Lost iPhones are a real problem, especially now that we spend so much time on the smartphones which invariably means they’re full to the brim with important information not just about us, but our family, friends, and the work we do.
You don’t want to lose it all, do you?
From the other side of the equation though, what can you do if you find a lost iPhone and want to attempt to reunite it with its owner? Beyond the obvious steps of handing it in at the police station or similar authority you can just ask Siri who the iPhone belongs to.
Assuming the owner of the iPhone has Siri activated and has it set up for use from the lock screen, finding an owner’s identity can be done with the simple request of "who does this phone belong to?"
What you will get back is the owner’s contact card as specified in the iPhone’s settings. That card can be specified under Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars and then the My Info option.
The important thing to remember here though, as an iPhone owner, is that the information shown will be everything in that contact including phone numbers, addresses, notes etc. While you’ll probably want anyone who finds your iPhone to be able to call you, do you really want them turning up at your front door? Probably not, no.
With that in mind we’d recommend creating a contact specifically for this use, giving it a phone number and perhaps a note explaining that you may offer a reward for the phone’s safe return. This way anyone who knows how to ask Siri who owns an iPhone won’t also know your work telephone number, too.
Of course, all of this relies on the person finding your phone to both be trustworthy and know that this Siri feature either exists.
Unfortunately, neither can be guaranteed.
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