MarketWatch: ‘Local authorities will be alerted,’ warns a message popping up on stolen iPhones, per social media posts.
That stolen iPhone may have its eye on you.
The civil unrest that’s swept the globe in the week since George Floyd was pronounced dead soon after white officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes has sparked some violent outbursts and looting.
But Apple AAPL, +2.84%, which has seen its stores in New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Portland and Washington, D.C. broken into and burglarized, isn’t letting its stolen property (like the $1,099 iPhone 11 Pro Max) go so easily.
Images of stolen iPhones are circulating on Reddit and Twitter TWTR, +3.41% showing a message that warns that the phone has been disabled and is now being tracked. The most viral image shows a device allegedly stolen from a Philadelphia store, with an alert reading: “Please return to Apple Walnut Street. This device has been disabled and is being tracked. Local authorities will be alerted.” read more
I wonder if there is any of bypassing this and resetting the phones to a useful condition?
Smarter locks produce smarter thieves.
Cool, now what will the local authorities do to the ones who pilfered or got stung by paying for the phones? Nothing will happen to anyone, as a matter of fact, the cops will take a knee to the turds and tell them “job well done.” I have zero faith in our judicial system except for putting people in jail for not wearing a face mask, thieves go free!
Oh really ? Apples rat bastards won’t assist law enforcement when they need to decrypt a a suspected terrorists phone. EF Apple maybe China can send law enforcement.
Local agencies will form “iPhone recovery units” devoting full time to recovering Apple Hardware, yeah right!
Me likey.
Seems easy enough to pull off if your have serial number based inventory control.
A disabled phone is as useless as a box of previously struck matches.
…out where I am, there’s businesses that advertise phone unlocking services, usually in the same slapdash store as “BLACK BY POPULAR DEMAND” hoodies, “I LOVE MY BLACK SKIN” T-shirts, and bootlegged DVDs next to the unlicensed BBQ and booze sales. Seeing as how there isn’t a chance in HELL of ANY mayor, ANY prosecuter, or ANY LEO pursuing stolen phones into the Blackisphere neighborhoods, they have PLENTY of leisure to figure it out…
Wouldn’t it be more efficient in the long run to pack those things with a small charge of C4? It’s not like they’re going to resell them.
@SNS, that phone unlocking service is to make the phone able to work with any carrier. Like if you get a Verizon phone it will only work on a Verizon service plan, but if you decide to goto Sprint or something else that phone will need to be unlocked to work with other providers. Many phones today are sold as “unlocked” as new meaning you can goto your carrier of choice for service. It doesn’t have anything to do with stolen phones.
I think apple is dumb for supplying the thief with that message. The phone should work as normal with hidden tracking. That way they don’t know someone might be coming for them. It’ll get people to go sign up for service with it and at that point the phone can be confiscated, essentially making the thieves turn themselves in.
Apple’s down with the cause…until it hits their bottom line.
It is more than fair that they are warning the thieves to bring back the phones but in a perfect world I like a version of Brad’s idea.
Or use software to make a siren sound every time the phone is on. would go over well in the hood.
Related: I just got an email from something called Yideo telling me about all the wonderful videos they have that I should watch. One of the videos was about celebrities sharing their experiences of being tear gassed while participating in “peaceful” protests.
Nothing will happen. You can literally go to a police station and show them the address the stolen phone is at and they will tell you go away, not going after it. The scum know it too. Best to brick the phone and chalk it up as a loss.
What a bunch of racists.
On another note, if they can disable and track these phones, what can they do to legitimate owners? Another reason not to ever own one.
On “some”?
And why isn’t that fat useless fuck Barr giving search warrants to Apple for the location of these devices??
Cops won’t do anything, but let the rioters burn down a donut shop, and Katie bar the door!
BTW: How stupid is it to tell the brothers that you are traking the phones? They will now find them all in the landfill.
Cops don’t have to do anything.
If a phone doesn’t have a legitimate bill of sale and activation from a wireless carrier is like a discarded flip flop on the beach. Not even maxwell smart can make a call from it.
Not even in the Cone of Silence?
No riot insurance, huh Apple?
Notice how Pantifa never goes after the Home Depots and Lowes? I wonder why that is? 😉
I’m more concerned about the tracking Google is trying to pull with the Woo-woohan tracking on your phone.
If you have Android & don’t want the COVIDSafe app, check if you have CV19 Exposure Notifications active on your phone, go to Settings,
open “Google Settings/Services” if you see “CV-19 Exposure Notifications” open and Turn Off “Usage & Diagnostics”
Mine says I have to download the app…I wonder about that. How did it even get onto my phone in the first place?
@AbigailAdams JUNE 7, 2020 AT 8:22 PM
“No riot insurance, huh Apple?
Notice how Pantifa never goes after the Home Depots and Lowes? I wonder why that is?”
It’s all a conspiracy by The Home Depot and Lowe’s to sell a shitload of plywood. 🙂
“Apple” can always remotely activate the lithium-ion short circuit switch.
Woe to those holding such a phone in a pocket or holding it near their head when some CCP operative hits THAT switch.
Goldenfoxx – Through updates. Sometimes you don’t even know they did updates because they don’t tell you.
The problem is, they weren’t just stealing from apple stores, they were stealing from apple dealers, too. They are out the money for them if they don’t get them back. So if I were an independent dealer, I would press charges.
DA’s don’t have time or money for such stuff.
Because nobody is bleeding for one. If they won’t bother with your work truck being jacked and striped of tools even though they have finger prints, (ask me how I know) or riottors/looters. Apple phones = small potatoes. New normal sucks.
Like the authorities give a crap about a bunch of posh phones. They’re letting looters get away with their thievery.
And it’s almost poetic justice that Apple will lose all that money – they wanted to support rioters, now they can.