https://apple.news/AkxqOb94HSqij-pek9Lsblg

A new iOS security update can guard your data if your iPhone is stolen

The Stolen Device Protection feature tries to keep your iPhone secure after someone takes off with it. Here’s how it works.

By Chris Velazco, for the Washington Post

January 24, 2024 at 3:07 p.m. EST

They fit in a pocket. They hold their value well. And they’re everywhere.

Apple iPhones remain a top target for thieves for those reasons, and more. But if a thief manages to figure out your iPhone’s passcode, or sees you typing it in before they steal it, they don’t just have a shiny slab they can resell for hundreds of dollars. They also have access to your passwords, your files and your apps — some of which, like Venmo, can be used to quickly ferry money out of your bank account.

Tech is not your friend. We are. Sign up for The Tech Friend newsletter.

A new software update for iPhones — iOS 17.3, released this week — is trying to remedy this. Apple’s big idea? Adding extra layers of security based on where the iPhone is when someone tries to make sensitive changes.

Here’s what you need to know about it.

What Stolen Device Protection does

Let’s say you’re at a concert, and someone peering over your shoulder sees you punching in your phone’s passcode when you’re trying to send pictures to friends.

If that person were to grab your phone and take it somewhere else before you turned on Stolen Device Protection, they would be able to unlock your phone and change key details, such as your Apple ID password, dig through account passwords you’ve stored on your iPhone, or erase the thing entirely to facilitate a speedy resale. It’s more common than you might think, too — a Wall Street Journal investigation found hundreds of instances of these kinds of thefts within the last year.

Stolen Device Protection tries to mitigate these kinds of attacks by adding more layers of authentication when someone tries to make these changes at a location you haven’t spent much — or any — time at.

If that thief tried to access your stored passwords or payment details while the feature is on, they’ll have to try to get past one additional Face ID or Touch ID check. And if they try other tactics, like disabling Find My, changing your Apple ID password or iPhone passcode, or turning off Stolen Device Protection entirely, the iPhone will make them try to pass a Face ID or Touch ID check, wait an hour, then pass another one.