I've heard many people complain about it being tethered to the phone and demanding cellular service for a watch, but stop and think--is that really what you want? To pay another 35~50 bucks a month for a second line for your WATCH? I highly doubt it. No thanks for me, I'd rather do what I do every day and not leave my phone at home, but instead take it with me. It's not an object I forget easily and as long as I don't succumb to early onset Alzheimers, I should be golden! A software update will better address lost/stolen watches than adding a capability that requires a monthly fee to me!
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Apple Watch Vulnerable to Theft With No Activation Lock
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I've heard many people complain about it being tethered to the phone and demanding cellular service for a watch, but stop and think--is that really what you want? To pay another 35~50 bucks a month for a second line for your WATCH? I highly doubt it. No thanks for me, I'd rather do what I do every day and not leave my phone at home, but instead take it with me. It's not an object I forget easily and as long as I don't succumb to early onset Alzheimers, I should be golden! A software update will better address lost/stolen watches than adding a capability that requires a monthly fee to me!
You underestimate the popularity of Apple products... If you look at crime rate, there is really an iPhone effect. The iPhone managed by itself to make crime rates double or even triple in some area, because it attracted a lot of thieves with the potential for easy and very high profit.
Before, phones were mainly stolen to make illegal calls. The phones themselves were thrown away, since everyone had 1 phones from their phone operators. With the iPhone, there was suddenly the potential for very high profits just from the resale value of the phone itself.
The authorities, with reasons, fear the same with the Apple Watches. At the moment, noone steals watches, because they're either ultra-cheap with no resale value or are rolexes and the like that are difficult and long to resale stolen for a decent amount. With the Apple Watch, there will be the potential to resale very quickly and at a high price.
You need the iPhone with your credit card information in conjunction with thewatch to make
Nope.
The watch gets its own registered card tokens, and can pay independently of the phone.
After card registration, the phone's only needed to unlock the watch each time it's put on.
It's a first generation smartwatch. A somewhat different product and the very first generation of one. Again, of course it would be great to have everything possible there, but it's not realistic, and it doesn't make it horrible of a failure or anything like that.
You also have the street bullies, who will just beat you hard enough that you will remove the watch yourself... They're already doing that to people who won't let go of their smartphones...
that is why I keep a large knife on me at all times... I will cut off the hand that touches my watch.
Add a few other extra measures of protection, a helmet and a armoured suit, with the Apple watch welded to the wrist. Anyone approaching close proximity of your suit can be zapped with the help of a high voltage battery back pack wired to the outer metal case of the suit.
Do you think that if Apple spent less time on Gimmicks like doodle & sending heartbeat & more time on basics like security it may have been a wiser choice?
I do.
My thoughts on addressing this issue---
Apple Watch OS 1.1 (at least the parts that pertain to the lost device). Add the ability for the watch to be paired to a phone (already in place, so we're golden so far). However it happens, make a user-inaccessible file, partition, or like I said.. however it happens, but that file keeps up with which phone it was last paired with and if it was unpaired successfully or if it was reset. Have the watch check the current pairing with the last pairing. If the two don't match, alert the previous user through their registered Apple ID email address of the location of their newly activated watch. (Basically where I'm going is if you open Find my iPhone, it will show you the location of your watch based on the location of the person's phone who currently has it.) Make the flag/alarm easily clearable through iCloud.com (for those instances where you lose/break a phone and HAVE to manually re-pair it with a new phone without a successful unpair).
Apple iOS 8.3.1. Add in the Watch app in General a "Lost my Watch" button to press to initiate the process above if the jailbreak community ever finds a way into the watch and are able to manipulate security features mentioned above. You can hide a lot, but that serial number will always find its way back to Apple the second it gets online with an ID.
Just the ramblings of a high person, relaxing after work.
Apple Watch OS 1.1 (at least the parts that pertain to the lost device). Add the ability for the watch to be paired to a phone (already in place, so we're golden so far). However it happens, make a user-inaccessible file, partition, or like I said.. however it happens, but that file keeps up with which phone it was last paired with and if it was unpaired successfully or if it was reset. Have the watch check the current pairing with the last pairing. If the two don't match, alert the previous user through their registered Apple ID email address of the location of their newly activated watch. (Basically where I'm going is if you open Find my iPhone, it will show you the location of your watch based on the location of the person's phone who currently has it.) Make the flag/alarm easily clearable through iCloud.com (for those instances where you lose/break a phone and HAVE to manually re-pair it with a new phone without a successful unpair).
Apple iOS 8.3.1. Add in the Watch app in General a "Lost my Watch" button to press to initiate the process above if the jailbreak community ever finds a way into the watch and are able to manipulate security features mentioned above. You can hide a lot, but that serial number will always find its way back to Apple the second it gets online with an ID.
Just the ramblings of a high person, relaxing after work.
Apple didn't include the security feature because they know even thieves are smart enough to know not to waste their time on such a useless, soon to be obsolete device. Thieves will not be stealing any Apple Watch, don't worry.
Hey, I found the one good thing about the Apple Watch: It's theft proof!
Hey, I found the one good thing about the Apple Watch: It's theft proof!
My thoughts on addressing this issue---
Apple Watch OS 1.1 (at least the parts that pertain to the lost device). Add the ability for the watch to be paired to a phone (already in place, so we're golden so far). However it happens, make a user-inaccessible file, partition, or like I said.. however it happens, but that file keeps up with which phone it was last paired with and if it was unpaired successfully or if it was reset. Have the watch check the current pairing with the last pairing. If the two don't match, alert the previous user through their registered Apple ID email address of the location of their newly activated watch. (Basically where I'm going is if you open Find my iPhone, it will show you the location of your watch based on the location of the person's phone who currently has it.) Make the flag/alarm easily clearable through iCloud.com (for those instances where you lose/break a phone and HAVE to manually re-pair it with a new phone without a successful unpair).
Apple iOS 8.3.1. Add in the Watch app in General a "Lost my Watch" button to press to initiate the process above if the jailbreak community ever finds a way into the watch and are able to manipulate security features mentioned above. You can hide a lot, but that serial number will always find its way back to Apple the second it gets online with an ID.
Just the ramblings of a high person, relaxing after work.
How's this sound?
Lose the Gimmick's & concentrate on security in AWatch 1.0
Apple had 3 years to copy other watches & this is all they could do with a 1st gen is cheesy gimmick's?
That's not a gimmick, that's an example of how to retroactively implement security features that are missing. Albeit, yes, they should have thought to put it in before hand. That I agree with.
And every company copies each other. One has a good idea and the other improves on it. Then the original manufacturer saw how it was improved and adds more functionality. Apple and Android toss things back and forth like any other companies. Sweet potato fries are a good side at many, many restaurants. One had to start it for the others to copy. That's a food reference. (the stoner needs FOOOOD, can ya tell lol)
Fixed: Apple had 3 years to develop their own watch while other manufacturers rush out to market before Apple release theirs just so people like you could ignorantly and mistakenly claim that Apple had 3 years to copy other watches.
Fixed: Apple had 3 years to develop their own watch while other manufacturers rush out to market before Apple release theirs just so people like you could ignorantly and mistakenly claim that Apple had 3 years to copy other watches.
And yet they release an arguably overpriced phone with cheeky gimmick's & lacks basic security.
They copied wrong.
Nope. Once it is set up on the watch, Apple Pay works without the phone.You need the iPhone with your credit card information in conjunction with the
Cause the device it's paired to has an ACTIVATION LOCK! Maybe, just maybe this will be an issue to someone who owns APPLE devices and maybe, just maybe might have expected the Apple watch to have the same feature?
This is WHY the Apple watch has been singled out
Even the cellular iPad doesn't have an activation lock. MacBooks don't. iPods don't. My Apple TV doesn't. Neither does my Time Capsule. Sheesh, come on Apple!!
----------
What part of iPhone lacks basic security? I think you may need to learn a thing or two about the security of iOS vs. Android...
----------
I'm sure the same team is responsible for both, right? This reminds me of those people who think a video game developer doesn't release new games because they're busy making DLC.
----------
It's absolutely NOT something I want but it would probably only cost $10 like a tablet added to a plan and it would be more interesting if it could share its number with your phone.
It would suck the battery dry in no time, however...
This is true. I don't have any Wifi+Cellular devices because I'm always around WiFi and when I'm not I can turn on hot spot, so I have no idea the cost of that added to an account, but the bottom line is there would be one! And that's enough of a turn off for me! LOL
I don't care what teams work on what as long as basics aren't missed.
A simple erase is a joke for a watch that runs up to 17k.
When I went in to do my try on appointment, which was probably around april 13th, I asked about this specifically. The folks at the Apple store in Manhattan Beach basically said they had no idea what the deal was with activation lock, or anti-theft. There isn't anything to prevent it from being stolen, but that could change with new software updates.
It is my understanding that the activation lock on the iphone is actually a hardware thing, or firmware. I thought that iphone 5s and 6 have it, but 5 and before can still be stolen. If that's the case, then it is likely that this version of the Apple watch will be 'easily' stolen.
I put that in quotes because I would not make it easy for somebody were they to try and take my watch by just grabbing it off my wrist.
It is my understanding that the activation lock on the iphone is actually a hardware thing, or firmware. I thought that iphone 5s and 6 have it, but 5 and before can still be stolen. If that's the case, then it is likely that this version of the Apple watch will be 'easily' stolen.
I put that in quotes because I would not make it easy for somebody were they to try and take my watch by just grabbing it off my wrist.
I think any device capable of running iOS 5 and higher is capable of being located and locked down remotely. Maybe iOS 6. I can't remember right now. Been a few years.