Can't turn off Stolen Device Protection on iPhone

I had turned on Stolen Device Protection a year ago and just realized I no longer had Face ID showing in Settings. I located advice in another forum and it fixed my problem. 🙏🏻

You have Restrictions enabled: If you or someone else with access to your device has enabled Restrictions, it may be preventing you from accessing the Face ID and Passcode options. To check if Restrictions are enabled, go to Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions. If Restrictions are enabled, you will need to enter the passcode to access the options. You should then see the option to turn off Stolen Device Protection.

Hope this helps anyone with the same issue.

I experience all of this too. This is what finally worked. After the one hour is up go into settings > Touch ID & Passcode. Then turn off PASSCODE. Doing this will also turn off Stolen Device Protection. If you want to reactivate passcode protection, you can at this point without reactivating the stolen device option. Apple should really put this in their user guide, but of course they never make things easy anymore. Love the product. Hate the company.

I figured it out:

1. Turn your VPN off.
2. Go to Privacy & Security and turn Location Services on
3. Scroll to the bottom of the LS list and select System Services, then scroll to the bottom again and make sure Significant Locations is on.
4. Try to turn off Stolen Device Protection again and start the Security Delay. In my case I went to Face ID & Passcodes to do this - can you start the Security Delay another way, since your Face ID & Passcode option has disappeared?
5. Keep waiting until you get a notification that says your phone has been registered to a Significant location and you can now turn off Stolen Device Protection.

It worked for me, first on my iPhone and then on my iPad. I hope you figure out your issue as well.

I had the exact same problem. I got a new phone, so I needed to turn Find My Phone off, but I couldn't because I had Stolen Device Protection on. I went to turn the Stolen Device Protection off, but I couldn't see the Face ID and Passcode option in my settings. After much searching I found this article that told what to do in order to be able to see the Face ID and Passcode option again in order to turn of the Stolen Device Protection to then turn off Find My Phone: Face ID and Passcode Missing in Settings - Apple Community

I can happily say that the steps in the posting above did the trick; what a process just to turn my phone back in!

GUYS I FIGURED IT OUT! Go to privacy and security, scroll to the bottom and turn off there! Not under Face ID and passcode. It’s the only way I could get it to work. Still had to wait an hour but finally figured it out

Update: the only way I could solve the problem of face is not working and unable to turn off stolen phone protection was by doing a full factory reset. I deleted all data and all apps and reset from backup. It was a scary moment but it worked. I was then able to reset my Face ID and Stolen Device protection mode is switched off (and I will not be turning it back on as it’s a nightmare!)

I think I figured out how to fix it because I just did it

So basically you want to force reset your phone you do this by

1. Pressing the volume up+ And the volume down button-, Then pressing down on the power button for at least 15 seconds until you see the Apple logo

This should reset your phone and possibly get your face ID working again

Because that’s how it worked for me

Then you want to go into your settings and click on Face ID and passcode and turn off SDP So you don’t run into this issue again.

It’s going to do that delay thing so just wait for the hour and come back then turn it off

I hope this helps it worked for me, And if it doesn’t for you, my best bet is to go to the Apple Store and see what they can do.

Try This--

I encountered the same issue and was able to resolve it by resetting the phone. After the reset, you'll be able to add a new Face ID.

Here's what you'll need:

• Access to the Apple ID associated with the phone.

Steps to follow:

1. On the lock screen, enter the wrong password 10 times (or more) until the phone shows "iPhone Unavailable for x minutes."
2. Tap the text in the bottom right corner that says something like "Erase data" or "Forgot password."
3. Log in with your Apple ID, and you'll have the option to Reset, Delete (but keep eSIM), or Delete (with eSIM).
4. The phone will display a message like "You have to wait x minutes for the phone to be available." Click Cancel in the bottom right corner.
5. The phone will begin deleting/resetting.
6. After the reset, the phone will show a message like "Locked to User" with your Apple ID.
7. Log in with your Apple ID to unlock the phone.
8. You should then be able to set up your phone as new and add a new Face ID.

I hope this helps—this method worked for me on August 29, 2024.

Credit --Personal_Bowler_8725 ON reddit

I was also facing the same issue just now. Yet, I restarted my phone, then tried again. This time my face ID was working properly.(Note: Before that when i tried to unlock my phone with face ID, it wasn't working).

Now, it has a timer after which i can change some settings inside Stolen Device Protection.

Try restarting and try again. Might work.

Thanks. BTW, my phone is Iphone 15 Plus

The only way I solved my problem was by doing a full reset of my phone. I deleted all data and apps and restored from backup. It seems extreme but after spending hours/days even trying to sort this nothing would work. Thankfully when finally my phone was reset I could reset my Face ID and stolen device mode was switched off. I won’t be turning that on again as it’s a nightmare when it goes wrong!

If Face ID isn't working for you, there is most likely something wrong with your TrueDepth camera. First, look at these two articles for help. If that doesn't fix the issue, then make an appointment at the Genius Bar to have your camera issue diagnosed.

If an alert says Face ID has been disabled on your iPhone or iPad Pro - Apple Support

If Face ID isn't working on your iPhone or iPad Pro - Apple Support (AZ)

Make an appointment at the Genius Bar to have it diagnosed.

Genius Bar Reservation and Apple Support Options - Apple

Hello LuluLui1213,

User MutantZebra was referring to The Apps under Privacy & Security > Location Services (LS) > Click on Location Services > Scroll down to the bottom of screen for System Services to check for Significant Location Being ON.

Well all I did was power off my iPhone then turn it back on after 30 seconds when in my home and then it gave me the option for security delay

Hi,

You can always contact the Apple online support which runs 24 hours and 7 days a week to resolve your issue. Please contact them asap and they will help you .Make sure that you have your Apple account email which you have registered with your Apple phone and your name recorded along with this account. Hope this helps.

Thanks to Apple online support for prompt response for this issue.

Try a complete power-off / restart cycle.