Improved theft protection: Stolen iPhones should lock immediately
Apple is apparently working on a new iteration of its Stolen Device Protection. The iPhone will soon be able to detect when it has been stolen.
Theft of a phone: Apple is working on detection methods.
(Image: StockLab / Shutterstock.com)
iPhones are among the most popular everyday items that thieves target. Apple phones are comparatively expensive, hold their value for a long time, and are still easy to resell even as spare parts. After Apple had already implemented enhanced theft protection with iOS 17.3, which makes account takeover more difficult if the device PIN has been spied out beforehand, future operating system versions are now supposed to include real theft detection within the device.
Thieves love unlocked iPhones
This is reported by 9to5Mac, citing informed sources. The new feature is particularly concerned with the direct snatching of the device from the owner's hand. If the iPhone is in use and is then stolen, it is usually unlocked, which offers numerous access possibilities for criminals.
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Professional thieves have already specialized in this, it is said – they then try to use the unlocked state to access important data. As part of the enhanced theft protection, which is now active by default, there are now time delays for important actions such as Apple account changes, but many options are still enabled because users want to use their device normally when it has been unlocked biometrically.
Function discovered in iOS code
According to the report, the new theft protection relies on various physical signals. For example, Apple apparently uses the accelerometer integrated into the iPhone to detect theft. Machine learning likely provides unique signatures for this that can be verified. Once the theft is detected, the device locks itself completely. Another signal is said to be the distance to a possibly present Apple Watch; this is also a sign that an iPhone might have been stolen.
Finally, according to 9to5Mac, factors used by the enhanced theft protection are also checked, such as the use of a known Wi-Fi network or the fact that the iPhone is not in a known location (home and workplace). It is not yet clear when the function will be implemented. Corresponding code has been spotted in iOS, however. Apple will present iOS 27 for the first time in June at the WWDC developer conference.
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