- In iOS 17.5, Repair Status lets you keep Find My on while your phone is repaired.
- Currently, Apple requires you to turn off Find My before submitting.
- The only way to truly protect your data is to wipe it beforehand.
Apple will soon add a "Repair Status" mode to iPhone so you can keep your iPhone safe during the repair process.
Repair State, currently being tested in iOS 17.5 Beta, lets you keep Find My turned on when you send your iPhone in for repair. This seems to be a way to deal with the newly launched Stolen Device Protection, which won't let you disable Find My unless you're at home, but it also makes repairs more secure. This got us wondering, why does Apple ask you to turn off Find My when repairing your iPhone? Wouldn't it be better to give your phone a good wipe down before handing it over?
"Find My, along with Activation Lock, effectively prevents theft or unauthorized access to your iPhone. By keeping Find My enabled, you can ensure your device remains traceable and secure, even during repairs. Not only does this Not only does it protect your data, but it also reduces the risk of your device being stolen,” software company founder Dhanvin Sriram told Lifewire via email. or risk of theft or misuse in the event of theft.”
Apple currently requires that you back up your iPhone, turn off Apple Cash, and remove cards and passes from Apple Wallet before handing it over or sending it to Apple for repair. It also requires you to deactivate the Find My service, which lets you track your iPhone on a map, and, crucially, lock it into Lost Mode or perform a remote wipe so hackers can't access you data, no matter how good they are.
Why does Apple need this step? To ensure that it is indeed the owner of the iPhone who is sending it in for repair.
In January, Apple added stolen device protection, closing a huge security hole. Before SDP, a thief could "sneak a peek" at your iPhone passcode, steal your phone, and then use that code to reset your Apple ID password, locking you out of your account. You won't be able to access your photos, purchased apps, and anything else, and a thief can use your phone just like you do—email, apps, and more. Stolen Device Protection puts an end to this by adding a one-hour delay to any Apple ID password changes (unless you're at home).
But if you're waiting at an Apple store for your device to be sent for repair, a one-hour delay isn't so convenient. So in the next iOS update, you'll be able to keep the Find My feature enabled, which, frankly, is crucial. You must be crazy if you hand your iPhone to a stranger with this security feature turned off.
But is it enough?
Thanks to Apple's self-designed Apple Silicon system, iPhones, iPads and Macs are extremely resistant to attacks, even if attackers physically place the devices in front of them. Gone are the days of removing the hard drive and plugging it into another computer to read the entire unencrypted content.
But even the iPhone isn't infallible. In 2021, we learned that US police were using a device called GrayKey to unlock phones. That same year, Apple sued Israeli spyware company NSO Group, which made the Pegasus hacking tool that could be used to target specific iPhone users and penetrate their devices.
That said, when your phone falls into the wrong hands, there's only one way to ensure that no one can access your data. You have to back it up and then delete it.
"While the new Stolen Device Protection and Repair modes provide enhanced security, users should still remain cautious. Trusting the repair shop is necessary, but additional steps should be taken, such as backing up data and ensuring the repair shop is reputable. If stored With particularly sensitive information on the device, a complete wipe and repair may be a safer but more troublesome option," mobile software developer Cache Merrill told Lifewire via email.
You may already have an iCloud backup, but check to make sure. You can also backup to Mac or PC. Then the part that actually erases everything is easy. You still need to turn off Find My and sign out of iCloud first (which means you should do this at home, Stolen Device Protection doesn't enforce a one-hour delay), but the actual erasing part is instant.
Yes, you'll have to restore your iPhone, Mac, or iPad once you get it back, but a few extra hours of waiting is nothing compared to the catastrophic consequences of having your phone stolen with no protection enabled except a passcode. What?
This is the only way to know for sure.
