Victim of AirPods Pro 2 theft tries to get his earbuds back by pulling off a slick move
An AirPods Pro 2 owner in Brazil by the name of Ribeiro posted a tweet (via BGR) about something that happened to him. Frankly, it is the kind of thing that could happen to any AirPods Pro 2 user. It seems that Ribeiro went to the gym and forgot about them after he completed his workout. So he made his way home without the premium true wireless stereo earbuds that he had purchased.
Ribeiro no doubt was hoping that some honest member of the gym had stumbled upon his earbuds and turned them into the Lost and Found department. But that was not to be the case in this story as his AirPods Pro 2 earbuds were discovered by someone at the gym who scooped them up and put them in his pocket or his ears. Actually, it was more of the latter since the thief started using the earbuds like they were his own. He used them at work, at home, and even at the beach.
Ribeiro finally had had enough. He wanted his AirPods Pro 2 earbuds back. So thanks to the Ultrawideband U1 chip embedded inside the MagSafe charging case for the AirPods Pro 2, and the Find My app, he knew where his stolen earbuds were at all times and he hatched a plan. He waited for the thief to be at an address closer to him and when that happened, he went over to that address.
Ribeiro after getting his AirPods Pro 2 earbuds back
The thief was working as a vendor in a commercial location and Ribeiro explains what happened next. “After ringing the doorbell, the receptionist took me to talk to a vendor. Instantly I recognized him from the gym. When he closed the door, I pressed the ‘Play Sound’ button, and my AirPods Pro case started ringing. I said something was ringing in his pocket, and when he took the AirPods Pro 2, I grabbed them from him and said I was the owner.” Ribeiro noted that the thief didn’t even have an iPhone but owned an Android handset.
But keep in mind that approaching a thief can be dangerous and no matter how desperate you are to get your Apple device back, you can’t use it if you’re dead. So it is always better to have some muscle with you in the form of a police officer when you’re trying to get your stolen Apple product returned.