SO YOU FOUND A LOST iPHONE...

By Edie Alderette-Sellers
PR-CERT

At PRCERT, our goal is to provide Point Richmond neighbors with information and training to prepare for emergencies. But not all emergencies need to be massive natural disasters. Sometimes the little emergencies are just as important.

Little emergencies like when you find a lost iPhone.

Nothing puts more pure panic into someone's life, or can be as disruptive, as losing an iPhone. Neighbors who've experienced this personal calamity can only hope that a well-intentioned citizen finds it and returns it to them.

The problem is that, if they've been responsible and locked their iPhone, how can you get the owner's contact info to return it to them? There's no way to get into a locked iPhone, right?

Actually, you can find the owner of an iPhone pretty easily with the help of Apple's voice-activated assistant Siri. And knowing these few steps can save another neighbor's day.

First, activate Siri by pressing the large round button and the bottom of the screen and holding it until you either hear a tone or feel a vibration. Once activated, ask Siri, "What is my name?"

This should bring up varying degrees of the owner's information. If you're lucky, it will show the owner's name, home phone number, and email addresses and you can call from your own phone.

If you're not so lucky, all you'll get is a name. That's okay. Don't give up. You can still contact the owner. 

Once you have the owner's name, again activate Siri say, "I want to send an email." When Siri asks, "To whom shall I send this email," reply with the name of the owner. 

This should do one of two things: If the owner has only one email address, it will autopopulate an email form with the owner's email address. If the owner has multiple addresses, Siri will ask, "To which email do you want me to send it?" Pick an address by touching the screen, and Siri will use that address to compose and email.

Siri will then ask you to dictate the email. Explain in the email that you've found the phone and provide your contact info. Then instruct Siri to send the email. 

If there are several addresses, do this for all the emails that belong to the owner. Chances are you'll get hold of the owner and save someone's day.