How To Use iPhone Stolen Device Protection

Stolen Device Protection is a way to protect you and your iPhone if someone steals it and knows your passcode. It is available in iOS 17.3 which came out this week.

Comments: 33 Responses to “How To Use iPhone Stolen Device Protection”

    jun
    11 months ago

    Thanks for the great video like always! I just experimented yesterday and it was all described. Just that it was forcing me the 1hr delay even I did(turning off this protection) this in home. Then I thought, may be significant location is not ON, but I went there and checked it is ON and also I can see 15 records(means it surely has my historic location). So, not sure why it doesn't recognize me that I am in home.

    Andrew De Grado
    11 months ago

    Great video, Gary, as usual. But does this new Security Protection feature prevent my children from having access to my financial access in the event of me passing away? e.g. without access to logging into my iPhone they won't have access to my Crypto Wallets.

    11 months ago

    Andrew: Is your financial information ONLY on your iPhone? I would assume you have that available on websites and in other places, not stored as local files ONLY on your iPhone. If so, then come up with a better plan.

    Juris
    11 months ago

    Gary - really appreciate this. I would be very interested in what my iPhone believes are my “Significant Locations” but all it shows is “Home” using the process you describe. Could “Terminal” or some other method be used to show the SL?

    11 months ago

    Juris: There is no "Terminal" on the iPhone. I don't think you can get into Significant Locations. At this point, that would probably be a security issue.

    John K
    11 months ago

    I had 88 significant locations and they showed the most recent three. All a thief needs to do is go to one of those places or is he prohibited from seeing significant locations if Stolen Device Protection is on? Tutorial was very informative.

    11 months ago

    John: I don't think you can see them when it is turned on.

    Jim Goddard
    11 months ago

    Very helpful. Thank you.

    jun
    11 months ago

    hi again Gary! actually mine is turned ON, but I can still see the significant records listed. Funny thing is I am already there (in home), but still its asking me to wait 1hr. Strange!

    Jonathan Bernstein
    11 months ago

    Gary, should normal folks who don't go to clubs, and anyway in restaurants use Face ID even turn this on? We'd like to give advice to our Pi folks, so your view would be very helpful.

    Cesar
    11 months ago

    Hi Gary ! Thanks a lot for your excellent video - as always btw- let me tell you that I still do see my “secrets “ location whith the SDP on.
    Thanks !

    Jerry
    11 months ago

    Thank you, Gary. I feel better now that this is implemented. Would love to have a video on the steps to take if your iPhone is lost or stolen. I’m guessing that one reason for the hour delay is for us to take some sort of measures. A friend recently lost her iPhone and we were stuck because I was not one of her “Find My” contacts.

    11 months ago

    Jonathan: Why not have it on? Why not have the extra protection?

    Randy
    11 months ago

    Great Video as always Gary. You mentioned that your demo phone has a zero shown for significant locations. My phone shows 83 records but it won't let me see any of them except the most resent one. Error or Feature?

    11 months ago

    Randy: My real phone has 130. Not an error, it is normal to only see the most recent ones.

    MelH
    11 months ago

    Thanks!
    Does this correct the access to control center from the home screen? (So a thief cannot turn airplane mode on to escape FindMy, or access Wallet?)

    11 months ago

    MelH: Not sure what you mean. You can only access the Home Screen if the iPhone is unlocked. Did you mean the Lock Screen? You can already turn off Control Center for the Lock Screen.

    Jonathan Bernstein
    11 months ago

    Gary, re your response, "Why not have it on? Why not have the extra protection?" That's what I was thinking before watching your video - but the list of things one can't do while it's turned on, and the hassle of the wait to turn it off gave me pause.

    11 months ago

    Jonathan Security IS a hassle. For instance, I have to pull out a key, put it in a lock and turn it to open my front door. I could eliminate that hassle by just leaving my front door unlocked when I go out.

    Sheldon
    11 months ago

    Thanks bunches

    Kathy
    11 months ago

    Hi Gary, Excellent video. I have significant locations enabled with a few recent locations visible & yet the 1hr delay occurs even when at home. Is there something I'm missing or is there a time period that is required for this to work while at home? It sure would be great to be able to set my home location as I see on my other devices that my neighbours home address shows on find my for my iMac & iPad. I wonder if this is confusing the iPhone enough to not recognize I'm at home? Thank you Gary

    11 months ago

    Kathy: No way to know, you can only see a few of those locations and you can't edit them. You'll need to call Apple Support if you want to investigate further, but I doubt they are up to speed yet on this.

    Kathy
    11 months ago

    Hi Gary, thanks for your reply. I spent 4hrs on with Sr Advisor today, and am no further ahead to be honest. I think that the 1hr delay is minor considering the security aspect of turning on s device protection. I also have an automation (thanks to you) that has face id required for most of my sensitive apps. Do you think leaving both stolen device and the automation when away from home wifi on is a good idea? Kathy

    11 months ago

    Kathy: With both of those things you are super-protected. Remember, the original problem (thief spying on you and then stealing your iPhone) is extremely unlikely to happen. All I did before to protect myself was to be mindful, use a real password on my iPhone instead of a passcode, and remember to try to only use Face ID when in public.

    Kathy
    11 months ago

    Hi Gary, thank you so very much.

    Cyrus Dubash
    11 months ago

    Gary, what happens if the other person has got the passcode sets up his own Face ID on the stolen phone?

    11 months ago

    Cyrus: That's one of the things in the lists that this makes harder to do.

    Cyrus Dubash
    11 months ago

    Gary…if the thief were to change the password, set a new Face ID and alter the password again, all at the same significant location, would they then gain complete access?

    Since the main criterial being the location, I guess that becomes a loop hole.

    11 months ago

    Cyrus: The thief would need to know your passcode first and have your phone. But yes, then it is the same as before. But that means the thief needs to 1) Spy on you, 2) physically take you iPhone, 3) do this at one of your significant locations, 4) stay put. Whereas before they needed only 1 and 2. Doing 1, 2, 3 and 4 is a lot of risk for a thief and a lot more risk than before. So what's your alternative? To switch it OFF and then the thief only needs 1 and 2?

    Eugenia Burkes
    11 months ago

    Thanks Gary, very helpful. I recently returned from a stay in Mexico. Should I clear the history under Significant Locations, Summary? If I clear the history, will it automatically start determining my significant locations?

    11 months ago

    Eugenia: Why? Even if it added somewhere, like your hotel room, to the significant locations, it is unlikely that someone will target you, watch you in a public place, observe your passcode (and though you are probably using Face ID), steal your iPhone, then travel to Mexico and check into your hotel room. Unless you are in a spy movie, maybe? Even then, it leaves you a lot of time to erase the phone remotely while they are traveling.
    Don't micromanage it. Just turn it on and enjoy knowing you are a bit more secure in some situations.

    Cyrus Dubash
    11 months ago

    Thanks Gary ! Yes also to make it even stronger I read an interesting post to switch off significant locations all together, which means stolen device protection security layers would be locked in at all times.

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