Find Ipod Owner Using Serial Number
However, iTunes cannot automatically detect whether an iPod is stolen or not. You can report an iPod's serial number to authorities, so that it can be compared to devices recovered later. Also, Apple has incorporated anti-theft features into iOS 7 and iCloud that allow you to track your device and prevent thieves from using a. Every iPhone has a unique number called an IMEI (or MEID for some CDMA phones) imprinted somewhere on it. The owner's carrier can use this information to track the owner down and hopefully contact them. It's best to just visit the carrier's store where they can then take possession of the iPhone and handle it from there.
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Unlike iPads and most Apple laptops, the model numbers or generation aren't marked visibly on most iPods. To figure out what generation an iPod is, you need to examine it and compare it to a list of features, functions, colors and sizes to find its match. Apple maintains a list of each model's identifying characteristics so that owners can always determine which iPod they've got.
iPod Models
iPod Original (1st Generation) has a scroll wheel that physically turns and four buttons around it.
iPod Touch Wheel (2nd Generation) has a touch-based scroll wheel that doesn't turn and a FireWire port and cover on the bottom.
iPod Dock Connector (3rd Generation) has a touch-based scroll wheel that doesn't turn and a single wide, short dock connector on the bottom.
iPod Click Wheel (4th Generation) has a click wheel and the hold switch is on the top right side of the player.
iPod Color Display/iPod Photo (4th Generation) has a click wheel and a full-color display.
iPod Special Edition U2 is based on the iPod Color Display but has a black case with a red click wheel and an engraved back.
iPod Special Edition Harry Potter with 20GB hard drive is based on the iPod Color Display but has a Hogwarts Crest engraved on the back.
iPod with Video (5th Generation) has a widescreen color display and uses USB for syncing.
iPod Special Edition Harry Potter with 30GB hard drive is based on the iPod with Video but has a Hogwarts Crest engraved on the back.
iPod late 2006 (5th Generation) has a serial number whose last three digits are one of the following: V9K, V9P, V9M, V9R, V9L, V9N, V9Q, V9S, WU9, WUA, WUB, WUC or X3N.
iPod U2 Special Edition with 30GB hard drive is based on the late 2006 iPod and its serial number ends in W9G.
iPod Classic Original (6th Generation) has an 80GB or 160GB hard drive, a widescreen color display and the last three digits of the serial are one of the following: Y5N, YMU, YMV or YMX.
iPod Classic 120/160 (7th Generation) has a 120GB or 160GB hard drive and was released after late 2009.
iPod Touch Models
iPod Touch (1st Generation) has a 3.5-inch widescreen multi-touch display and an 8GB, 16GB or 32GB flash drive. The antennae cover on the back upper-left corner is squared off.
iPod Touch (2nd Generation) has the same features as the first generation but the antennae cover on the back upper-left corner is oval-shaped. The model number etched on the back is A1288.
iPod Touch (3rd Generation) has a 3.5-inch widescreen multi-touch display and a 32GB or 64GB flash drive. The model number etched on the back is A1318.
iPod Touch (4th generation) has a 3.5-inch widescreen multi-touch display, two built-in cameras and a white or black case. It comes with an 8GB, 16GB or 32GB flash drive.
iPod Touch (5th Generation) has a 4-inch widescreen multi-touch display, two built-in cameras and a slate, silver, pink, yellow, blue or red case. It comes with an 8GB, 16GB or 32GB flash drive.
iPod Nano Models
iPod Nano (1st Generation) has a glossy white or black case, a click wheel and a color screen. It has a 1GB, 2GB or 4GB flash drive and the dock connector and headphone jack are on the bottom.
iPod Nano (2nd Generation) has a textured silver, pink, green, turquoise or black case, a click wheel and a color screen. It has a 1GB, 2GB or 4GB flash drive and the dock connector and headphone jack are on the bottom.
iPod Nano (PRODUCT) RED Special Edition (2nd Generation) has a textured red case, a click wheel and a color screen. It has a 4GB or 8GB flash drive and the dock connector and headphone jack are on the bottom.
iPod Nano (3nd Generation) has a shorter, wider shape and textured silver, green, turquoise or red case, a click wheel and a color widescreen. It has a 4GB or 8GB flash drive and the hold switch is on the bottom. The last three digits of the serial number are one of the following: YOP, YOR, YXR, YXT, YXV or YXX.
iPod Nano (4th Generation) has a tall, narrow shape and a curved surface. It has an 8GB or 16GB flash drive and a silver, slate, purple, turquoise, green, yellow, orange, red or pink case.
iPod Nano (5th Generation) has a tall, narrow shape and a curved surface. It has an 8GB or 16GB flash drive and a silver, slate, purple, turquoise, green, yellow, orange, red or pink anodized aluminum case. It has a microphone and camera on the back lower-left corner.
iPod Nano (6th Generation) has a 1.54-inch square multi-touch screen and a small square silver, graphite, blue, green, orange, red or pink anodized aluminum case. It has an 8GB or 16GB flash drive and a clip on the back.
iPod Nano (7th Generation) has a 2.5-inch rectangular multi-touch screen and a slate, silver, purple, pink, yellow, green, blue or red case. It has a 16GB flash drive and does not have a microphone, speaker or camera.
iPod Shuffle Models
iPod Shuffle (1st Generation) has a tall, narrow, glossy white case and no display. It has a 512MB or 1GB flash drive and a USB connector.
iPod Shuffle (2nd Generation) has a small, wide, rectangular silver, orange, green, blue, or pink case and no display. It has a 1GB flash drive and a clip on the back.
iPod Shuffle (3rd Generation) has a tall, narrow, black, silver, pink, green or turquoise metal case and no display. It has a 2GB or 4GB flash drive, a single three-position switch for controlling the device and one status light.
iPod Shuffle (4th Generation) has a small, wide, rectangular slate, silver, turquoise, green, orange or pink case and no display. It has a ring-type controller and a 2GB flash drive.
iPod Mini Models
iPod Mini (1st Generation) has a click wheel controller, a grayscale display and a silver, gold, pink, turquoise or green metal case. It has a 4GB hard drive and a FireWire port.
iPod Mini (2nd Generation) has a click wheel controller, a grayscale display and a silver, pink, turquoise or green metal case. It has a 4GB or 6GB hard drive and a FireWire port. It has the hard drive capacity engraved on the back, which distinguishes it from the first-generation model.
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About the Author
Victoria Sweeney began her career writing testing documentation for software companies in Silicon Valley, and later moved into freelance technical writing. Since 1996, she has authored user documentation for everything from multi-platform corporate databases to independent video games to home hair dye. Sweeney studied English at San Diego State University.
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Find Serial Number On Computer

A reader asks:
“I got a used iPod touch recently, and everything seems fine except that when I attempt to log into iTunes, the previous owner’s Apple ID pops-up and it requests a password. How can I get rid of this so that I can use my own Apple ID?”
Apple’s iOS devices—including the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch lineups—use a security feature called Activation Lock that’s designed to keep anyone else from using your device in case it is lost or stolen. While this is a great anti-theft feature, it can make things very difficult if a device’s former owner is intentionally rehoming it.
If the Find my iPhone/Find my iPod feature was enabled—which is part of the Activation Lock process—Apple stores a device’s serial number along with the Apple ID in their database. Even after a clean restore, the device will register with Apple’s database and see the feature is enabled based on the serial number of the device. An Apple store can bypass this, but they are unlikely to do so unless you can prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that you own the device. Often, they’ll just turn you away and say they can’t do it.
The absolute best way to fix this is to reach out to the previous owner and have them remove the device from their Apple ID. They can do this by entering their password on the Activation Lock screen, or by accessing iCloud. Here’s what the previous owner should do if they opt for the iCloud reset: Driver for usb shock joystick for mac.
Find Ipod Owner
- Sign in to iCloud.com
- Go to Find My iPhone
- Select “All Devices” to open a list of devices linked to their account, and select the device to be removed
- Click “Remove from Account”
After the previous owner removes the device, then you should turn the device off and turn it back on again to set up the device as new.
If you cannot reach the previous owner, you may be out of luck—or, if the person you bought this device from cannot or will not do this for you, it is possible that you have bought a stolen device and are in possession of stolen property.
This is a good reminder to anyone who wants to pass on an old device: Make sure you follow the proper steps to avoid this dilemma.
For more on iOS security:
This tip was originally published on IDG Answers, a reader-powered help desk for answering tech questions.