Apple has made some efforts in recent years to make iPhone thefts seem as unattractive as possible. Both iOS and the hardware of the mobile phones have been equipped with security functions that are intended to make the devices worthless to criminals. This protection for stolen devices includes, among other things, biometric authentication via Face ID or Touch ID before access to sensitive data such as passwords or credit card information. Apple has also delayed some security-relevant functions, for example changing the Apple account password. With “Where is?” a lost iPhone can be located. An overview of all software protection measures can be found in a corresponding support document on Apple’s website. iPhone protection measures are not completely complete
On the hardware side, Apple protects the iPhones by pairing a number of components, so these cannot easily be installed in other devices. As a rule, thieves cannot simply exploit stolen cell phones in order to sell the spare parts individually. All of these measures have ensured that the number of iPhone thefts has decreased significantly in recent years. However, criminals are not completely inactive, because there is at least one scenario in which stolen devices remain usable even after they have been stolen: If you snatch an unlocked iPhone out of the owner’s hand, the cell phone can still be used, which could potentially allow the thief to access sensitive data or cause further damage.
iPhone responds to snatching with automatic lock
In Cupertino people are aware of this gap in the protective measures. Apple is therefore working on an additional function to counteract the theft scenario described above. In the future, iPhones could detect that they have been torn from the owner’s hands. This emerges from code that 9to5Mac was able to see. In this case, they should automatically lock themselves and thus deny the thief access. This new security feature is implemented using, among other things, the acceleration sensor; in the event of an abrupt movement, the distance to an Apple Watch paired with the iPhone may also be evaluated. In addition, the cell phone determines whether it is in a known WLAN or at a known location. It is not known when Apple will introduce additional theft protection.
