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rokia256
User level: Level 1 (4 points)

Stolen iPhone 13 Pro is offline and cannot be located

Dear Apple Support Team,


I am writing to you with a sincere request for help regarding my stolen iPhone 13 Pro (256GB), which was stolen while I was traveling to university in Egypt.


Since the theft, my iPhone has remained offline, and I have been unable to locate it through Find My. I had enabled Find My iPhone and activated Lost Mode to protect my personal information.


I would like to ask if Apple can help me determine the location of my stolen iPhone or advise me on any possible way to track or recover it. My phone has been offline since it was stolen, and I am still hoping to get it back. If there is anything Apple can do to help me locate it, I would be extremely grateful.


Losing this phone has been incredibly upsetting for me. It was not just an expensive device; it also contained precious memories and personal photos that mean a great deal to me. I still check Find My from time to time, hoping that my phone will appear again.


Unfortunately, purchasing another iPhone is financially difficult for me and my family. I cannot easily afford to replace the device I lost, and I genuinely miss using an iPhone.


I understand that Apple has policies regarding lost and stolen devices. However, I would also like to kindly ask whether Apple could consider making a special exception in my case and providing me with a replacement iPhone free of charge, if any assistance program or special consideration is available.


I know these requests may be outside Apple's standard policies, but I would be truly grateful if my situation could be reviewed. Any help with locating my stolen phone or receiving a replacement would mean so much to me.


Thank you for taking the time to read my message. I sincerely appreciate any assistance, guidance, or consideration you can offer.


Kind regards,

A customer in Egypt

Posted on Oct 9, 2026 4:46 PM

3 replies

lobsterghost1
User level: Level 10 (233,174 points)

Oct 9, 2026 5:09 PM in response to rokia256

Sorry, but this is a user to user only forum, which Apple neither participates, nor reads for user feedback. And I'm sorry, but Apple does NOT get involved in locating lost or stolen devices. Thieves are smart. They either place a stolen device in a Faraday Bag or wrap it in aluminum foil, preventing it from being tracked in the first place.


Find My is useful for locating a lost iPhone. It's not very useful in tracking stolen devices. Here is a link from Apple on what to do if your iPhone is stolen --> If your iPhone or iPad was stolen - Apple Support


A couple points:


  1. Notify your carrier your phone has been stolen and ask them to Blacklist it, so it can't be used on another network.
  2. If by chance you see the phones location, NEVER go to the location yourself as people have lost their lives trying to recover a stolen phone. If you do see its location, go to the authorities and ask them to try to recover it.
  3. If you receive an email which appears to come from Apple saying your phone has been found and all you need to do is validate your credentials, DON'T FALL FOR THIS. It's a Scam. Apple as I mentioned, doesn't get involved in lost or stolen devices, so they will NEVER contact you suggesting your device has been found.
  4. Sadly, while we can all feel bad that buying a new phone may pose difficulty for you, this is indeed what you most assuredly will need to do.
Mac Jim ID
User level: Level 10 (105,996 points)

Oct 9, 2026 4:57 PM in response to rokia256

Apple does not know the location of your phone as they are not tracking you or any device. Find My will show offline for you if the device has run out of battery, not able to connect to the internet or another Apple device has not been within bluetooth range to transmit its location. Your phone will appear if there is a charge on your battery and another iPhone comes within bluetooth range.


The only way you get a replacement phone is if you purchased the additional AppleCare+ Theft & Loss coverage.


I should note that you are not speaking to Apple here as this is a Community Support Site made up of other Apple users where Apple does not participate in providing support. If you want to contact Apple directly, that can be done using the link below, but I believe the correct information has been supplied to you.

Contact Apple Support - Apple Support


Servant of Cats
User level: Level 9 (55,707 points)

Oct 9, 2026 8:07 PM in response to rokia256

rokia256 wrote:
Losing this phone has been incredibly upsetting for me. It was not just an expensive device; it also contained precious memories and personal photos that mean a great deal to me.


Even when Find My is in use, most stolen phones are never recovered. However, if you were

  • Using iCloud Photos,
  • Including photos in iCloud Backups (as an alternative to using iCloud Photos)
  • Safeguarding your photos in some other way (e.g., by periodically importing photos to a Mac or a PC)

many or all of your photos might survive the loss of the phone.


If you were using iCloud Photos, you could log into iCloud on the Web to see what photos were there (and download any you wanted to download) even before getting a replacement phone. With an iCloud backup, you would need to restore the entire backup (wiping out the current data on the target device) to see what was in the backup.


If you were not taking any steps to safeguard your photos, and the only copies of those photos were on the stolen phone, then I'm afraid you may be about to learn the need for backup, the hard way.

Originally posted at discussions.apple.com/thread/256373398