Why Can iPhones Still Be Switched Off Without Passcode?

ashfaquekalmati wrote:

My questions to the community:

1- Why is there still no feature that prevents an iPhone from being switched off without a passcode?

A feature that kept you from switching off a phone without entering a passcode would inconvenience legitimate users – especially those who needed to force-reset a phone that was suffering a software glitch.

It also wouldn't do much to slow down thieves.

A thief who wants to keep a stolen iPhone from being tracked can simply put a switched-on phone in a "Faraday bag", or wrap a stolen phone in aluminum foil, to construct a crude Faraday cage. There is nothing that Apple or anyone else can do to prevent that since the behavior of Faraday cages is just … physics.

However, a thief will eventually need to let the stolen iPhone communicate with the network if they want to try to reset phone and "make the phone their own", and if the phone's true owner had been using Find My, this is when the thief will encounter Activation Lock.

2- Is there any way to stop scammers from removing my stolen iPhone from my Apple ID before 15 June 2026?

No. By falling for their "phishing" message, you gave the thieves or fences all of the information they needed to clear Activation Lock. You cannot remotely re-enable Activation Lock, and there is only one corner case (which would require the thieves to leave your phone unmolested for 30 days) where it might turn back on.

Since you gave the criminals your Apple Account credentials, it is potentially. more than just that phone that is at risk. E.g., they might not be able to directly examine the data on a passcode-locked phone, but with your Apple Account credentials, they could view and even vandalize data synchronized to iCloud.

If you have not already done so, change your Apple Account password now!

If you think your Apple Account has been compromised - Apple Support

3- What can a loyal user do in a situation like mine?

Report the theft to the police and your carrier. Ask your carrier to blacklist the phone so that it won't get cellular voice, text message, or data service from any carrier who honors the blacklist.

Since the "phishing" expedition gave the thieves the information needed to remove Activation Lock, they'll still be able to use the phone as a sort of "iPod touch with GPS". But you can break the ability to use it as a phone.

Asked and answered multiple times. it would serve no purpose. All it would accomplish would be to make troubleshooting problems for normal users difficult if not impossible.

Modern phones are trackable using find my even after being powered off.

Thieves use faraday bags to block all signals to the device, making them untraceable whether they are on or not.