About Apple iPhone Stolen Phone Protection

When Stolen Device Protection is enabled, 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 ID 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. Learn what to do if your iPhone is lost or 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.

To turn on Stolen Device Protection, you must use two-factor authentication for your Apple ID 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:

1. Go to Settings, then tap Face ID & Passcode.
2. Enter your device passcode.
3. Tap Stolen Device Protection, then turn Stolen Device Protection on or off.

If you’d like your iPhone to enforce the additional Stolen Device Protection security measures regardless of its location, choose “Always” under Require Security Delay. By default, the additional security measures are required only when your iPhone is away from familiar locations.

If you try to turn off Stolen Device Protection when you’re 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.

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.

Face ID or Touch ID biometric authentication

Security Delay

If your iPhone is lost or stolen

*Significant Locations is an option within Location Services: Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > System Services > Significant Locations.

This information came directly from Apple Support Documents.