He cannot activate it without Internet. When he tries to activate it it will not activate without the proper Apple ID. So it is will not work unless there is a way to hack the activation. I believe even after he activate it if the owner reported it as stolen the device will lock and require Apple ID and password of the original owner.
I hope this is the case. I'm tempted to test it out of pure curiosity. I still suspect that the Lost Mode must be triggered prior to power off.
He cannot activate it without Internet. When he tries to activate it it will not activate without the proper Apple ID. So it is will not work unless there is a way to hack the activation. I believe even after he activate it if the owner reported it as stolen the device will lock and require Apple ID and password of the original owner.
Yes, as I understand it the thief would have to change the IMEI address (or something similar). Which is possible if you crack open the device and have the right equipment and knowledge. In a sense you could say the iPhone is used to provide parts by taking out the parts that represent the identity of the phone. An iPhone screen, frame, display, battery, etc. don't have a registered identity I would assume.
I just don't understand why the police don't hold the manufacturers of other products responsible for theft. What about bicycle manufacturers? What are they doing to prevent bicycles from being stolen? And how about cars? Why don't they all come with factory installed methods for tracking hte vehicles and shutting off their motors permanently if they get stolen? What about blenders? Why do household blenders not come with built-in anti-theft protection. Police should be highly critical of all blender makers.
Dude, it's up to the owner to safeguard their sh*t. We should be thankful that Apple is making it harder to sell iPhones -- cause the makers of watches, TV's, cars, appliances, etc don't even worry about it, and no one complains.
Or do we just need ANOTHER reason to hold Apple to a completely different standard than every other company on the planet, when it comes to security, profits, margins, innovation and every other metric one can possibly think of?
Because it wouldn't make sense to add anti-theft to bikes and blenders. iPhones, on the other hand, have a perfect foundation for anti-theft with relatively minor modifications.
One more critical step for anti-theft is that Apple must require a password for any LOCKED iPhone to be powered off. This gives you time to track the phone and/or put it in Lost Mode.
The thing that worries me about the increased level of security: Criminals will quickly learn the devices are worthless without the passwords so they will be more likely to demand (possibly with violence) the password from the owner before they leave with the stolen device. Actions can lead to unforeseen reactions.
And security measures can be used against you, remember Mat Honan? Basically, if somebody gets your AppleID password, they'd change it then wipe all your devices and brick your iPhone. Sure, Apple will have tools to un-brick it again but it will take some convincing that you are the rightful owner and not the thief yourself.
One key ingredient that is missing however is sandboxing the users message to return/user contact info as well so that if found it can still be returned if wiped. I left my iPhone in a taxi and had to erase it when the battery got too low after watching it traveling around at which point there was no way for anyone to contact me to return it.
One key ingredient that is missing however is sandboxing the users message to return/user contact info as well so that if found it can still be returned if wiped. I left my iPhone in a taxi and had to erase it when the battery got too low after watching it traveling around at which point there was no way for anyone to contact me to return it.
A persistent message even after the phone is wiped is part of the new system.
You know, if this works and the theft rate of iphones drop, you know what the MSM headlines will say then: [I] [QUOTE]iphones so unpopular even thieves wont steal them![/QUOTE][/I]
I would love it if I can let Apple know about the IMEI of my stolen iPhone 5 so it bricks when the current owner installs iOS 7. Somehow I doubt that will be an option but I can certainly dream about it.
It is Apple's fault that people want to steal their products. No, it is; they're desirable products.
It's not Apple's fault that people steal their products, and it's not Apple's job to catch said people.
These police forces need to shut up and do their jobs.
I disagree. If there's a simple technical solution to stopping such thefts, there's no reason why Apple or any other manufacturer shouldn't implement it and obviously, Apple agreed.
Thieves used to steal car radios constantly. I had two stolen myself. The worst part was they broke the window to do it, which in many cases, costs more than the radio. The manufacturers put in a coding system rendering the radios unusable without the code and problem solved. You rarely hear about car radios getting stolen anymore.
Thieves also used to steal side mirrors when the mirrors were mounted to the car with visible screws. The manufacturers changed the way they mount them and side mirrors are no longer stolen.
Nothing wrong with the police requesting manufacturers to find technical solutions to these types of issues.
------
When I got off the train tonight, I didn't seem to have my iPhone. I didn't know whether I left it in the office or whether it slipped out of my pocket on the train. I tried calling it, but no one picked up. I went home to use "Find My iPhone" for the first time, but I didn't know if I had set it up on the phone. After a few tries getting into my Cloud account (because Apple has totally screwed up the Apple account system), I got in and "Find My iPhone" says the iPhone is in my house. I check my bag, my pockets and still can't find it. I use the "beep my phone" and as it turned out, it was buried deep in my pocket the whole time.
OK, so I'm an idiot. But if it had showed me that the phone was at my office, at least I would have known that I hadn't lost it on the train. And if it didn't show up, it probably would have meant that I had lost it on the train and I probably would have headed out to buy another one.
So I think those features are terrific and it made me feel really good about my phone (even if other phones have something similar.) The coming enhancement will only make it better, if it works as advertised.
By the way, "Find my iPhone" is still using Google Maps. I thought that was funny.
And security measures can be used against you, remember Mat Honan? Basically, if somebody gets your AppleID password, they'd change it then wipe all your devices and brick your iPhone. Sure, Apple will have tools to un-brick it again but it will take some convincing that you are the rightful owner and not the thief yourself.
True, but that is not the type of issue Apple was addressing with the Activation Lock feature, which is meant to deter the more common opportunistic theft of iPhones by strangers.
I just don't understand why the police don't hold the manufacturers of other products responsible for theft. What about bicycle manufacturers? What are they doing to prevent bicycles from being stolen? And how about cars? Why don't they all come with factory installed methods for tracking hte vehicles and shutting off their motors permanently if they get stolen? What about blenders? Why do household blenders not come with built-in anti-theft protection. Police should be highly critical of all blender makers.
Dude, it's up to the owner to safeguard their sh*t. We should be thankful that Apple is making it harder to sell iPhones -- cause the makers of watches, TV's, cars, appliances, etc don't even worry about it, and no one complains.
Or do we just need ANOTHER reason to hold Apple to a completely different standard than every other company on the planet, when it comes to security, profits, margins, innovation and every other metric one can possibly think of?
As the article says, 1.6 million Americans (and countless millions of illegals) lose their smartphones to theft. Those are all lost sales to Apple.
If Apple beats everyone else to a solution, then that's one more reason to buy Apple.
With theft being a high profile problem, imagine what attention Apple may get this fall with fingerprint recognition built into the device??
Once again Apple has to fix someone else's problems. First Foxconn, now Law Enforcement. Yet, even though they have to think for other people, they do it honorably. Great concept by the way!
If the iPhone was not put into Lost Mode prior to step c, will step e be impossible? I've done a - f (on my 5).
g. Phone connects to Apple to activate. <------ This is the new step where "lost" mode steps in, whether the iPhone was physically put into Lost Mode or not.
The only possible way around it is to activate without connecting to Apple's servers.
I think it would really help if you need to enter the passcode to turn off the phone if it is locked. My iPhone was stolen recently and a few minutes after realising I went on a friends phone to go to Find my iPhone, of course it was already switched off.
That simple mechanism would deter a lot of thieves i'm sure. Of course one could remove the SIM card, but it would still be able to connect to some open Wifi spots.
One more critical step for anti-theft is that Apple must require a password for any LOCKED iPhone to be powered off. This gives you time to track the phone and/or put it in Lost Mode.
That's unfortunately not technically feasible. The power off/reset switch needs to function independently of the OS so that frozen phones can be rebooted.
Comments
I hope this is the case. I'm tempted to test it out of pure curiosity. I still suspect that the Lost Mode must be triggered prior to power off.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil
It's not Apple's fault that people steal their products.
No, it isn't. But one can still politely ask them to consider adding such a feature and applauding them when they do.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NasserAE
He cannot activate it without Internet. When he tries to activate it it will not activate without the proper Apple ID. So it is will not work unless there is a way to hack the activation. I believe even after he activate it if the owner reported it as stolen the device will lock and require Apple ID and password of the original owner.
Yes, as I understand it the thief would have to change the IMEI address (or something similar). Which is possible if you crack open the device and have the right equipment and knowledge. In a sense you could say the iPhone is used to provide parts by taking out the parts that represent the identity of the phone. An iPhone screen, frame, display, battery, etc. don't have a registered identity I would assume.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 512ke
I just don't understand why the police don't hold the manufacturers of other products responsible for theft. What about bicycle manufacturers? What are they doing to prevent bicycles from being stolen? And how about cars? Why don't they all come with factory installed methods for tracking hte vehicles and shutting off their motors permanently if they get stolen? What about blenders? Why do household blenders not come with built-in anti-theft protection. Police should be highly critical of all blender makers.
Dude, it's up to the owner to safeguard their sh*t. We should be thankful that Apple is making it harder to sell iPhones -- cause the makers of watches, TV's, cars, appliances, etc don't even worry about it, and no one complains.
Or do we just need ANOTHER reason to hold Apple to a completely different standard than every other company on the planet, when it comes to security, profits, margins, innovation and every other metric one can possibly think of?
Because it wouldn't make sense to add anti-theft to bikes and blenders. iPhones, on the other hand, have a perfect foundation for anti-theft with relatively minor modifications.
Quote:
Originally Posted by gonevw
but ebay will still let it be sold online as parts. This means nothing and you will still never get it back.
Good point. Perhaps it will be less valuable, though.
One more critical step for anti-theft is that Apple must require a password for any LOCKED iPhone to be powered off. This gives you time to track the phone and/or put it in Lost Mode.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SpamSandwich
The thing that worries me about the increased level of security: Criminals will quickly learn the devices are worthless without the passwords so they will be more likely to demand (possibly with violence) the password from the owner before they leave with the stolen device. Actions can lead to unforeseen reactions.
And security measures can be used against you, remember Mat Honan? Basically, if somebody gets your AppleID password, they'd change it then wipe all your devices and brick your iPhone. Sure, Apple will have tools to un-brick it again but it will take some convincing that you are the rightful owner and not the thief yourself.
Quote:
Originally Posted by FreeRange
One key ingredient that is missing however is sandboxing the users message to return/user contact info as well so that if found it can still be returned if wiped. I left my iPhone in a taxi and had to erase it when the battery got too low after watching it traveling around at which point there was no way for anyone to contact me to return it.
A persistent message even after the phone is wiped is part of the new system.
[I]
[QUOTE]iphones so unpopular even thieves wont steal them![/QUOTE][/I]
I would love it if I can let Apple know about the IMEI of my stolen iPhone 5 so it bricks when the current owner installs iOS 7. Somehow I doubt that will be an option but I can certainly dream about it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil
Screw them. Just screw them. What do they matter?
It is Apple's fault that people want to steal their products. No, it is; they're desirable products.
It's not Apple's fault that people steal their products, and it's not Apple's job to catch said people.
These police forces need to shut up and do their jobs.
I disagree. If there's a simple technical solution to stopping such thefts, there's no reason why Apple or any other manufacturer shouldn't implement it and obviously, Apple agreed.
Thieves used to steal car radios constantly. I had two stolen myself. The worst part was they broke the window to do it, which in many cases, costs more than the radio. The manufacturers put in a coding system rendering the radios unusable without the code and problem solved. You rarely hear about car radios getting stolen anymore.
Thieves also used to steal side mirrors when the mirrors were mounted to the car with visible screws. The manufacturers changed the way they mount them and side mirrors are no longer stolen.
Nothing wrong with the police requesting manufacturers to find technical solutions to these types of issues.
------
When I got off the train tonight, I didn't seem to have my iPhone. I didn't know whether I left it in the office or whether it slipped out of my pocket on the train. I tried calling it, but no one picked up. I went home to use "Find My iPhone" for the first time, but I didn't know if I had set it up on the phone. After a few tries getting into my Cloud account (because Apple has totally screwed up the Apple account system), I got in and "Find My iPhone" says the iPhone is in my house. I check my bag, my pockets and still can't find it. I use the "beep my phone" and as it turned out, it was buried deep in my pocket the whole time.
OK, so I'm an idiot. But if it had showed me that the phone was at my office, at least I would have known that I hadn't lost it on the train. And if it didn't show up, it probably would have meant that I had lost it on the train and I probably would have headed out to buy another one.
So I think those features are terrific and it made me feel really good about my phone (even if other phones have something similar.) The coming enhancement will only make it better, if it works as advertised.
By the way, "Find my iPhone" is still using Google Maps. I thought that was funny.
True, but that is not the type of issue Apple was addressing with the Activation Lock feature, which is meant to deter the more common opportunistic theft of iPhones by strangers.
Well, you wouldn't want to be steered off a cliff in Australia or something
Quote:
Originally Posted by 512ke
I just don't understand why the police don't hold the manufacturers of other products responsible for theft. What about bicycle manufacturers? What are they doing to prevent bicycles from being stolen? And how about cars? Why don't they all come with factory installed methods for tracking hte vehicles and shutting off their motors permanently if they get stolen? What about blenders? Why do household blenders not come with built-in anti-theft protection. Police should be highly critical of all blender makers.
Dude, it's up to the owner to safeguard their sh*t. We should be thankful that Apple is making it harder to sell iPhones -- cause the makers of watches, TV's, cars, appliances, etc don't even worry about it, and no one complains.
Or do we just need ANOTHER reason to hold Apple to a completely different standard than every other company on the planet, when it comes to security, profits, margins, innovation and every other metric one can possibly think of?
As the article says, 1.6 million Americans (and countless millions of illegals) lose their smartphones to theft. Those are all lost sales to Apple.
If Apple beats everyone else to a solution, then that's one more reason to buy Apple.
With theft being a high profile problem, imagine what attention Apple may get this fall with fingerprint recognition built into the device??
Once again Apple has to fix someone else's problems. First Foxconn, now Law Enforcement. Yet, even though they have to think for other people, they do it honorably. Great concept by the way!
Quote:
Originally Posted by ChristophB
a. Lose iPhone
b. Loser Finds iPhone.
c. Loser Powers off iPhone
d. Loser Yanks SIM from iPhone
e. Loser powers iPhone up in DFU mode.
f. Loser uses iTunes to restore.
e. Loser drops own SIM in and voila!
If the iPhone was not put into Lost Mode prior to step c, will step e be impossible? I've done a - f (on my 5).
g. Phone connects to Apple to activate. <------ This is the new step where "lost" mode steps in, whether the iPhone was physically put into Lost Mode or not.
The only possible way around it is to activate without connecting to Apple's servers.
That simple mechanism would deter a lot of thieves i'm sure. Of course one could remove the SIM card, but it would still be able to connect to some open Wifi spots.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jd_in_sb
One more critical step for anti-theft is that Apple must require a password for any LOCKED iPhone to be powered off. This gives you time to track the phone and/or put it in Lost Mode.
That's unfortunately not technically feasible. The power off/reset switch needs to function independently of the OS so that frozen phones can be rebooted.