How can Apple prevent a theft of your iPhone?
Recently I’ve got a trouble, my iPhone 6s had been stolen… I’ve done everything I could to prevent it: sophisticated passwords, using only TouchID in public places (fortunately it works great on 6s), iCloud, holding it in deep pocket, etc… but it was enough for thief just to turn the phone off to get away. And after that, as you can guess, “Find My iPhone” becomes useless. Because a criminal can sell a device just for parts, for example :(
So I had a lot of time to collect my thoughts. And here’s what I’ve got:
Think like a criminal
Just for sure: I don’t think it’s a kinda guide for a novice thieves, because the list is rather obvious and it’s here just for continuity of reasoning.
I made out on my experience that there’re a real past masters among the thief class, so your device is not insured against theft even in the deepest corners of your clothes protected by tons of locks and fasteners. Therefore, we’ll start to analyze a situation when malefactor has already captured the phone, and you detected it, you ain’t gaper, right? :)
First thing the thief needs to do is to break connection of device with outside world. He will probably take one of these actions:
- Regular power off;
- Hard reset (Home + Lock button ~7 sec & release before turning on);
- Turn on Airplane Mode (can be easily done if you have Control Center access on Lock Screen);
- Eject a SIM-card;
- Place it into some wave-unattainable environment (for example just wrap it with regular foil) and wait untill it’s discharged.
After that, he can do with a device whatever he wants: try to unlock, sell for parts, etc. So the phone has to be protected from the list above. And most of its items can be crossed out just with a small updates of iOS.
1. Passcode request on regular power off
It’s first and most obvious way to solve this part. It’s so clear, that I didn’t even anticipate that there’s no passcode on this function before it’s too late. It can be explained by simplification of power off when the phone fell into the water. But likely thefts are happening way more often than drowning, furthermore damage cannot be avoided if moisture has already penetrated inside.
Now we can see, that 6s can stay in water for hours, it can survive even in boiling water!
There’s an option to use Jailbreak to activate Passcode request on power off, but I’d like to have it without hacking my device.
Btw, Apple had patented something similar to passcode power off & “Fake-off” (I don’t know it fore sure, please correct if you know), so we can wait for this update in the near future.
+1 to owners team. 1 : 0
2. Restrict a hard reset activation
Of course we cat’t request password in this case because it would close the way to fix most of bugs. But we can add some other restriction. If hard reset could be done at least only when device is connected by cable with Mac/PC, that would be more safe (it seems to be very hard to make it while running away) and appropriate to any task, as I can imagine (but I’m not an expert).
Honestly, as for this item I don’t think that there will be any changes. But I hope Apple come up with something.
+1 to thieves… 1 : 1
3. Passcode request on Airplane Mode
Unlike power off, Airplane Mode activation doesn’t need to be made instantly, so one more passcode (or TouchID) request can be painlessly added.
You can just switch off “Access on Lock Screen” for the Control Center, if you don’t use it there, of course :)
+1 to owners. 2 : 1
4. SIM Ejection Block
The hardest part. Because it applies to hardware. Nevertheless, it’s enough to add some latch in SIM slot (I doubt it will cause thickening of device =_=) & let the SIM be ejected only by allowing, let’s say, in Cellular Settings.
Also through this change, depending on the mechanism, we can even get rid of hole on slot and need for this clip (that gets lost so constantly) to change a SIM. At the same time it will make impossible for malefactor to eject SIM without damaging a device, and he doesn’t need it. I think that deserves even two points!
+2 to owners! 4 : 1
Unfortunately it can be done only in next iPhones (if it won’t be eSIM at all). However, there’s a way to get round. Device can track the moment when SIM is ejected & ask to Enter Passcode or TouchID in next… 10 seconds (it won’t be difficult for owner of the phone). Otherwise it starts to play loud sound (like in “Find My iPhone”, but perhaps a SOS signal), and stops to play only after you entered a right Passcode or inserted back the same SIM card. It will be more complicated for thief to get away from you and to avoid an attention of passers. It will not be superfluous to combine the signal with some extra low power mode (this option exists in iOS, as I know).
+0.5 for both. 4.5 : 1.5
5. SOS in tight wave-unattainable environment
In regular life phone is getting in such environment… never) I mean situation when the phone is tightly covered with some wave-unattainable material. It’s not subway or mall, or other place with silencers. There’s still enough space for waves to “fly away”. But it’s almost nowhere to spread, if the phone is covered by foil. It’s called a Faraday cage. And that is the moment when our inteligent phone can understand it’s stolen. It potentially can use GSM or some other module as a radar to determine . And if it is, device turns on the siren as well, because it’s the last thing it can do, but at least it’s something.
However I think this option should be switchable, because some people use those cages purposefully, and may not like such an update :)
+0.5 again.
TOTAL
So the total score is 5 : 2 pro OWNERS!
These five options are not preventing your iPhone to be stolen AT ALL, but making a theft significantly harder, especially with “Find My iPhone”, now working to the full extent. Furthermore, without any difficulties for owners to use their device. And I think it’s worth it.
I made a petition to highlight this problem, please get involved, sign it, spread‘n’share)
P.S.: Sorry for my English, I tried very hard to write everything accurately :) Have a nice day)
