Explanation of New ‘Stolen Device Protection’ Feature Enhancing Security for Apple iPhones
Apple introduced “Stolen Device Protection” for iPhones earlier this week with the iOS 17.3 update. This adds an extra layer of security on top of the biometric security you already have on your iPhone when it’s away from your home or workplace. Apple says these requirements help prevent a thief or “someone who has stolen your device and knows your passcode from making critical changes to your account or device.”
This can be quite a handy feature for someone who often loses their phone or is at a high security risk. This works with either the Face ID system or Touch ID; If you don’t use these for authentication, no password is needed, further protecting your device.
Additionally, certain operations, such as changing your Apple ID password, require you to wait an hour before performing another Face ID or Touch ID authentication.
Enabling this feature requires you to download iOS 17.3 as this feature is only available after installation. iOS 17.3 is compatible with all iPhones that support iOS 17, i.e. iPhone XS and later.
To enable the stolen device feature: Follow these steps:
1. On your iPhone, go to the Settings app.
2. Find Face ID and Passcode on a device with a TrueDepth camera system, or Touch and Passcode if you have Touch ID biometrics.
3. Now search for “Stolen Device Protection” and enable it.
4. That’s it! The feature should now be working for you.
If you want to disable the feature, you need to re-authenticate your iPhone using biometrics.
