All You Need To Know About Apple's New Stolen Device Protection Feature (Image: Unsplash)

Apple recently released iOS 17.3 beta 1 for developers. Apple has included a security feature, named Stolen Device Protection, in the iOS 17.3 beta. This significant feature will prevent iPhone thieves from gaining complete control over the victim’s device and online accounts, even if the passcode of the device has been compromised.

In February, The Wall Street Journal reported that iPhone thieves were able to reset their victims” iCloud passwords from the stolen device. The Wall Street Journal investigation described how thieves watch their victims type in their iPhone passcodes and then steal their devices. The report also stated that these robberies usually took place in bars, where the thieves would watch iPhone users enter their passwords. After stealing the device, the thieves take control of the victim’s Apple ID and access financial accounts. Apple will be addressing these concerns with the new stolen device protection feature.

The new security feature will serve as an additional layer of security, which requires users to enter their biometric information to access certain device functions, like changing one”s Apple ID password or removing Face ID. Once this feature is enabled, iPhone users need to confirm their identity using either Touch ID or Face ID, even after typing their passcode. The feature will use the iPhone”s location to find whether the user is at home or at work. According to CNBC, if the iPhone user is in an unfamiliar location when this feature is activated, the device will require Face ID to perform sensitive actions. This simply means that thieves will not be able to make any changes in the iPhone with only a passcode. The stolen device protection, which is an opt-in feature, is currently available to beta testers. Apple is expected to roll out this feature in the next update.