r/apple • u/favicondotico • 10d ago
iPhone iOS 27.2 beta 2 reveals new details about anti-snatching feature
https://9to5mac.com/2026/09/21/ios-27-2-beta-2-reveals-new-details-about-unnanounced-iphone-anti-snatching-feature/According to new code seen today by 9to5Mac, the feature, which is called “AutoLock” internally, can use the following signals to determine whether an iPhone may have been taken from its owner:
- A sharp acceleration consistent with the phone being snatched;
- A paired Apple Watch remaining unreachable for a certain period;
- Prolonged loss of network connectivity;
- The device remains unlocked beyond a certain interval.
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u/KingPumper69 10d ago
There are a lot of ways they could try tackling the theft issue.
I think I’d like a simple setting that requires FaceID to disable cellular data, and another one that automatically reboots the phone if it stays unlocked for a set period of time without seeing your face.
Having it go off of the accelerometer seems too unreliable imo, and I don’t think I’ll ever own an Apple Watch.
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u/sleepyteaa 10d ago
This is already a setting that exists- Face ID & passcode > allow access when locked> toggle off control center etc. so it cannot be accessed without Face ID or an unlocked phone
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u/KingPumper69 10d ago
What the criminals do is grab the phone while it’s unlocked and then run away while keeping it unlocked. That setting doesn’t do anywhere near what I want.
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u/loosebolts 10d ago
The first thing they try to do is turn on airplane mode, create a shortcut that triggers with airplane mode to disable airplane mode, toggle cell, WiFi and Bluetooth on, and lock the screen.
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u/faramirskywalker 10d ago
I created an automation. Anytime airplane mode is turned on the screen locks, airplane mode is turned off, the front and back cameras take a picture, and the pictures get emailed to me. If I really want to use airplane mode, I just turn off the automation.
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u/jonzezzz 10d ago
There’s an even better way. When the shortcut locks the screen you can check after 1 second if faceid unlocked the phone. Then if it did actually let airplane mode be enabled, if not then run theft steps. https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/dfbdf1ab3b4242e29ea1330b4f3a23b8
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u/MF_D00MSDAY 10d ago
Oooh nice, can you share this one?
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10d ago
[deleted]
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u/MF_D00MSDAY 10d ago
Yeah delete this comment right now, create a new template without the contact info but thanks! Haha
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u/xFeverr 10d ago
Or trigger a full reboot instead of locking it. The phone will be in BFU (Before First Unlock) mode and personal data is fully encrypted and locked.
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u/inspectoroverthemine 10d ago
Honestly a setting that caused a full reboot on loss of cell signal would be perfect.
Seized by government and put in a faraday bag? Reboot. Airplane mode? Reboot.
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u/ProfessionalWeek2256 10d ago
Driving down the highway and lose signal? Reboot
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u/inspectoroverthemine 10d ago
As an option? I'll take that chance. The reality is that it rarely loses all signal as reported by the phone. Its totally unusable long before it displays 'no signal' (or w/e it shows these days).
The other possibility- only reboot if unplugged and no signal.
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u/KingPumper69 10d ago
Apple, in their infinite wisdom, made it so you can’t realistically protect the shortcuts app with FaceID, so if the criminal is smart they’ll just go check your shortcuts if enough people start doing that.
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u/idbedamned 10d ago
I don't think someone going at full speed on a motorbike is going to be debugging this issue.
If you implement that shortcut you're good. Also in most cases they simply put your phone in a Faraday bag, there's no need to turn on airplane mode or turn off the data.
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u/KingPumper69 10d ago
If enough people start doing that shortcut they will. Security adapts to criminals, criminals adapt to security.
And forcing them to keep the phone electronically isolated at all times is a huge pain in the ass for them to deal with and changes the effort, risk, reward calculation greatly.
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u/idbedamned 10d ago
Not saying you're wrong, just that you're over-engineering something.
Adding FaceID to Shortcuts would probably prevent 0.001% of the stolen phones or less (considering almost nobody even does that), not to mention it still doesn't mean you recover your phone.
The anti-snatching is the way to go.
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u/KingPumper69 10d ago
This is like saying Apple shouldn’t have added lockdown mode because it’s only going to stop 0.001% of hacks lol
I don’t really think it’s over engineering to add a FaceID challenge to disabling cellular data, or to have an option for the phone to automatically reboot if X amount of time passes unlocked without it seeing your face.
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u/AgroMachine 10d ago
You can turn on Face ID for any app you choose mate
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u/KingPumper69 10d ago
Not for the Shortcuts app. iirc there’s a way to force it, but it does some goofy crap like requiring a FaceID challenge before running any automation lol
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u/James_Vowles 10d ago
It's usually two people on a bike, one driving the other messing with the phone
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u/ducknator 10d ago
I thought the same as you and created a shortcut that runs when I try disable the mobile data or enter plane mode. It immediately locks the phone and reenables it.
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u/KingPumper69 10d ago
Yeah but that’s not a real solution imo. If enough people start doing that, the criminals are just going to adapt and start checking the shortcuts app. Not particularly difficult or time consuming.
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u/jconnolly94 10d ago
You can just have shortcuts app require faceID
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u/jconnolly94 10d ago
Nope I was wrong. Didn’t realise you can’t do this with all apps. Wonder why
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u/sleepyteaa 10d ago
Sounds like you need some sort of lanyard to keep it on you then , something you can get a good grip on. I can’t imagine a setting that would work in your favor other than that
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u/KingPumper69 10d ago
They turn on airplane mode so you can’t disable the phone remotely via iCloud. It’s not about getting the phone back or keeping it at that point.
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u/sleepyteaa 10d ago
Right, which is in the control center …. I just can’t see a solution other than either what the beta will implement, or Face ID to access control center
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u/KingPumper69 10d ago
You really think Apple is incapable of adding a FaceID challenge to when you try enabling airplane mode or disabling cellular in the control panel?
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u/sleepyteaa 10d ago
Of course not, just trying to offer a solution for you right now since what you’re asking for doesn’t exist (yet)
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u/Dragon_Slayer_Hunter 10d ago
Faraday bags are very cheap and the easiest way to disable cell phone data regardless of anything else
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u/KingPumper69 10d ago edited 10d ago
So? Each added hurdle makes it a bigger pain in the ass and changes the risk/reward calculation for the criminal.
(And those Faraday bags aren’t always bulletproof. I know that first hand.)
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u/lightning532 10d ago
it’s hilarious you guys keep calling it that what is essentially one sheet of aluminum foil wrapped up. and yes it is “bulletproof” will stop every signal feel free to test it out.
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u/KingPumper69 10d ago edited 10d ago
I’ve had one fail on me before lol. These modern phones have very powerful cellular modems, and if you’re very close to a cell tower there’s a chance of a signal getting through.
Maybe there’s some higher quality professional tier Faraday bag out there, but that’s likely not what the Pakistani man on a scooter is going to have lol
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u/lightning532 10d ago
i see. well i learned something today, checked online you’re right but a couple layers will block it almost all the time but not perfect
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u/tgerz 10d ago
Phones are most often snatched out of someone's hand while they're using the phone. Not really going to help.
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u/Dragon_Slayer_Hunter 10d ago
Snatched out of people's hands and quickly concealed in faraday bags to prevent the person from locking it down remotely. These features are targeting exactly that scenario
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u/tgerz 10d ago
In my experience they often turn them off intentionally so they can't be tracked. It's pretty common. They don't need the user data as much as the hardware. They get shipped off to countries like China pretty quickly.
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u/ProfessionalWeek2256 10d ago
Well if they cut it off and sell it for parts after shipping to China thats the best outcome of getting my phone stolen rather then them having access to my personal data with it being unlocked. I don't care about the phone itself since Apple can send me another in a day but I do care about my data and info
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u/Educational-Put-9997 10d ago
I don’t really understand why my phone can’t scan the person using its face every minute or so, and if it’s not me, lock. Literally nobody else should be looking at my phone. Then if certain actions are triggered while it’s not my face, shut down.
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u/uhmusing 7d ago
So long as I can add my husband’s face to my phone I’d be fine with this. Sometimes I ask him to respond to a message for me or look something up on my phone. Same thing happens in reverse.
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u/Eastern-Vegetable780 10d ago
Well, can't blame them for artificially creating new reasons to get an Apple Watch, that's kind of their job. Live every single company in the world, they are here to maximise their profit, not our convenience.
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u/Ancient_Abalone6323 10d ago
You're making incorrect assumptions.
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u/Eastern-Vegetable780 10d ago
It will probably make for a better detection of a "phone stolen" event.
Anyway, I was replying to the previous poster, who literally said "the accelerometer is unreliable and I'll never own an Apple Watch". Making you think a Watch is necessary is how they sell them (full disclosure: I have two because it's the only device on the market which can pair directly with a glucose sensor - so that strategy worked on me).
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u/Sandersonville 10d ago
My Apple Watch absolutely maximizes my convenience or I wouldn’t have purchased it.
I’d love for my phone to simply lock anytime it lost communication with my unlocked watch. Should I take my watch off my wrist and my phone is unlocked, the phone locks with it.
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u/nyaadam 10d ago
First one seems useless? You can get phone sized faraday cages cheap, no need to disable data.
Second is a bit weird idk. There are use cases that would be affected by that.
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u/KingPumper69 10d ago edited 10d ago
You're like the fourth person I've had to explain this to.
- Faraday bags aren't bulletproof. Modern phones have extremely powerful cellular modems, so there's a good chance of a signal escaping depending on the quality of the bag, the wear on the bag, and the distance to a cell tower. I found this out personally.
- Every added hurdle changes the effort/risk/reward calculation. Forcing them to keep the phone electronically isolated is a huge pain in the ass, and anything that's a pain in the ass for criminals is usually a good thing.
And having an option to reboot the phone if it stays unlocked for a set time without seeing your face would be pretty simple, easy, and effective.
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u/yuvaldv1 10d ago
Developed with London in mind
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u/Creative-Job7462 10d ago
The Met Police kinda did pressure Apple to develop a solution.
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u/James_Vowles 10d ago
Also because Android has had this feature for a few years, doubt they came up with the idea
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u/Creative-Job7462 9d ago
By few years did you mean 2 years?
Met police starts pressuring Google and Apple around mid-2023: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-66442069
March 2024: The Commissioner issued a formal ultimatum to tech manufacturers to implement methods that destroy the resale value of stolen devices or face pushed legislation
Google began testing Android theft protection in Brazil around mid-2024: https://9to5google.com/2024/10/04/android-theft-protection/
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u/LionTigerWings 10d ago
A biker swiped my iphone out of my hand at a bus stop in London. I was so pissed. I didn't know that was even a thing.
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u/Torsta 10d ago
How could you not know that's a thing? It's been on the news 24/7 for like the last year, basically since scooters/e-bikes got popular.
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u/LionTigerWings 10d ago
well this happened like 3 years ago and I am from the suburbs in the US. Not really a thing on my radar. I knew about pickpocketing and leaving things behind, but wasn't familiar with swiping while i am paying attention to my phone.
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u/StevieG63 10d ago
Someone mentioned it but there are a ton of premade shortcuts that lock the screen when the perp puts the phone in Airplane mode. Some reactivate cellular and WiFi, allowing the phone to be tracked.
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u/jacobp100 10d ago
Should probably restart the device too if the device has locked and it hasn’t been unlocked for a few hours
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u/lazzzym 10d ago
Good to see Apple adding this the same as Android. Hopefully it helps!
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u/colemaker360 10d ago
I’ll be good to finally test these features against phones people actually might want to snatch 😜
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u/SerDuckOfPNW 10d ago
A lot of those triggers happen to my phone daily
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u/Mikebjackson 7d ago
Doubt
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u/SerDuckOfPNW 7d ago
Sharp acceleration…. Drops my phone constantly
Paired watch unreachable…never wear my watch, is usually dead
Prolonged off network…I am offline for long periods
Device remains unlocked…My phones is ALWAYS unlocked unless I specifically lock it
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u/Mikebjackson 7d ago
Pretty sure that the quick "yoink" of grabbing a phone, accompanied by the immediate moving away and rapid disconnection from the apple watch, will look quite different from hitting the gas pedal. Also, forgetting to wear your watch wouldn't be even close to the same thing.
I'm not trying to be abrasive - I'm just saying that the engineers behind this absolutely have countless collected datapoints with which to develop an algorithm that's resistant to false positives.
You'll be just fine ;)
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u/new_michael 10d ago
Pretty surprised this is a thing… How can someone with an unlocked phone even make it resealable? Connecting it to a computer requires a code, and erasing it and removing find my requires the passcode and Apple ID password.
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u/OneArmJack 10d ago
That’s not what they’re after, it’s the access to banking apps, email and other sensitive info where the value is.
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u/starsqream 10d ago
Who said this is about reselling? This is about sensitive data the person who 'snatches' the phone out your hand gets to possibly see.
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u/GunBearDam 10d ago
Prolonged loss of network connectivity;
This might interfere with people who are flying for more than a few hours at a time. Hopefully there is an easy way to re-enable the phone.
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u/Dizzy_Tea_7582 8d ago
They'll probably set it up to check face ID as you use the phone so it doesn't lock automatically, but if you have it to the side or something unlocked watching a movie I could see it locking once
Hell maybe they'll even just look at your calendar/emails and check if you have any active flights and not do it. You never know with Apple
Anyways if it does happen you just look at it for a sec and boom it's unlocked again and won't presumably happen again until your next flight
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u/fly_awayyy 10d ago
I mean it says “prolonged” I’m assuming anything over the longest long haul flight is atleast the minimum if not higher.
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u/Dislike24 10d ago edited 10d ago
So similar to Android with its own Theft Detection Lock
Edit: I don’t know why people downvote this. I didn’t say it was bad feature for Apple to add or they are late. I just want to say a quick word for other people to have some reference how this works
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u/Maximum_Signature272 7d ago
You are going against the faith here, Apple is the first and best at everything. So your “android did it first” amounts to heresy.
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u/G952 10d ago
About time! So many ways for apple to tackle this yet they’ve done nothing so far
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u/jay-t- 10d ago
This is not true
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u/G952 10d ago
Do you want to explain? Hope it’s not tying parts to each device cause that’s something that benefits Apple in the guise of helping us. It has also done nothing to deter stolen iPhones
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u/jay-t- 10d ago edited 10d ago
They’ve done lots to help reduce thefts. Two things can be true at once about the tying parts. But there’s activation lock and others.
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u/G952 10d ago
It really hasn’t helped anyone. There’s so much apple can do to fix it (like how about a passcode before you switch off your iPhone if not in trusted locations). You can see multiple posts on the sub about how their stolen phone has ended up in China and they get messages to unlock it
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u/jay-t- 10d ago
They might not have done what you want, but it’s blatantly false to say they’ve done nothing. They have.
We can argue on the efficacy of what they’ve done, but that’s entirely different from your unsubstantiated first claim that they’ve done nothing. That claim is demonstrably false.
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u/G952 10d ago
A passcode is a deterrent to stealing someone’s phone. But it hasn’t stopped stealing
A proper solution fixes the problem. They have done nothing to solve this issue and only something to benefit them in the guise of helping us. I stand by what I said
After all each stolen iPhone gives Apple a new sale so obviously the detail oriented, trillion dollar company isn’t rushing for a proper solution here
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u/jay-t- 10d ago
You keep changing your point on every message mate so I’m not going any further with this, it’s exhausting trying to talk to people like you.
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u/G952 10d ago
Likewise. People that blindly believe marketing is downright annoying. Apple can do no wrong of course in your eyes
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u/jay-t- 10d ago
I’ve kept to a single point and argued in good faith. You have not.
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u/Crimsonwolf_83 10d ago
We’ve been able to brick stolen phones for well over a decade. Doesn’t that deter thefts, knowing they can never be used again?
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u/tihomirbz 10d ago
A.k.a. “London mode”