Ryan Haines / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Apple is rolling out the primary iOS 17.3 beta at present.
- The replace comprises a brand new anti-theft characteristic referred to as “Stolen Machine Safety.”
- Stolen Machine Safety makes it simpler for victims to guard their information and lock thieves out of the stolen cellphone.
At the moment, Apple is rolling out a brand new iOS beta for builders — iOS 17.3. This newest beta from Apple comes with a model new safety characteristic that Android cellphone makers ought to add to their very own units.
Earlier this yr, the Wall Avenue Journal highlighted the current uptick of thieves spying on iPhone customers to steal passcodes earlier than stealing the machine. With the cellphone and the passcode at their disposal, thieves can reset the sufferer’s Apple ID password, flip off Discover My, view passwords, and extra.
Apple’s iOS 17.3 beta brings a brand new characteristic referred to as “Stolen Machine Safety” to the iPhone. The characteristic goals to stop these issues by limiting what thieves can do with the stolen property.
As soon as an proprietor opts into Stolen Machine Safety, the handset will ask the person for Face ID or Contact ID authentication if they’re outdoors of a well-known location like house or work. If a Face ID or Contact ID scan will not be supplied, the individual utilizing the cellphone might be barred from accessing delicate data or performing delicate actions. For instance, the thief received’t be capable of view passwords or passkeys saved in iCloud Keychain, apply for an Apple Card, use cost settings saved in Safari, and so forth.
As well as, the characteristic makes it so there’s a one-hour delay earlier than an Apple ID password may be modified. This makes it simpler for the sufferer to report their cellphone as lacking and have it locked.
Within the beta, this characteristic is discovered within the Settings below Face ID & Passcode. Whereas builders will see a immediate to check a preview of the characteristic, this immediate received’t seem within the public launch.
Whereas we’ll have to attend and see if Android adopts the same characteristic, Google might be addressing as many as 85 vulnerabilities — together with a number of vital and high-severity vulnerabilities — in its subsequent safety patch.
