What to do if you find someone's phone

If you've found a mobile phone, remember that it belongs to someone. If you decide to take the found phone home, it may be considered a violation of the law. The best course of action is always to return the item to its rightful owner.

Try to contact the owner

If the phone is dead, charge it and turn it on. The owner may try to call their number before blocking it. Then finding and returning the phone will be much easier. So if you receive an incoming call, be sure to answer and inform that you've found it and are looking for the owner. Ask for information about the owner from the person calling, and if possible, ask them to provide contact details.

If you've found an iPhone and it's in Lost Mode

If "Find My iPhone" is enabled, other users won't be able to use the iPhone except the owner. This happens through activation lock, which prevents the use of the phone even if it's reset to factory settings. Additionally, this feature allows the rightful owner to track the lost device.

If the iPhone is in Lost Mode, it means the owner has logged into iCloud.com and marked the device as lost. You will see a message on the screen informing you about this, as well as a text message from the owner with contact information. Usually, this message contains a phone number or email address to contact the owner.

If the phone is connected to the internet, it automatically sends its location to the owner through iCloud.

Many iPhone users prefer to enable "iCloud Photos," which automatically saves all photos and videos taken on their devices to iCloud. This allows access to images on any iOS or Mac device using the same iCloud account. This is especially convenient when trying to return a lost iPhone to its rightful owner.

Taking photos or videos doesn't require unlocking the iPhone. You can open the camera by tapping the camera icon on the lock screen or swiping left or right. After that, you can take a photo. It's recommended to capture contact information.

If everything goes well, the image will be automatically uploaded to the owner's iCloud Photos account, and they will be able to view it on any of their other devices.

Contact the mobile operator

If you couldn't find the owner using the above methods, contact the mobile operator and inform them about your find. They may provide you with instructions on what to do next.

Take the phone to the police station or lost and found office If you found a phone and can't contact the owner, contact the police or report the find. When receiving the smartphone, the competent authority should issue you a confirmation with detailed information about the case, including your name, address, description of the found phone, as well as the place and time of its discovery. If the phone you found was stolen, you may be asked to testify, even if you're not related to the theft.

Post an announcement

Post an announcement on the map of lost and found Lafmap www.lafmap.com, as it will be easier for the owner to find your announcement and contact you.

Also, try to additionally share the announcement on social media.