iPhone

iPhone reunited with owner 10 months after being lost in the river

Allison McDaniel | Jun 27 2022 - 8:40 am PT

While we’ve all heard horror stories of someone losing a phone, we don’t usually hear any happy endings. However, one British man found himself reunited with his lost iPhone 10 months after dropping it in a river, according to BBC.

In August 2021, Owain Davies dropped his iPhone while canoeing in Wye River in Gloucestershire. Just a few weeks ago, while canoeing with family, Miguel Pacheco came across the lost iPhone floating in the water.

Pacheco dried the device out at home and posted photos on a public Facebook group to locate the lost iPhone’s owner. He wanted to return it to the owner as there may have been “sentimental” things on the device. BBC states Pacheco dried out the iPhone with an air compressor prior to placing in an airing cupboard overnight.

“I know if I lost my phone, I’ve got a lot of pictures of my children, I know I’d want that back, ” Pacheco said.

Much to his surprise, after drying overnight, he put the phone on a charger and it began to charge. On it, the lost iPhone displayed a lock screen photo of a man and a woman. The date was August 13; the day the device had been submerged in the river.

Within the public Cinderford Noticeboard Facebook group, the post of the lost iPhone was shared over 4,000 times. It didn’t come at the best time as the owner hadn’t been on social media for six months. However, friends eventually recognized the couple in the lock screen as Owain Davis and his fiancée, residents of Edinburgh.

Davies said that he was in a two-person canoe when his partner stood up; thus hauling the iPhone out of his back pocket and into the water.

9to5Mac’s Take

You don’t hear stories like this one everyday and it’s nice to see a good samaritan looking to return a lost item. While people lose their iPhones all the time, they likely never see them again. I have heard other stories of people losing phones while canoeing; for people who canoe often, I’d recommend wearing an Apple Watch with cellular or purchasing AppleCare+ with Theft and Loss prior to the trip. Losing a device can be costly and quite an inconvenience that certainly no one wants to go through.