It was at the end of January when, through iOS 17.3, Apple introduced a new anti-theft feature for the iPhone. In essence, what it does is Prevent a thief from disabling key device features and avoid so that we can block it. However, that function had a major drawback that has now been resolved.
It is now with iOS 17.4 when Security is expanded against possible theft or loss. And until now the function guaranteed its effectiveness only outside of our trusted locations, while if the theft occurred in one of them, it changed absolutely nothing of what already existed.
This is how the new iPhone theft protection works with iOS 17.4
To understand this functionality, it is important to know the origin of this “anti-theft mode” of the iPhone. In short, it was learned that there were thieves who took advantage of the trust of the iPhone owner to know their security code and, once the device was stolen, to be able to quickly deactivate the ‘Find my iPhone’ option, log out of the Apple ID of the victim or access their passwords. All this could be done only with the security code.
Well, in iOS 17.3 an option was introduced that allows To change certain parameters like these, Face ID or Touch ID is required.. Because yes, a thief may ultimately know our code, but he will never have our face or our fingerprint.
The problem is what we mentioned in the introduction, that for this to be effective it had to be done outside of our trusted locations such as our home or work. If the system detected that we were in these “safe” locations, it understood that there was no risk. And yes, it is true that it is more common for us to be robbed outside of those areas, but it is by no means impossible.
Therefore, in iOS 17.4 the possibility of requesting Face ID/Touch ID in all locations is introduced. It doesn’t matter if we are at home, at work, near them or hundreds of kilometers away. We could even be in another country. The system will always require our face or fingerprint to change these key functions.
To do this you have to go to Settings > Face ID/Touch ID and code > Protection in case of device theft. Once there, you will have to activate the ‘Protection in case of device theft’ box, as well as leave ‘Always’ checked in the ‘Security waiting time’ section.
This is how an action is blocked when we are not recognized with Face ID/Touch ID
The most interesting thing is that ‘Find My iPhone’ cannot be disabled if the theft protection system is activated. Obviously, trying to deactivate that option will require Face ID, so if you are not the one handling the iPhone, it cannot be removed. A good checkmate to the thief.
Therefore, if you find yourself in that situation of having been the victim of a theft, you can at least breathe easy knowing that the thief will not be able to access your data or keep the iPhone for his own use and enjoyment. Thus, you can block it from ‘Search’ on another device or in the browser, which prevents it from even being restored.
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