Apple reportedly developing an iOS feature thar instantly locks stolen phones
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| Credit: Omar Marques / SOPA Images / LightRocket via Getty Images |
Apple is reportedly working on a new iOS feature that will lock users' phones immediately should they get grabbed by a phone snatcher.
The new feature would leverage technology already on the iPhone, including its accelerometer as well as potentially its connection to an Apple Watch, to detect the snatching and immediately lock the device, according to 9to5Mac.
SEE ALSO:What is Lockdown Mode on iPhone and how do you enable it?
Phone snatchers in large metropolitan areas often use motorbikes to steal phones from the hands of the unwary. In addition to a quick escape, this strategy allows phone snatchers to potentially obtain unlocked phones. An unlocked phone can be worth up to $1,000 to a thief, about $800 more than a locked phone, according to a recent Wired report.
An unlocked device is more valuable because thieves can access users' personal data and apps and have a much easier route to the phone owner's bank account, the publisher wrote.
This new feature would be the latest in Apple’s Stolen Device Protection features that include Activation Lock, which stops thieves from disabling tracking or resetting the phone without the correct Apple Account login, and the Find My app, which allows users to track their missing or stolen Apple devices.
Users already have access to features requiring biometric authentication to unlock their devices, as well as other security features like Security Delay, which forces anyone changing major passwords or performing similar actions to wait an hour and confirm the decision with an additional biometric authentication.
It’s unclear when Apple might debut this new feature if the 9to5Mac report proves accurate. The next opportunity would be at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). Scheduled for June 8-12, this is where Apple often reveals details about the next iOS. So we may hear more about this feature sooner rather than later.
Now thieves will be extra gentle when engaging in a tactical asset migration so as not to trigger gyroscopes.
ReplyDeleteSame with parents with their children's phones.
DeleteLoving your comment is not enough, so I'm also quoting it for good measure.
DeleteNot sure if you have ever watched Scorsese's After Hours - especially the "Mohawk this guy!" scene which someone once commented on with the same kind of visionary flair you just used: "Love the way he legs it down the road. As if they are going to chase him with a 100 yard lead clipper like demented relentless barbers."
Definitely making this feature with central London in mind with the scrotes on bikes
ReplyDeleteKind of sad it’s a thing now.
DeleteYeah, I read that it’s really bad in London. Here in New York it’s not as bad.
DeleteCor blimey gove’nr, the tea leafs will be doing their narna
DeleteWTH lol
DeleteNarnia?? Oh those crazy Brits.
It will not stop them. They will just chop off your arm with your watch and iPhone. Sad state of London.
DeleteI’d still like a way to prevent them from turning it off so I can at least still track it using Find My.
ReplyDeleteturning an iPhone off does not remove it from Find My in any way. you can still track your iPhone location using Find My, even though the phone is switched off.
DeleteOn or off, seasoned thiefs use faraday boxes/bags to prevent any wireless/radio signal in or out of the phone anyway.
DeleteSo the Bluetooth is still being used or the cell data or how exactly does this work, have you any idea? I’ve heard this before and wondered what exactly is happening…
DeleteSamsungs you need to unlock before shutting down, not sure why Apple and Google pixels are different.
Delete"Apple's "Find My" app relies on Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) to track devices. Bluetooth allows lost items to communicate with passing devices to provide a broader location network."
Deleteyour phone, which is turned off, or maybe even completely without any battery left, still has internally a BLE chip that uses almost no power. instead, other phones that are passing by your phone are sending out active pinging and picking up your low energy bluetooth chip; the other person's phone is sending the location of your phone; your own powered off phone is not sending that info.
Ideally there'd be a way to keep Find My active even when the phone is turned off.
DeleteConsidering the device contents are harder to decrypt once the phone has been turned off I'd much rather thieves turn it off and I only have to replace my phone, instead of them somehow getting into my phone/apps and emptying my accounts.
Find My can still work when the phone is off.
DeleteDoes it stop police from using cellbrites or whatever to unlock your phone?
ReplyDeleteSadly no. They used Tom Hanks to unlock mine.
DeleteIf you are concerned about digital investigators getting your phone and unlocking it, just keep your iphone up to date. Makes those forensic tools almost worthless on the most updated OS
DeleteI really wouldn't rely on the latest iOS or Android version being 100% safe. Bad actors such as celebritie and nso know about many zero days and keep them secret from apple etc for as long as possible. the new iPhone 17 memory should help, but malware companies like nso and cellebrite will usually find a way sadly
DeleteNice! Now I can go to London.
ReplyDelete"Oi! A Chav nicked me mobile!"
DeleteHere in the uk, we will be very sad if London loses its premier position as the capital of phone snatching.
DeleteIt’s one of the few things that we are world leading at nowadays.
Strait out me knickers it went! Now….do I go have me a teatime with crumpets or track down a Bobby? Bleh! I’ll just have me a fag to settle me nerves!
DeleteIt's possible that this feature will be limited to newer models or only those that support Apple intelligence and not be available to older models.
ReplyDeleteJust read yesterday an article about scooter grabs and thought “why isn’t a feature to sense and lock iPhone already a thing, all the hardware is there it’s just a small software patch to implement,” and now today this news.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to it soon.
What use is an anti-scratching feature to prevent phone theft? Don't they already have Gorilla Glass?
ReplyDeleteAnti-snatching
DeleteThis is when you find out if your friends are the kind of d*cks that will grab your phone and run so it gets locked.
ReplyDeleteIt's all in good fun. There has to be a way to unlock it in the case of error. My mom's apple watch thinks she's fallen a few times a day so she has to cancel the detection before it calls emergency services.
DeleteShe should probably take it off before teaching her Judo classes.
DeleteSo just enter your password to unlock it.
DeleteThere isnt with stolen device protection, although I've had good luck with just pointing the phone towards the ceiling when I'm helping a user setup e-mail on their phone.
DeleteMy Garmin bike computer does the same thing. It has “crash detection” that sometimes gets triggered if you brake sharply at a junction or traffic lights. It gives you only about 15 seconds to cancel the alert before it sends a message to your emergency contacts. A good feature but not foolproof.
DeleteNow make it automagically dump the battery’s contents to the metal frame.
ReplyDeleteOK this seems like not the worst idea, but they still refuse to address the real security issue:
ReplyDeleteStop letting the iPhone PIN override all other account security
At least give me that as an option. They'll potentially force lock me out of my device by forcing on SDP without a Face ID scan, with the chance that Face ID will fail. But they won't give me the option to trust myself not to forget my Apple ID password.
If that is what Apple's entire security system depends upon, it is going to be tough to fix. We may never know, though.
Delete“Must use pin on restart” is the stupidest feature on the phone. How about must use PIN and Biometric both on restart?
DeleteThey allow the device passcode to reset the Apple ID password, and the Apple ID is the core of everything. With that, one can wipe or lock every other device. All with one stolen passcode. And Apple’s only solution seems to be to add a biometric double check, instead of giving the option to not let the device PIN reset the Apple ID password.
DeleteSadly I know why they do this and will likely never change, as I have personally witnessed far too many people do exactly this just to get past all the login screens to install a “free” app from the app store. They have no friggin idea what an apple id even is because it’s another screen they blew past during device setup.
But they know their PIN. Which may or may not be probably is something like 000000 or 111111.
Sounds like PEBKAC problem at its peak, all too often tales of tech users. Our generation is a bit more literate than that but not sure how much it will impact us a couple of years later when AI is at the forefront of every single person’s life, not just those who are more adventurous and those who are in the field. We are not there yet but getting close rapidly. Will Apple change this security model? I hope so, but I don’t have hope on them.
DeleteThe older I get I see young people who are good at using the computers, but a lot of them still seem to have about the same amount as always as to how they actually work at even a basic level.
DeleteThe real issue these days is identity and nobody even talks about that.
What about a setting that would enable (a user opt-in option) for TWO separate user iPhone passcodes to be implemented and set?
ReplyDeleteOne user passcode (that could be set to be short) so 4-8 numerical PIN could be set to effectuate exclusively at specific user generated, geo-locations within settings (i.e. home and work) and a SEPARATE 15+ character ALPHANUMERIC passcode that would be set to enable EVERYWHERE a user goes, that is OUTSIDE of the parameters defined by those⬆️ users generated geo-fences - everywhere someone goes, outside of work or home
Doing this would maintain maximum user security (when it becomes warranted and necessary to do so) while balancing a user-convenient approach when security is obviously not as necessary (while a user is at home or at work)
Or if Apple allows even more customization: a third, forth or fifth (user input) geo-location
Apple’s current passcode security infrastructure is literally already designed around a geo-fence approach. What you are allowed to do outside of your home or work (password and security wise) is vastly different than the security/administrator options while you are at home. For example, there is a time sensitive wait requirement for changing one’s password while out and about - as there SHOULD be:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUYODQB_2wQ
Too easy. Apple wants complicated. Let’s see: you need an Apple Watch, AirPods Max and an AirTag at the same time.
DeleteIf the space time continuum shifts or your phone is taken, while your Apple Watch is sensing waving motions for help and your AirPods detect the sound of an e-bike or motorbike, then your phone is locked if you wiggle your AirTag.
This is a great idea. MFA with a geo factor isnt new, but havent seen it in a phone. Combine that with eliminating an unlocked device as an MFA form to the rest of your Apple ecosystem and it may actually become a bit more secure.
DeleteAll great apart from the fact that it requires you to have an Apple Watch linked. Useless feature for me as I don't have an Apple Watch. The basic SE starts at £219 which isn't cheap for a body worn device liable to get knocked. I work in hospitality and I'm currently wearing a Fitbit Inspire 3 which has got bashed a fair few times but it cost me £35 on sale. Not risking a £200+ smartwatch which is probably more likely to get damaged.
ReplyDeleteI’ve been wearing Apple Watch for years, usually upgrade to a new one every 3-4 years. I smash mine up against engine blocks when working on my cars, swim with it, mountain bike with it, etc. It lives a rough life, and I have yet to break one or even crack a screen. Scratch it up a bit over time, sure, but they’ve all survived just fine.
DeleteThe way I read it an Apple Watch will also be used if you have one to make it more accurate but it’s not necessary and will still work without one.
DeleteNot sure what you are doing to a poor watch!
DeleteI’ve had my Apple Watch S5 for 6 years, wear it every day, including lots of physical work where it gets knocked etc, still barely a scratch on it, certainly not damaged in any way. The only reason I’ll be replacing it later this year is I feel the S12 will be a nice upgrade.
The possible solution to that is to link it to an AirTag, which you could conceal on your person when you are traveling. oops someone just beat me to it!
Deletethey should implement it so you can just use a second phone in your other hand. Then when it detects the phones moving apart rapidly it will engage.
DeleteI'd like to imagine the test lab where they are developing this and tim cook is spending his last day running around snatching phones out of developers hands so they can fit a better algorithm
ReplyDeleteNot sure that will make much difference. Although it does add security, it does not significantly reduce the value of a stollen phone: my daughter had her phone snatched will crossing the road in north London by a lowlife on an electric bike. Two days later it’s location was in a block of flats in East London and a few days after that it was in Shenzhen in China. No doubt its parts ended up in the second hand parts food chain. That possibility is what needs to be kilked.
ReplyDeleteyeah, mine also went to East London, then Dubai and ended up in China too
DeleteCongrats to the well earned second place! 👍 😀
ReplyDeleteI’d love a setting that automatically requires the PW if it loses connection to my watch.
ReplyDeleteI don’t trust Apple’s gyroscope features at all. Will never forget the time I fake fell to test my Apple Watch and it didn’t do anything. Also got in a car crash about a year ago and I don’t remember my 16 doing anything. The only help I got was using my watch to call my parents and ping my phone, which was flung from the dashboard MagSafe stand to who knows where. Somehow it ended up beneath the passenger seat. I was looking in the back seats.
ReplyDeleteEverything ends up under the passenger seat.
DeleteHopefully this is an option so that those living in civilised counties don’t need to put up with the likely false positive locks.
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A nice, tidy list for those wondering how to discern "civilized" from "uncivilized"countries. 🍻
Another worthless feature! Bring a Android phone to London and no one will mess with you.
ReplyDeleteGoogle had it for years, the title is so misleading.
ReplyDeleteAs long as you can turn the feature off.
ReplyDeleteWill be great if it comes as a part of iOS 27. Will definitely help in case the device is stolen.
ReplyDeleteHonestly "sounds cool" but you should know none of this stuff will work in Colombia. They're professionals
ReplyDeleteThey'll hold you at gunpoint until you've entered pins for all your crypto apps, banking aps, and until you've completely disabled remote wipe, tracking, and so on. They are laser focused when they have a gun pointed at you and know all the little "tricks" people think they're so smart with
If your iPhone gets stolen the first thing most thieves do is enable Airplane Mode to cut off tracking. By default, anyone can do this straight from the lock screen via Control Center — no passcode needed.
ReplyDeleteThere's a Shortcuts called "Super Airplane Mode" that people are using: it triggers the moment Airplane Mode is switched on, automatically turns it back off, and locks the screen.
There are so many variations (passcodes, faceID, switch back on, etc) , but here are some from a quick search
You can then at least use Find My from another device to try and track your iphone down
https://www.reddit.com/r/shortcuts/comments/1gh1co4/airport_thieves/?
Only for the newest iPhone 18 though because uhh it needs Apple intelligence to work and therefore can only be implemented in the newest models 😂
ReplyDeleteDoes this consist on a gate that begins with:
ReplyDeleteif (geo.location.inLondon) {
I would still prefer chopped hands instead. Yes, would not work in the short but after a million, 2 or 10, the number of thefts would definitely go down.
ReplyDeleteI'd much prefer an in-built IED as an anti-snatch safety measure. Watch them run off with your phone, then sit down, open the popcorn and wait.......KAABOOOOOOM.
ReplyDeleteGuaranteed they won't do it again, unless they use their feet of course.
why so 'anti-snatch' - is that where Apple thinks thieves put them?
ReplyDeleteat least in UK, you could have your stolen phone blocked from making calls, I don't know how effective that was frankly, and whether it's still a thing, and can I still see my stolen phone in 'my devices' years later.
I couldn’t believe what Naples has become, wouldn’t wish an evening in Piazza Garibaldi on anyone,
ReplyDeleteand which central train station-adjacent square could you recommend for a lovely evening out?
DeleteIronically enough given some of the sentiment in this thread I'd recommend one in London, in particular the square right next to Kings Cross Station (Coal Drops Yard with lots of fancy restaurants, the canal, St Martins etc) is a very upmarket development for an evening out. The area surrounding Kings Cross has gone from being one of the most dangerous and seedy in London to being a really upmarket destination with lots of bars, restaurants interesting architecture and a lively young vibe due to its proximity to one of the world's leading art and design colleges (Saint Martins), Google's huge office building and lots of other hind-end offices right next to the station.
DeleteI remember it pre-development, and although certainly an improvement, it's not exactly a night-out destination, unless usual chains is your kind of thing.
Deletehalf the whole London-is-hell brigade has probably only seen it in 'Mary Poppins', the other half probably cheered on austerity cuts under which police stations were sold off and the force gutted, leaving it overstretched and not at all bothered with chasing after each phone. so we are left reliant on gimmicky measures like these or - shock! horror! - our common sense when out and about.
I don't think you got to see the end result then, or maybe not all of it. While the bit I'm talking about I would count as still being next to the station you do have to walk about 50 or 100 metres to get to it so it's entirely possible you've only seen the bits immediately on exit from the station and not the bits I'm talking about. Coal Drops Yard is quite high end with some great interior design in the various restaurants and definitely not all chains. It genuinely is a night out destination now & of particular interest to design aficionados since the main square was designed by Thomas Heatherwick who is a quite famous (albeit divisive) architect with a lot of projects worldwide under his belt now including maybe most notably in the UK the 2012 Olympic cauldron. (2012! Was it really that long ago?). Ironically the last time I was there on a night out was with a friend who used to work with Heatherwick at the start of her (and even more so his) career when they both worked together for Terence Conran and she doesn't do trashy nights out in wall-to-wall chain restaurant land!
DeleteI agree 100% with everything in your second paragraph.
Toronto’s Union Station, Madrid’s Malsana, Tokyo’s Shibuya, Saint-Gillles in Brussels, Hondae in South Korea.
DeleteGaribaldi is just the tip of the spear. Naples is objectively awful, my partner is living and working there now — I have been there twice this year. One of the problems her organization is facing is that people can’t bare to stay there for the length of their work contracts, glad you enjoyed your holiday though.
https://www.reddit.com/r/howislivingthere/s/87kJ7Pv7mc
well then we're talking apples and oranges, because for all I care, this 'private public' playground - see also Granary sq - is peripheral to, and at the back of the station - for piazza Garibaldi experience, think more the stretch between front exit and Euston rd.
DeleteWill this be the end for the wank-o-meter qpp
ReplyDeleteIn English please?
Deletethe Wank-o-meter
Deletehttps://swedroid.se/forum/threads/the-wank-o-meter.36837/
Klippt från androidpolice:Think of what this app could be like, and I promise you that your mind will be blown, and whatever you just imagined is nothing compared to what you’re about to see. It’s real. It’s unique. It’s got stats. Rankings. Charts. Burned calories. Alright, that’s enough, I...
Ah ok. Sorry if my comment was rude, I thought it was gibberish 😂 but my mind (for once) didn't go there 😂
DeleteWhy don’t we just have a button on the Apple Watch that automatically locks an iPhone, turns in Stolen Device Protection, and keeps Find My running to locate the phone even when it’s tuned off?
ReplyDeleteFor that reason, I think the default behavior for this Anti-Snatching feature should be to restart the phone, not just lock it. Perhaps an option to just lock it instead, for people who find ways to trigger it outside of snatching.
DeleteBetter late than never.
ReplyDeleteAndroid’s theft protection features keep your device and data safe
https://blog.google/products-and-platforms/platforms/android/android-theft-protection/
Android rolls out theft protection features to safeguard your data before, during and after a theft incident.
Not sure why your post got a thumbs-down. I followed your link. Well-designed protection measures … seem to be more comprehensive than Apple’s and ahead of time (2024). Thanks for sharing.
DeleteThe post got a thumbs down because it’s a criticism of Apple when trying to better its’ ecosystem and disingenuous as well.
DeleteSDP was introduced in 2024, the same year the article was written. Apple already had frameworks in place under content and privacy restrictions to stop the change critical systems without a pin. Additionally biometric protection can be applied to specific apps. Remote lock, remote wipe, remote find…all of that was there.
What wasn’t there was the ability to detect when a phone was snatched from your hand.
It of course was up to the user to decide on what to implement if anything. Of course before SDP one could still guard against social attacks.
This is why there should be a separate passcode for the Wallet app 🤔 💰
ReplyDeleteThis is one of those developments which will be useful and most welcome, whilst being surprising they hadn’t done it already.
ReplyDeleteHow about making it work with a paired air tag?
ReplyDeleteJust happend to me this weekend in North London. Got into all my finance apps, sold my crypto investments, moved money around from current accouts to PayPal/Revolut. Even made apple pay transactions in Apple Store & John Lewis.
ReplyDeleteMost annoying thing is I seriously doubt they will get caught and basically got away with it.
Did they snatch your phone? 📱
DeleteDid you not have Face ID setup on your finance apps?
Deleteoh yeah? so did you have all the passwords turned off, or they snatched the phone along with your face maybe?
DeleteThey snached my friends phone and he ran after them. I tried to find them and couldn't, then in a side street I got mine taken while trying to find my Uber driver.
DeleteI thought I did, I work in IT and quite tech savy whcih is a gift and a curse. Everything is on my phone, all my passwords in a password manager, 2FA apps etc. You never think it can happen to you until it does...
DeleteWere you in a crowd? Did they sneak come up to you and snatch your phone from behind or did they come face to face with you?
DeleteI like the idea although it will be interesting to see how well it actually works.
ReplyDeleteI’m surprised this wasn’t implemented years ago, it’s so easy to code when you already have so many sensors on the phone.
ReplyDeleteThis will not help with the London situation as they steal them for parts, the thieves in black balaclava do not care if the phones work or not.
ReplyDeleteThere’s something pathetic about people who need to live with their phones in their hands.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if it'll still work if the watch is on the left wrist and the phone was in the right hand.
ReplyDelete