February 23, 2013

Dude!….Where’s my iPad? iPod? iPhone?

Posted in Assistive Technology, Autism, Favorite Apps, iOS at 2:35 PM by kellyvansingel


February 23, 2012

Don’t you hate it when you can’t find something? Seems like every time something is lost you can’t find it until you stop looking for it.  Or as I read on facebook earlier this week…it’s not really not until your mom can’t find it.

In the case of iOS devices, there’s an app for that: Find My iPhone by Apple.  It’s the ‘mom’ of all useful apps when it comes to knowing where your devices are.

Find my iPhone

This is a must install app for any of your iOS devices.   As long as the device you are looking for still has a charge left and is pinging WiFi or 3G/4G you will have a smile so wide when you locate your iPhone, iPad or iPod.  Find My iPhone comes in very handy.  Whether a device is stuck between the couch cushions or left behind at school or the library, you can find it easily with this app.

The app allows you the see the location of all your iOS devices on any of your iOS devices.  From within the app, you can make the lost device play a sound, almost like a homing beacon.  You can also send a message to the lost device, remotely lock the device and even erase it if you think it has been stolen.

The other day I noticed that the iPad had not come home in the backpack.  I turned on the app on my phone and could see on the map in app that the device was located at our elementary school ….phew!   A very welcome sight to see.

map

Now granted it cannot be of help when the battery has died on the device.  But it still knows you are looking for it.  So even if the device is stolen and someone then later starts to charge it up, you can still be notified of its whereabouts once it again has power and is pinging WiFi or 3G/4G.

For almost a week we searched for our first ever acquired iOS device, our iPod touch 3G.  It was likely in the house somewhere and the battery was dead.  The mother of all apps could not help at this point.  And in true fashion it was found after we stopped looking for it.  It had been ‘stored’ for awhile in am empty shoebox at the top of the stairs.  Hmmm…I wonder who could have put it there?

foundBut the cool thing was I could see the find request was still received by the iPod touch as soon as I started to charge the device.  I also received a ‘found alert’ to my iPhone.   Reassurance that the mother of all apps does know.

found2
So glad we found the iPod after we stopped looking for it.  And that ‘mom’ still knew where it was all along.

~KVS

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” ~Jeremiah 29:11.