About Stolen Device
Protection for iPhone
Stolen Device Protection adds a layer of
security when your iPhone is away from
familiar locations, such as home or work, and
helps protect your accounts and personal
information in case your iPhone is ever stolen.
About Stolen Device
Protection
With Stolen Device Protection, some features
and actions have additional security
requirements when your iPhone is away from
familiar locations such as home or work. These
requirements help prevent someone who has
stolen your device and knows your passcode
from making critical changes to your account or
device.
Face ID or Touch ID biometric
authentication: Some actions such as
accessing stored passwords and credit cards
require a single biometric authentication with
Face ID or Touch ID — with no passcode
alternative or fallback — so that only you can
access these features.
Security Delay: Some security actions such
as changing your Apple Account password
also require you to wait an hour and then
perform a second Face ID or Touch ID
authentication.
In the event that your iPhone is stolen, the
security delay is designed to prevent a thief from
performing critical operations so that you can
mark your device as lost and make sure your
Apple account is secure.
Mark your device lost on [Link]
Learn what to do if your iPhone is stolen
When your iPhone is in a familiar location, these
additional steps are not required, and you can
use your device passcode like usual. Familiar
locations typically include your home, work, and
certain other locations where you regularly use
your iPhone.
If you choose, you can set up Stolen Device
Protection to always require these additional
security measures, even when your iPhone is in a
familiar location.
Stolen Device Protection is available with iOS 17.3 or later
and must be turned on before the device is lost or stolen.
How to turn Stolen Device
Protection on or off
To turn on Stolen Device Protection, you must
use two-factor authentication for your Apple
Account and set up or enable the following on
your iPhone: a device passcode; Face ID or
Touch ID; and Significant Locations* (Location
Services).
You also need to have Find My turned on, and
you can't turn it off while Stolen Device
Protection is enabled.
You can turn on Stolen Device Protection in
Settings:
]. Go to Settings, then tap Face ID & Passcode.
_. Enter your device passcode.
a. Tap Stolen Device Protection, then turn Stolen
Device Protection on or off.
When you restore from iCloud Backup or transfer
directly from a previous iPhone to a new one,
your device settings — including Stolen Device
Protection — are also restored. After a short
delay to sync familiar locations from iCloud, the
Stolen Device Protection security measures
automatically resume on your new device.
Always require additional security
measures
By default, the additional security measures of
Stolen Device Protection are required only when
your iPhone is away from significant locations.
If you'd like your iPhone to enforce the additional
Stolen Device Protection security measures
regardless of its location, you can adjust your
settings.
Go to Settings > Face ID (or Touch ID) &
Passcode > Stolen Device Protection, and
choose "Always" under Require Security
Delay.
When you choose this option, updates to
certain security settings always require a
delay and actions that require biometric
authentication always require Face ID or Touch
ID (with no passcode alternative), even if
you're in a familiar location like home or work.
If you try to turn off Stolen Device Protection when youʼre
not in a familiar location, a security delay starts before you
can turn it off. You should turn off Stolen Device Protection
before you sell, give away, or trade in your iPhone.
How Stolen Device Protection
protects your device and
accounts
When Stolen Device Protection is turned on,
certain actions have additional security
requirements when your iPhone is away from
familiar locations such as home or work.
To help further protect critical security settings,
there are also additional security requirements
for certain actions on the web or other Apple
devices.
You can't update these security settings on
the web at [Link].
You might have to wait a period of time before
you can update these security settings on a
new device.
Face ID or Touch ID biometric
authentication
With Stolen Device Protection, if your iPhone is
not in a familiar location, you must authenticate
with Face ID or Touch ID before you can take
certain actions, including the following:
Use passwords or passkeys saved in Keychain
Use payment methods saved in Safari
(AutoFill)
Turn off Lost Mode
Erase all content and settings
Apply for a new Apple Card
View your Apple Card or Apple Cash virtual
card number
Take certain Apple Cash and Savings actions
in Wallet (for example, Apple Cash or Savings
transfers)
Use your iPhone to set up a new device (for
example, Quick Start)
You can still use your iPhone passcode for purchases with
Apple Pay.
Security Delay
With Stolen Device Protection, you may also be
required to wait an hour before using your
iPhone to make changes to critical security
settings or your Apple Account. If your iPhone is
not in a familiar location, you must authenticate
with Face ID or Touch ID, wait for the security
delay to end, then authenticate with Face ID or
Touch ID again to update settings such as the
following:
Change your Apple Account password
Sign out of your Apple Account
Update Apple Account security settings (such
as adding or removing a trusted device,
Recovery Key, or Recovery Contact)
Add or remove Face ID or Touch ID
Change your iPhone passcode
Reset All Settings
Enroll in Mobile Device Management
Turn off Stolen Device Protection
If you use your iPhone to change your Apple
Account password, the location of your devices
may not be visible at [Link] for a period of
time.
Your device may end the security delay early
after it detects that youʼve arrived at a familiar
location.
If your iPhone is stolen
Learn what to do if your iPhone is stolen
Learn what to do if you think your Apple
Account has been compromised
*Significant Locations is an option within Location
Services: Settings > Privacy & Security > Location
Services > System Services > Significant Locations.
Published Date: December 11, 2024
Helpful? Yes No
Support About Stolen Device Protection for iPhone
United States
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