Photo: Apple
Celebrity cars getting stolen aren’t something entirely new, but rapper Akon has recently been the victim of a theft that eventually got sorted out thanks to the miracle of technology.
Back in May, Akon stopped at a gas station in Atlanta, Georgia, and somehow believed it was a good idea to leave the engine running while refueling. Not only is this dangerous because, you know, static electricity and stuff, but it can also help thieves steal your car much faster because they only have to jump behind the wheel and speed off.
That is exactly what happened to Akon, though this time, technology came to the rescue. What was initially believed to be a tracker placed inside the car was actually an iPhone used by the police to locate the vehicle.
The rapper’s iPhone was still in the car when the thief stole it, so the police turned to Find My iPhone, a feature that comes bundled with Apple’s devices, to determine the device's location.
The Range Rover was eventually discovered in Forest Park based on the location provided by the iPhone. However, the police did not reveal if any of the rapper’s belongings were still there. The iPhone didn’t get stolen, though, and it was still turned on and working.
Find My iPhone is a feature that helps Apple users find the location of any iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Mac, Apple Watch, AirPods, or Beats headphones. And it’s all possible as long as the feature is enabled, with users allowed to connect to the device remotely from a web interface.
If the Apple device has already been shut down, so the live location can’t be retrieved, the offline mode provides the user with the last known location when it was online. Furthermore, Apple offers a notification service that sends an alert to an email address when the device is turned back on and the location is determined.
The thief, however, didn’t mind turning off the iPhone, probably because they didn’t think it was worth stealing in the first place. Akon claimed he had thousands of dollars and a diamond necklace inside the car, so that kind of makes sense.
That is exactly what happened to Akon, though this time, technology came to the rescue. What was initially believed to be a tracker placed inside the car was actually an iPhone used by the police to locate the vehicle.
The rapper’s iPhone was still in the car when the thief stole it, so the police turned to Find My iPhone, a feature that comes bundled with Apple’s devices, to determine the device's location.
The Range Rover was eventually discovered in Forest Park based on the location provided by the iPhone. However, the police did not reveal if any of the rapper’s belongings were still there. The iPhone didn’t get stolen, though, and it was still turned on and working.
Find My iPhone is a feature that helps Apple users find the location of any iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Mac, Apple Watch, AirPods, or Beats headphones. And it’s all possible as long as the feature is enabled, with users allowed to connect to the device remotely from a web interface.
If the Apple device has already been shut down, so the live location can’t be retrieved, the offline mode provides the user with the last known location when it was online. Furthermore, Apple offers a notification service that sends an alert to an email address when the device is turned back on and the location is determined.
The thief, however, didn’t mind turning off the iPhone, probably because they didn’t think it was worth stealing in the first place. Akon claimed he had thousands of dollars and a diamond necklace inside the car, so that kind of makes sense.
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