Find My iPhone app delivers police to suspected robbers
Freebie gadget-tracking app leads Los Angeles Police to four suspected armed robbers, as well as a cache of stolen goods.
Apple's freebie gadget-tracking app led to a quick recovery of goods stolen in a string of multiple robberies in Hollywood over the weekend, as well as the arrests of the suspected thieves.
CBS Local today notes that Apple's Find My iPhone app was used by an owner of one of the stolen devices, along with the help of the Los Angeles Police Department, to track down where the goods -- which included wallets, too -- were stashed.
Police found the four suspected robbers, along with the cache of goods in a parked car, after the app was able to home in on their location, CBS reports.
This is the latest such success story for the application, which Apple initially debuted as a key benefit of subscribing to its now-defunct MobileMe service before making it free in late 2010. In recent months, the app has led to arrests in an armed robbery case in Georgia and a stabbing and theft in Los Angeles.
One of the weaknesses with the app is still the fact that thieves can disable it by turning off the device, an activity that does not require the use of a security passcode. Users must also first enable it on their device through the iCloud settings.