Elain Brown Tech 03.30.2022 00:Mar AM EDT

Apple Stops Repairing Potentially Stolen iPhones

Apple and authorized Apple service providers are no longer providing iPhone repairs to devices that have been flagged as missing. Apple technicians will use the GSMA device registry to identify iPhone devices reported as lost or stolen.

Apple's Missing iPhones

Apple, according to MacRumors, shared a memo on Monday, stating that if a technician encounters a notification in their internal MobileGenius or GSX systems denoting that the device they are handling has been reported as missing, the technician must decline the repair.

The new policy should aid in reducing the number of stolen iPhones brought to Apple for repair in the future. In the event of theft or loss, customers can use the GSMA Device Registry to report their devices as missing. This is a global database for customers to use.

As reported by The Verge, law enforcement authorities can flag missing or stolen devices through the GSMA. This can assist repair providers in identifying a lost device if it ever comes into their shop.

Specifically, Apple's new policy is intended to prohibit its repair professionals from fixing phones that have slipped into the wrong hands in the first place. It expands on the company's existing policies which prohibit technicians from removing an Activation Lock from a device unless consumers can produce confirmation that they are the ones who purchased the iPhone.

This policy will help to ensure that stolen iPhones that never had Find My iPhone enabled do not end up in Apple Stores or Apple Authorized Service Providers because it currently makes it impossible to service an iPhone if the client does not have the ability to disable Find My iPhone.

Apple Find My iPhone

Apple has a lot of powerful tools built into the iOS system that will keep people's data safe and their phones useless if they get lost or stolen.

Users can use Find My iPhone to find lost phones, turn them off, or even completely delete them.

Apple came up with a way to keep iPhones from being stolen that was implemented way back in iOS 7 called Activation Lock. This tool makes an iPhone unusable unless the owner has their Apple ID or password.

Users of iOS 7 or later can use Activation Lock, which is linked to Find My iPhone. When Find My iPhone is activated, Activation Lock is also activated on the device. When setting up a new device, Find My iPhone is automatically enabled.

Below are the steps recommended for users to check if these settings are enabled in their iPhone, as instructed by MacRumors:

Navigate to the Settings application.
Select your profile photo from the drop-down menu.
Select "iCloud" in the menu.
Select "Find My" from the options.
Check to see that Find My iPhone is set to "on" in the settings menu (in green).
To provide an extra layer of protection, select "Send Last Location" in the options provided. If the Apple user's battery is dangerously low, it will tell Apple the location of its last known location. Users will want to have this option in case their iPhone is misplaced or stolen and their battery runs out of power. Another option is to enable the Find My network, which allows their iPhone to be located even if it is not connected to the internet or has been turned off by leveraging the devices of other people.