rendering it a useless brick.

Mostly true. The Verizon part isn't though. Phone is still useful for games, music, ebooks, anything that doesn't require a data connection which is still quite a bit. Plus you could flash it to MetroPCS if you really wanted service or still sell it with a BAD esn for maybe 100 less than the regular going rate. You could sell it as-is and say you don't know what's wrong with it or if the esn is good, etc. People will buy these all day long. It's unfortunate but it is the nature of the beast that we, the consumers, demanded and in essence helped create.

That, and if VZW knows what's good for them with more expected iPhone activations then they will get rid of their ESN banning policy because people will want to activate iPhones and get contracts with Verizon which will result in more sales. Since there really is no concrete way of proving whether you stole, found, or bought a blacklisted ESN VZW iPhone then they would do well to activate them anyway since they aren't going to issue another phone free of charge anyway. If the customer has to buy another iPhone then VZW may as well activate the old one if someone brings it in for activation. 2 more subscribers to Verizon that could have gone to AT&T.

I'd be willing to bet VZW will reevaluate their banning policies once the AT&T/T-Mobile merger goes through and they have to fight for more subscribers.

[pininfarina]

think this link is perfect for this thread

WSVN-TV - Man arrested with the help of iPad app

[Subtenko]

Hey guys what would be the SMART thing to do? Not send a message at all on the iphone so you can track them? (cause if they see the message what if they get rid of the phone in a way that it will be inaccessible or damaged? They will be nervous of the message)

Or would you send some planned out message and risk that? I mean if you call a bluff "return this of the police will find you" and they still throw it away....

What would you do? Whats logical

[qumahlin]

It will be interesting to see if the USPTO approves this. Those with newer HTC phones already have all of these features via HTCsense.com except for tthe option to have it record the data...which kind of makes no sense since if the phone is locked what is the person you're monitoring going to be able to do?

Everything else is exactly the same. I can go to HTCsense.com, login, click "lock my device" set a custom message, passcode, and contact the person can dial while the phone is locked.