Having your smartphone stolen is already a bad thing. But if a thief is able to take your device *and* access what’s inside, things can quickly get worse.
If you’re an Apple smartphone user, however, there’s good news: the latest iOS update brings you a new security feature.
The feature is called Stolen Device Protection and, as the name suggests, it makes your smartphone a little safer in the event of theft.
Your iPhone requires Face ID or Touch ID for certain sensitive actions
A large portion of people use a PIN to unlock their smartphone rather than a biometric thumbprint or facial ID. While this is a good defense, it’s not very difficult for someone with malicious intent to see you enter your PIN and steal your smartphone (which is why experts recommend not use your PIN in public). With this PIN, a thief can access passwords, steal money, block users on iCloud, etc.
This is where the new Device Theft Protection feature comes into play.
When enabled, your iPhone requires Face ID or Touch ID for certain sensitive actions such as changing or viewing passwords, enabling or disabling Lost Mode, deleting content, sending money, etc.
This is a feature that is not enabled by default
Additionally, if the smartphone passcode or Apple ID is changed, the user will need to authenticate with Face or Touch ID, wait an hour, then authenticate again before the change takes effect. effect. Note that this does not apply if your smartphone is in a familiar location, such as your home or workplace. If you are in one of these locations, you can make these changes immediately.
In short, biometrics are added to ensure that the person who owns your phone cannot cause further damage.
This is a feature that you must enable, as it is not enabled by default. To enable theft protection, first make sure you’re running iOS 17.3 beta. If so, go to Settings, Face ID & Passcode, then Theft Protection.
Of course, this won’t prevent your phone from being stolen, but it could help alleviate some of the problems that come with it.
Source: “ZDNet.com”