iPhone thefts have been on the rise in recent times, with criminals using new and improved techniques to gain access to stolen iPhones so that they can be easily sold on the second-hand market. Keeping this increase in mind, Apple has now released a new feature, Stolen Device Protection, to protect your data and device in the event of theft. Let’s learn more about this feature and how you can use it on your iPhone.

Stolen Device Protection is a new security feature that launched with iOS 17.3 beta (should be available as a public update soon) that, once enabled, will require biometric authentication to perform certain sensitive tasks on your iPhone, such as viewing saved passwords, resetting your iPhone, or changing your passcode, in addition to the normal passcode requirement. Additionally, this feature takes into account the device’s current location and is only active when the device is detected in a new location or one you don’t normally visit.

This is especially useful as recent reports suggest that criminals are now monitoring their targets before stealing their iPhones in order to have the passcode on hand, making it easier to unlock and resell the devices on the second-hand market. Thankfully, Apple has taken this into account and has now released Stolen Device Protection to keep your data safe and prevent the resale of your stolen iPhone.

Now that you're familiar with Stoeln Device Protection, here's how to enable and use it on your iPhone. Follow one of the guides below to help you with the process.