iPhone: How Apple’s new anti-data theft protection works – Business

There are said to be people who find unlocking their cell phones too difficult and therefore simply do not activate this security function. For the other faction Apple A new security barrier is now available with version 17.3 of the iOS operating system. It makes it harder to unlock an iPhone without authorization and steal data. For example, thieves in clubs, restaurants or other public places. Most iPhones are secured using biometric methods, facial recognition on the newer devices, and a fingerprint sensor on the older ones. But there is also an additional code that serves as an easy-to-use fallback option if the biometric unlocking methods don’t work.

If thieves have managed to copy this unlocking code, usually a four- or six-digit sequence, they have been able to use it to circumvent the biometric security methods. And that often had serious consequences: credit card data, saved passwords for other accounts, all photos – almost the entire digitally stored life was lying there in the open.

Anyone who activates “Stolen Device Protection” can do this iPhone still unlock using the code. However, if important information is to be read out, the iPhone must also be unlocked with a biometric feature. If particularly important data is involved, such as the password for the Apple ID, it is even necessary to unlock it again using fingerprint or facial recognition after a waiting period of an hour.

So that this doesn’t become too annoying, the code block does not apply in places where you spend a lot of time, such as at home or at work. Apple expressly points out that purchases from the Apple Store can still be made with the iPhone in the future using the unlock code alone. Apple remains silent about how exactly it determines where the places that are considered safe are. The local pub would probably be the wrong place. The new security feature can only be used on iPhones series 11 and younger and the second iPhone SE. Only these devices will receive iOS version 17.3.

With the update, Apple responded to reports, especially from North and South America. There, iPhone codes were specifically spied out, the smartphones were stolen and the rightful owners were excluded from access to their data. The thieves used the unlock code to change the password for the Apple ID. If the thieves were clever enough to create a so-called recovery key or change an existing one, the rightful owners had little chance of regaining access to their data.

With the new security function, things are now getting better. However, you also have to switch it on if you want it to take effect. This can be done under Settings, Face ID & Code and then tap Activate protection under Stolen Device Protection. And perhaps it would also be good to deactivate it if, for example, the fingerprint does not work due to an injury.