Thieves Swipe Android Phone, Then Return It As It’s Not An iPhone

Photo 78670241 © F01photo | Dreamstime.com

Here’s a potential idea for an Apple advertising campaign if the Cupertino tech giant plans to take a dig at its Android counterparts, and it’s based on true—albeit slightly traumatizing—events.

In an unusual ending to a distressing armed robbery in Washington, DC, a couple encountered thieves with a specific preference for smartphones. The wife, who preferred to stay anonymous, shared the bizarre details of the incident with ABC7.

The woman had been working late, and her husband had come to meet her outside their apartment to assist with parking the car. As he returned on foot, two masked gunmen confronted him, robbing him of everything he had, including the keys to their truck and his smartphone.

However, the situation took an unexpected turn when the robbers, upon inspecting the stolen phone, returned it to the husband with a dismissive comment: “Oh, that’s an Android? We don’t want this. I thought it was an iPhone.”

In a statement quoted by ABC7, DC police chief Pamela Smith asserted there’s been a decrease in carjackings and other related violent crimes, with carjackings being “down 7%” since July. The victim, however, expressed her disagreement, claiming that she’d witnessed “rapid numbers” of those incidents of late.

Despite the return of his phone, the robbery understandably left the couple shaken, as the criminals drove away with their truck, a vehicle critical for their livelihood as they used it to make Uber Eats and Instacart deliveries.

In a recent case of mistaken identity, one Apple user purchased an iPhone 15 Pro Max and received a super Android fake in return.

[via BGR, 9to5Mac, ABC7, cover photo 78670241 © F01photo | Dreamstime.com]