Apple makes stolen iPhones harder to resell, cutting thefts
Apple has stepped up its game to fight iPhone theft, making it much harder for thieves to reset and resell stolen devices.
By sharing data with police and tightening security, Apple is dropping the resale value of stolen phones, and that's already cutting down on thefts.
iOS 26.4 enables stolen device protection
The big update: Stolen Device Protection, recently enabled by default with iOS 26.4, now requires extra verification before anyone can disable Find My or erase your phone—especially if it's in a weird location.
This slows down thieves and gives you more time to lock things down.
London police: phone thefts down 18%
Thanks to these changes, London police say mobile phone thefts fell by 18% in the past year.
Commissioner Mark Rowley summed it up: "If stolen phones cannot be reactivated, their value collapses, and so does the incentive to steal them,"
Less incentive means fewer crimes, pretty cool outcome.