How to use stolen device protection on Apple iPhone

If a thief If you ever steal an iPhone from your bag or even snatch it out of your reach, it sets in immediately. You may also have a lot more to worry about beyond the cost of replacing the phone. What if they saw me enter the access code and now have easy access To all my messages, photos and confidential information? While it definitely sucks to have your smartphone trapped, turning on Apple’s stolen device protection can immediately reduce thieves’ access to your smartphone data. This feature is not enabled automatically and must be activated before the crime occurs.

First released as part of iOS 17.3, Stolen Device Protection essentially adds an extra layer of security to your smartphone as long as the device is somewhere you don’t visit regularly. Here’s a quick guide to what the software feature does and what steps are necessary to turn it on.

For a deeper dive into Apple’s anti-theft software, check out Wired Security Reporter Matt Burgess’ article on the feature from last year. If you have an Android phone, read my guide to using Android’s theft detection features.

What does stolen device protection do?

The feature is specifically designed for situations where a criminal not only takes your iPhone, but also knows your passcode and can unlock the device. When your phone is physically taken away from you and taken to a place you don’t visit often, then the Stolen device protection security measures Start activating.

The main thing the feature triggers is that it starts requiring your Face ID biometrics to access any sensitive features on the phone, such as using your keychain passwords, viewing your payment information stored in Safari, and disabling lost mode. Even if the thieves know your password, it will no longer work as a backup option; Face ID required for full access. This also prevents thieves from easily wiping all your data off the phone so they can sell it, since that procedure also requires FaceID.

In addition to forcing biometric authentication, stolen device protection adds a security delay period for changes to security features on the phone. If the thief wants to sign their Apple ID or turn to get my iPhone, for example, they can’t hold the phone in front of their face for a few seconds while they flee the crime scene. With the automatic security delay feature, you must wait one hour to make important security changes to the device, and you must confirm your biometrics at the beginning as well as at the end of this process.

How do I turn it on?

Before you can turn on stolen device protection, you must first configure some other basic features on your smartphone. You probably already have Face ID and a passcode enabled on your Apple device, both of which are required for the feature to work.

Next, you will need to check if two-factor authentication is enabled for your Apple IDwhich is a good idea even if you are not using stolen device protection. Check if you are already using this by going to Settingshitting your name at the top, and then choosing the Login and security eyelash. You should see if 2FA for your Apple ID is on or off in the middle of this screen.

The last software feature you need to activate on iPhone is Significant Locations. This keeps track of the places you visit regularly, so your phone can detect whether you’re in a familiar or unfamiliar location. According to Apple, the data is end-to-end encrypted and is not read by the company. Significant locations are a bit buried in the menus, make it easier by opening Settingsso Privacy and securityand Location services. After that, scroll until you see the Systems service eyelash. Select Significant locationsand you will likely be prompted to unlock it with Face ID. On the next page, move the lever to the right to finish enabling the function.

Phew! Ok, now you are ready to start using stolen device protection. And lucky for you, after all that prep work, the last step is very easy. Open Settings once again then Face ID and passcodeand fill in your access code. Scroll to the middle of the page, choose the Stolen device protection tab and move that toggle to the right.