WoodFlor

Q: Disappointed with Apple

I've used Apple iPods and iPhones for many years.  I bought my wife a 1st Gen iTouch, my kids had 5th Gen iTouch's, and I've gone through iPhones from version 4 to version 6.  Three weeks ago my daughter's iPhone 6 was stolen while we were in San Francisco - she was crushed.  But I told her not to worry because we had locked it with iCloud Activation.  We went on the iCloud website and I showed her the status was set to On and we would most likely be getting the phone back.  I put it in Lost/Stolen mode that very day and it remained offline until yesterday.  At 4:30 PM EST I was sent a message stating it was online.  I quickly logged into Find My iPhone and it showed up under my daughter's account but showed as Offline.  I checked Activation Lock and it still said On.  Over the next hour, I tried numerous times to reach the phone with no luck and then it suddenly disappeared from my daughter's account.  When I went to the iCloud site and entered the serial number of the phone it then said Activation Lock was Off and that the device could now be activated by a new user.  I contacted Apple Support via telephone and they confirmed it had been tied to my daughter's account but now it was not - Apple claimed the only way that can happen is that they guessed her password and turned it off or they completely destroyed the phone.

 

I just don't understand how Apple can make a sweeping statement on their website that iCloud Activation Lock prevents anyone from using a phone that is stolen or found.  Please don't post any replies saying I'm an anti-Apple troll - I'll most likely be getting a 6s to replace the stolen product because I do like the products but I'd like Apple to improve this tool to the point where it actually delivers what is advertised.  My first suggestion to them is to force the user to enter the password before turning the device off - in this instance the criminal turned it off the second they stole it.  My other recommendation is to put some sort of emergency sim card on the board so it can communicate with any tower even if the main sim card is removed.  I honestly believe that if the criminal had to carry it around for a few hours with it still communicating its location then they will think much harder before grabbing it.

 

Has anyone else had an experience like this?  Or does anyone else have other recommendations to make this type of theft a thing of the past?

 

Thanks!

iPhone 6, iOS 9.3.2, Activation Lock

Posted on Jun 26, 2016 8:11 AM

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Q: Disappointed with Apple

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  • by WoodFlor,

    WoodFlor WoodFlor Jun 26, 2016 2:29 PM in response to KiltedTim
    Level 1 (4 points)
    iPhone
    Jun 26, 2016 2:29 PM in response to KiltedTim

    Is it still listed as stolen with Apple since I contacted them?  I would think if someone does intend to use it again they'll have to put their stuff on it using their Apple ID and then it would show up with my daughter's original Serial # on the Apple servers.  When I spoke to the Apple Support folks they did confirm that it used to be tied to my daughter's Apple ID but that it no longer was and that it currently was not tied to any users information.

  • by KiltedTim,

    KiltedTim KiltedTim Jun 26, 2016 2:37 PM in response to WoodFlor
    Level 9 (55,537 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jun 26, 2016 2:37 PM in response to WoodFlor

    Apple does not track stolen iPhones. They can not legally stop anyone from using it or registering a different Apple ID on the device.

  • by Michael Black,

    Michael Black Michael Black Jun 26, 2016 2:40 PM in response to WoodFlor
    Level 7 (24,457 points)
    Jun 26, 2016 2:40 PM in response to WoodFlor

    Apple does not track or monitor lost or stolen devices at all.  So no, they will not intervene at all.  That's really not their role and it would open the door for all sorts of abuse (person sells device, then lists it stolen with Apple and extorts the buyer to get it released, or one significant other getting another's device locked from their use, and so on).

     

    The carrier's simply block access to their networks, so they don't block or restrict use in principle of a device, just use of it on their network (and in the USA at least, they cooperatively agree to honor each others blocking through the shared blacklisted database).

  • by WoodFlor,

    WoodFlor WoodFlor Jun 26, 2016 3:27 PM in response to Michael Black
    Level 1 (4 points)
    iPhone
    Jun 26, 2016 3:27 PM in response to Michael Black

    Thanks for all the great responses here - this has been quite the learning experience for me today.  I went back to Mal's post to update each of my devices.  But I'm also reading Michael Black's post - if they can unlock activation lock using the iCloud website without access to the device then what's the point of the screenlock and restriction settings?

  • by Michael Black,

    Michael Black Michael Black Jun 26, 2016 3:58 PM in response to WoodFlor
    Level 7 (24,457 points)
    Jun 26, 2016 3:58 PM in response to WoodFlor

    You have two things to protect.  The first is your AppleID as that is also your login credentials and password for your iCloud account.  Your iCloud account is the key to find my iPhone and activation lock, as well as all sync'd, stored and backed up data you keep there.  So you need to keep that AppleID secure at all times.

     

    But, if someone has your device (but NOT your iCloud account credentials), without a screen passcode lock, they can open your device and browse your contacts, your email, all the content on the device itself.  So you need to secure the device itself as well.  The idea of the restriction lock and locking down account changes is more about just adding another last ditch layer of device security.  But really, it is that screen lock passcode that is primary as far as the device itself goes.

     

    My point about the complex passcode is that the fingerprint itself is effectively impossible to crack, UNLESS you've also used a simple passcode that someone can use instead.  As long as your primary access is your fingerprint, and you're not having to enter it often, then it's best to use a strong, complex pass phrase so that does not become the weak link in the device access security system.  Now, without your fingerprint, the thief is unable to get in since they'd have to crack a complex pass-phrase with effectively no way to do that and certainly not guess it.

     

    That combination, of a strong, complex pass phrase on the device, and a fingerprint(s) as primary access control secures the content of the device from prying people.  And the use of a strong iCloud pass-phrase and 2-step verification ensures your AppleID, and thus iCloud account and activation lock, remains secure.  Now, if lost or stolen, nobody can get into your device to compromise private information, and activation lock prevents them from ever using the device themselves.  It's truly a plastic brick to them at that point - they cannot get to your content for ID theft or anything, and they cannot activate or use it themselves for anything.

     

    But you need to do both - secure access to the device, and secure your AppleID/iCloud credentials.  If everyone did that, honestly, the whole incentive for iPhone theft would be effectively gone.  Theft wouldn't yield any tangible benefit in terms of a useable or resell-able device (and activation lock has already had a large measure able impact on that), nor would the incentive of ID theft and personal data access be there either (and this remains a big driving force in smart phone theft - the documented fact in surveys that actually, many smart phone users do not use a device lock passcode at all).

  • by WoodFlor,

    WoodFlor WoodFlor Jun 26, 2016 4:27 PM in response to Michael Black
    Level 1 (4 points)
    iPhone
    Jun 26, 2016 4:27 PM in response to Michael Black

    In a previous post, you mentioned that disabling activation lock would give them the ability to restore the phone and use their stuff on it.  So the screenlock is only meant to protect the data on the device? Shouldn't the screenlock and restriction settings also stop them from doing any kind of restore to overwrite the protected data?  I'm struggling to understand how disabling Activation Lock has now given them full access to put anything on the phone without first getting past the screenlock.

  • by Michael Black,

    Michael Black Michael Black Jun 26, 2016 4:37 PM in response to WoodFlor
    Level 7 (24,457 points)
    Jun 26, 2016 4:37 PM in response to WoodFlor

    Once activation lock is disabled, they, like you or any iDecive owner, can restore the device as new in iTunes.  That's sometimes a necessary trouble shooting step in an extreme case of a corrupted system, and is the only way of resetting a forgotten screen lock passcode.  That very process wipes everything off the device and sets it up as a new device, but anyone can do it, if they are not prevented from doing so by the requirement for the actication lock pass word.

     

    The screen lock prevents them from seeing anything you have on the device, but only activation lock prevents them from using it as their own.  Once activation lock is disabled, they still cannot see your content due to the screen lock fingerprint/passcode, but they can wipe it clean and set it up as new.

     

    In the event you forgot your own screen lock passcode, you would have to restore as new (or from a backup if you had one), but, to do so and successfully use the device at the end of that process, you would need your own iCloud password to authenticate against the activation lock servers.

     

    So two independent systems - one protects the content of the device itself, and the other protects the device from unauthorized use.  Between the two of them, they work to ensure only you can do anything useful with your own device.

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