Finding the owner of an iPad wasn’t exactly what I planned to do Memorial Day weekend, but the effort to do so gave affirmation that when there’s a will, there is a way.
Now that you know this story has a golden delicious ending, let me tell you the daunting details of accomplishing the almost-impossible.
My husband was driving along US 131 in Mancelona on May 24 when he spotted an iPad on the middle of the highway. He scooped it up, brought it home, and tasked me with finding the owner.
The new iPad didn’t have a button to press to ask Siri, “what is my name?” Nor was there a photo icon on the home screen that would provide access to a collection of images that might clue me in on the owner’s identity. Only visible was the prompt to enter a six-digit PIN of which there are, literally, one million possibilities.
A support person at Apple dimmed my hope of a work-around. They have no way of contacting the owner, she said, and they don’t store serial numbers. At her suggestion I kept the iPad powered on and charged in case the owner tried the FindMy app, which, she advised, might also require the iPad to be equipped with Air.
I reasoned that the owner was still in the area — the device was fully charged and hadn’t been run over despite being found on the yellow line. After creating a multi-colored, catchy looking .gif with details on how to claim it, I turned to the power of social media and shared the gaudy ad to dozens of Overheard pages in Michigan.
Minutes turned into hours passing by with no response or leads on who the iPad belonged to.
On Tuesday, I called my internet service provider — a tech geek, master-of-all-things computer and world-wide-web related guru. Joe wondered if the iPad needed to be connected to the internet for the FindMy app to work, in which case, the owner would hopefully find us, based on the device’s location.
Following instructions on Apple’s website, I restored the iPad — almost — to brand new. The device rebooted and prompted me for my WiFi connection password. The next message popped up briefly, warning that the device is registered to a Gmail address. Although the address was partially masked, I thought I was getting to the core of connecting with the owner. The iPad went back to the locked screen mode, prompting for the six-digit PIN.
Expecting to reach someone in the Philippines or Fiji, I made another call to Apple support — this time reaching a senior advisor in the US. I asked if he could email the owner and make a connection. No can do, senior said. For numerous security reasons, attempting to reach device owners is against Apple’s policy. I could, however, pay postage to mail it to the Apple store in Grand Rapids, where it would be wiped clean and sold again — as used.
This option was as unappealing as taking a bite of a honey crisp and finding a worm inside. I was even more determined to find the owner.
After another restoration and re-connection to my WiFi, I was ready this time and pressed the “forgot my password” button when it appeared. I set the device aside, and went about my work.
About 30 minutes later, my son called and said someone just texted him about the iPad.
Barry, from the Traverse City area, received an email that someone was trying to access his iPad. Not yet realizing he had lost it, he logged into his Apple FindMy account and, with the device connected to WiFi, could see its exact location. Fortunately, we live in a remote area and there was no question where the iPad was. Barry used Google maps to reverse look-up our address and found my son’s business and phone number attached.
Over the Memorial Day weekend, Barry had driven through Mancelona on his way to camp. The iPad, he said, was placed on top of their minivan — and forgotten.
There are multiple discussions online about whether a device needs a WiFi connection for FindMy to work. Regardless of the requirements, having it connected to our WiFi provided the exact location that allowed Barry to reach us with little effort.
It’s times like these when my stubbornness to bring something to 100 percent paid off — and it saved Barry the cost of replacing the device. My husband, son and I looked forward to handing the iPad back to its owner — and what a Gala it was.