The process
How Lost&Found works
From the moment you report a lost or found item to the moment it's returned — here is every step, and what stays private at each one.
Report the item
Describe what you lost or found — choose a category (keys, wallet, phone, pet, document, and more), write a title and brief description, and note the date. You can also add photos and set the date precision.
Your exact location is never public. The app captures a device location, but only a coarse neighbourhood-level area label is ever shown to other users. The precise point stays server-side and is subject to an automatic retention limit.
Applies to: Both finders and losers
Add verification details
Before submitting, you set private verification details — information only the true owner would know. These details are never public and are used in the claim step to confirm that a claimant actually owns the item.
Examples: a unique marking on the item, the contents of a wallet, a serial number, or a specific defect. Think of these as your "ownership proof". Nobody other than the person reviewing claims ever sees them.
Applies to: The reporter (finder or loser)
Possible matches surface
After reporting, the app compares your item against nearby reports on the other side — lost items are compared against found items, and vice versa. A scoring model weighs category, distance, date, and keyword overlap.
Matches are suggestions, not conclusions. A high-scoring match means the items look related; it does not mean the claim has been verified. Reviewing and dismissing matches is quick.
Applies to: App, automatically
Submit a claim
If you believe you have found a match for your item, you submit a claim. You answer the ownership verification questions the finder set privately. Your answers are not public.
You can submit a claim only if you see the item via discovery. The finder reviews your answers in private — they see your submission, but other users do not. You can submit a limited number of claims per item.
Applies to: The person who lost something
The finder reviews
The finder sees your claim and the answers you provided. They accept or decline. If accepted, a private one-on-one chat opens between the two of you so you can arrange a safe handoff.
No third party sees the claim or the answers. The finder cannot see the claimant's contact details before accepting. Chat only opens after acceptance — no unsolicited messages.
Applies to: The finder
Private chat, then handoff
Once a claim is accepted, both parties can chat privately to arrange the return. After the handoff, either party can mark the item as returned. The other party confirms, and the item is closed.
Confirming the return is a two-step process — one person marks it, the other confirms. Both participants' trust history is updated. The private chat is closed after the item is marked returned.
Applies to: Both parties
What stays private
Three categories of information never leave their access boundary.
Exact location
Your device location is captured when you report, but only a neighbourhood-level label is shown publicly. The precise point is kept server-side and automatically deleted after a configurable retention window.
Verification details
The private description and questions you set are visible only to the reporter and, after a claim, to the claim reviewer. Other users cannot see them at any point, including through search or public item views.
Claim answers
Your ownership answers are visible only to the finder reviewing your claim. Other users, including other claimants, never see them. Dismissed claims are kept internally but do not affect your standing.
Private chat
Messages in a conversation are visible only to the two participants. The chat opens only after a claim is accepted and closes once the item is confirmed returned.