It has been announced that Apple has released iOS 17.3, the latest version of its iPhone operating system. This new version has several important new features, including Stolen Device Protection, which provides users with additional security measures if their phone is stolen.
As every iPhone user should know, this is one of the most important features users can enable, as it ensures that they have the best security without doing anything. In case any user's iPhone is stolen and they have turned on Stolen Device Protection, it will be able to place limits on certain settings changes when it is not at home or work, which makes it difficult for them to make changes.
Once the user's phone has been unlocked, and if a thief wants to change these settings, they will first have to authenticate using Face ID or Touch ID. It is therefore near-impossible for them to modify protected settings if they also have their biometrics – a near-impossible procedure.
A feature called Stolen Device Protection, when enabled, adds extra security steps to a range of other security measures. Currently, it is required to use biometric authentication (such as Face ID or Touch ID) to access things like stored credit card information or account passwords, which is not possible to do with a passcode. If, however, users lose their phone, only they can retrieve these items, even if someone knows their passcode and the user can't find it.
The second thing that needs to be done is to wait an hour before attempting a security-related action – such as changing the Apple ID password – and then to pass a second biometric authentication test. As a result, the user will have a lot more time to mark their device as lost or remotely erase it to prevent the wrong hands from getting to their data. This should make it harder for a trespasser to access a user's data.
When the Stolen Device Protection feature is activated, it adds additional security measures to specific features and actions within a recognized area of the iPhone in case the iPhone leaves that area.
To ensure that key changes to accounts or the device itself remain inaccessible even if a thief gains access to the device's passcode, this additional security layer guarantees that they will never be able to gain access to the device. The thief will need to authenticate themselves using either Face ID or Touch ID to change these settings after unlocking the stolen device.
If a thief has access to a stolen passcode, he or she will still have to replicate the actual owner's biometrics to modify protected settings, which is a very difficult task to accomplish. In addition to limiting what information the owner's iPhone thief can access, Stolen Device Protection also requires biometric authentication, such as Face ID or Touch ID, to view saved passwords or to make changes to the stolen Apple savings account, depending on which iPhone it is.
Having an unlocked iPhone will stop thieves from using it to steal users' money or open an Apple credit card in the actual owner's name under the false identity of the owner. Some of the changes may have been made as a result of reports of iPhone owners having their devices snatched by thieves after they observed them logging in with their PINs and scanning their phones.
When an iPhone is accessed and accessed by someone who is not authorized to do so, thieves can steal money from the device, open credit card accounts, and do many other things once they have gained access to the device. The thieves can also completely lock victims out of their accounts with Apple, which makes it very difficult for them to disable their iPhones or track their stolen phones with Apple's Find My feature to track and disable their phones.
The victims can sometimes not be able to access the photos and files that have been saved in their iCloud accounts. With this new feature, hackers will find it harder to use stolen iPhones to ruin users' lives and ruin their reputations. Having this feature on may cause some inconvenience for users at times, but the fact remains that they should turn it on to save the day.
As soon as users have installed iOS 17.3 and wish to enable Stolen Device Protection, go to the Settings section of iOS and choose Face ID & Passcode. If users swipe down when using the app, they will find the section on Stolen Device Protection, which they should tap, to enable the feature.