(Credit: Eric Zeman/PCMag)
If you're worried about iPhone theft, Apple is reportedly working on a new feature that automatically locks the device when a snatch is detected. While Apple has yet to confirm the feature, 9to5Mac reports that references in iOS code suggest it is under active development.
Apple already offers security features like Find My, Lost Mode, Activation Lock, and Stolen Device Protection. However, many of these features may not work as intended if the iPhone is snatched while it is unlocked.
Apple will consider several signals before locking a phone, including those from the phone’s accelerometer, which measures its movement, vibrations, and sudden shocks. It will also check the phone’s distance from a paired Apple Watch, connected Wi-Fi, location, and others.
Once these conditions indicate the phone has been snatched, the device will lock itself and also restrict access to biometric and Apple Account changes. It’s unclear when Apple will launch the feature, but 9to5Mac expects it to arrive sooner rather than later. Android phones have had a similar feature, called Theft Detection Lock, since 2024.
The report arrives days after The New York Times reported phone thefts in London, where 71,000 phones were reported stolen last year. Some of the victims are now being blackmailed into sharing their Apple ID credentials, which the thieves need to factory reset and resell the phones. In one case, the victim’s Lost Mode contact received a threat that the stolen phone, along with all of its data, would be auctioned on the black market unless they played along.
“We will continue to work tirelessly to reduce the incentives for stealing Apple devices,” Apple told the Times.