What you should know
- Apple has released iOS 17.3 beta 3 to developers and is expected to release the public version soon. The most notable feature of this update is the Stolen Device Protection feature.
- The Stolen Device Protection feature requires more than just a passcode to make changes to the phone and delays major changes by up to an hour, giving iPhone users time to report a lost or stolen phone. This feature is activated when the iPhone detects it is in an unfamiliar location.
- With the Stolen Device Protection feature, certain actions such as changing Apple ID password, viewing passwords saved in iCloud Keychain, applying for a new Apple Card, and others will require Face ID or Touch ID verification. Some changes will be delayed by an hour and will still require biometric verification.
- The iOS 17.3 update will also introduce the Collaborative Apple Music Playlist feature, which allows users to build a playlist with others using a link to add or remove songs, reorder the playlist, and share emojis reflecting opinions of particular songs.
Full Story
Apple has rolled out iOS 17.3 beta 3 to developers. This hints that the public version of the beta should be hitting the streets in a few days.
The big news here? The Stolen Device Protection feature. It’s the shiny new thing that most iPhone users are eagerly waiting for. Once the final stable version of iOS 17.3 is out, they’ll get their hands on it.
Remember that chat Joanna Stern from The Wall Street Journal had with iPhone thief Aaron Johnson? Johnson bragged about how he could turn your iPhone into his in a matter of seconds if he got your passcode.
Enter the Stolen Device Protection feature. It’s going to make life a tad difficult for folks like Johnson. It needs more than just a passcode to make changes to the phone. Plus, it delays some major changes by up to an hour. This gives iPhone users a chance to report their phone as lost or stolen. It kicks in when your iPhone detects it’s in an unfamiliar location that’s neither home nor work.
Johnson’s modus operandi? Once he had your passcode and your iPhone, he’d change your Apple ID password. He claimed to be so good at tweaking the data on a stolen iPhone that he could turn your iPhone into his in just five to ten seconds. If the Find My app was disabled, the real owner of the device was out of luck. Once Johnson put his image on Face ID, he “got the key to everything,” he said.
But with the Stolen Device Protection feature, certain actions need Face ID or Touch ID to verify the user’s identity. This includes viewing/using passwords or passkeys saved in iCloud Keychain, applying for a new Apple Card, viewing an Apple Card virtual card, turning off Lost Mode, erasing all content and settings, and a few other actions.
Some changes will be delayed by an hour and will still need Face ID or Touch ID for verification. These include changing your Apple ID password, updating select Apple ID account security settings, changing your iPhone passcode, adding or removing Face ID or Touch ID, turning off Find My, and turning off Stolen Device Protection.
The thief who nabs your device relies on his ability to make changes quickly. But with the new feature, you now have time to contact Apple to report your phone as stolen. And requiring biometric approval to make changes makes the process used by thieves like Aaron Johnson more challenging.
But wait, there’s more. The iOS 17.3 update will also add the Collaborative Apple Music Playlist feature. It lets you build a playlist with others, add or remove songs, re-order the playlist, and share emoji reflecting others’ opinion of a particular tune.
We’re expecting the public version of iOS 17.3 to be released by the end of this month. So, keep an eye out.
