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onthecouchagain

macrumors 604
Original poster
Mar 29, 2011
7,382
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If you ever have to do this, and it wipes everything and "resets it to factory setting" as described on the Apple website, are you essentially giving someone a free iPhone to re-activate?
 
Right, I guess it's better than nothing.

There should be a feature that truly locks down the device, making it completely bricked until it's original owner can prove to Apple that its his/her device before they restore it to re-activate. Might help prevent thefts?
 
Right, I guess it's better than nothing.

There should be a feature that truly locks down the device, making it completely bricked until it's original owner can prove to Apple that its his/her device before they restore it to re-activate. Might help prevent thefts?

Its better than nothing.
Its not a full blown security or theft recovery system.
If its a GSM iphone and lost or stolen anyone can restore it and use it.
 
Right, I guess it's better than nothing.

There should be a feature that truly locks down the device, making it completely bricked until it's original owner can prove to Apple that its his/her device before they restore it to re-activate. Might help prevent thefts?

Technically possible, but it's not the sort of thing that Apple likes to do.

Find My iPhone has some flaws that could so easily be fixed by Apple:

  • It can be turned off without prompting you for your iCloud password
  • You can disable it by turning off Location Services
 
Technically possible, but it's not the sort of thing that Apple likes to do.

Find My iPhone has some flaws that could so easily be fixed by Apple:

  • It can be turned off without prompting you for your iCloud password
  • You can disable it by turning off Location Services

You can disable it by popping the sim out or by turning the phone off.
Or by restoring...
 
But would taking the SIM out or restoring the phone essentially wipe out your personal info anyway (thus achieving the point of remote wipe)?

And if it doesn't, would choosing remote wipe via iCloud do it once the device is turned back on?
 
Taking the SIM out doesn't erase any data, but restoring will erase everything.
 
But would taking the SIM out or restoring the phone essentially wipe out your personal info anyway (thus achieving the point of remote wipe)?

And if it doesn't, would choosing remote wipe via iCloud do it once the device is turned back on?

If you take out the sim the phone doesnt restore or wipe anything.
But if they do a restore it wipes out all your info.
A remote wipe command will wipe it next time the phone is connected to the internet either by wifi or carrier data. It will tell you when it was wiped if it has been.
Either way the thief will probably want to get rid of your personal stuff on it and sell it or use it restored.
 
Wirelessly posted

Daveoc64 said:
Right, I guess it's better than nothing.

There should be a feature that truly locks down the device, making it completely bricked until it's original owner can prove to Apple that its his/her device before they restore it to re-activate. Might help prevent thefts?

Technically possible, but it's not the sort of thing that Apple likes to do.

Find My iPhone has some flaws that could so easily be fixed by Apple:

  • It can be turned off without prompting you for your iCloud password
  • You can disable it by turning off Location Services

Set restrictions to not allow them to turn off location
 
Exactly. Stealing an iPhone is one of the dumbest things anyone can do... Unless they're after a glorified iPod touch!

Stealing a phone these days is pretty pointless. The problem its not the thief that will suffer from the lock it'll be the poor sucker who buys the phone off the thief.
 
Call your network and police who will blacklist the device.

Police can't blacklist a phone and as far as I know ATT won't either

Stealing a phone these days is pretty pointless. The problem its not the thief that will suffer from the lock it'll be the poor sucker who buys the phone off the thief.

You think? How so? If it has a sim it can be used without issue. Simply restore and you're good to go.


All carriers in the UK do it, and as far as I know it blacklists the devices from being used in all of Europe and North America.
Well then lots of thieves walking around with kick ass iPod touches.
 
Find my I is pants! JB it and install Cylay! it has:

1. remote wipe (last resort),

2: prevent shutdown,

3. voice recording,

4. front\rear camera activation,

5. tracking,

6. lists numbers called,

7. reports any sim card number installed,

8. Hide Cylay (to prevent its removal).

That's a proper service that Apple could so easily emulate if they wanted.
 
All carriers in the UK do it, and as far as I know it blacklists the devices from being used in all of Europe and North America.

Canada, maybe. USA, unfortunately not.

In any case, the thief will still have the best iPod touch ever made. Less value than a full blown iPhone, but he will still get money from it. My point? Blacklisting doesn't achieve a whole lot.
 
You can disable it by popping the sim out or by turning the phone off.

Neither of these will disable the feature.

The next time that the device connects to a network with a suitable data connection (Cellular or Wi-Fi) any pending remote lock, wipe or locate will take place.

There's a difference between disabling the feature completely, and temporarily stopping it.
 
Neither of these will disable the feature.

The next time that the device connects to a network with a suitable data connection (Cellular or Wi-Fi) any pending remote lock, wipe or locate will take place.

There's a difference between disabling the feature completely, and temporarily stopping it.

I was explaining that to him earlier.
But if they pop out the sim dont connect to wifi and just restore it then it will never track or remote wipe. But the restore is like a wipe.
 
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