While the crime it is to protect you from is “rare” (except for the people it happened to), getting your phone stolen is bad. If someone has your password and your phone, they can lock you out and go through your contacts, bank accounts possibly, and personal mail. If you haven’t updated your device to this release, you’ll need to do so to use Stolen Device Protection.
You may as well turn this new feature on to try to stymie the crooks. You have nothing to lose by doing so.
Go to settings. Start typing “Stolen Device Protection” in the search bar at the top of your screen. You should see the option to tap it immediately. Scroll down to the Stolen Device Protection section, then tap Turn On Protection.Note: If you don’t see the Stolen Device Protection section, you may need to set up Face ID or Touch ID first. Once you have this feature turned on, a thief can’t just get in and lock you out. Your iPhone now requires additional authentication to access some information. It also prevents certain changes if it detects you’re not at a trusted location, like your house or office. To make sure your iPhone knows familiar locations, head back into your Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > then scroll all the way to the bottom to System Services > Significant Locations. Make sure that’s “On.”
These extra checks on access and changes, your phone makes will make it tougher on criminals to access your valuable information. It will give you more time to notify banks or other institutions of a possible theft of your device.
From USA Today, Jan 28, 2024 by Jennifer Jolly and comments from Joanna Stern of the Wall Street Journal.
This updated feature is new and sometime new things, need to work out kinks. Some comments have been made about the phone not always recognizing a familiar location that should be familiar such as home. This might make you wait an hour before changing a password or security setting.
From Fast Company, Clint Rainey, January 2024.
What can a thief do with a passcode exactly?
Your passcode—typically a short string of numbers that grants access to an iPhone—is powerful. When Face ID or Touch ID fails, the passcode serves as a fallback. With this code, thieves can:
• Change the password to your Apple ID so you can’t get back in
• Disable Find My iPhone
• Access stored passwords in Apple’s iCloud Keychain, including those to bank and money apps
• Enable a recovery key, an Apple security setting that could lock you out of your Apple account—possibly forever
- Erase everything on the device to sell it
You must have two-factor authentication and Find My enabled for your Apple ID account to use Stolen Device Protection.
Some additional tips:
Create a hard-to-guess passcode. Make sure it’s long and complex—at least six or more digits. A string of letters and numbers is harder to snoop, even if the thieves film you from a distance: Go to Settings > Face ID & Passcode > Change Passcode > Passcode Options > Custom Alphanumeric Code.
Add PINs to sensitive apps. Protect finance apps, such as Venmo and Cash App, by enabling an additional PIN or biometrics. If you use an authenticator app, such as Google Authenticator or Authy, you can turn on Face ID or Touch ID protection. You can also set up a separate passcode for Coinbase and Robinhood in security settings.
If your device is stolen, act quickly. Memorize this simple web address: icloud.com/find. You can use it on any device. Plus, you won’t need a two-factor code from your phone to locate the device and remotely erase its data.
From an article in the Wall Street Journal, by Joanna Stern and Nicole Nguyen, January 22, 2024