Apple has provided its would-be customers a new way to find out if the used iPhone they are about to buy is a stolen device.
The iPhone maker has introduced a new Activation Lock Status tool where potential buyers can enter the device's IMEI number or serial number to check whether Activation Lock is enabled or not. If Activation Lock is turned off, the device is safe for buying. Otherwise, buyers should ask for the iPhone's seller to enter the passcode to remove the lock. If the seller does not know the passcode or refuses to provide the serial number, buyers should move on and look for their new iPhone elsewhere.
"Before you purchase an iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch from somebody else, make sure that Find My iPhone Activation Lock is turned off and the device is ready for you to use," says Apple on its Activation Lock Status page.
Find My iPhone is an iCloud-based feature that helps iPhone users track their lost or stolen devices. The tool can be used to locate the device on a map or allow the user to wipe off all his data from the iCloud and turn on Activation Lock to prevent anyone else from booting the phone and registering it using their own Apple ID. In essence, Activation Lock is a kill switch that turns the iPhone into an unusable slab of glass and metal except for the rightful owner who owns the passcode. The only way anyone can benefit from an iPhone with Activation Lock turned on is if they dismantle the device and sell the parts separately.
Apple's introduction of Activation Lock has largely helped reduce the rate of iPhone thefts in major cities in the United States, including New York and San Francisco as well as London in the United Kingdom. By the end of last year, around 78 percent of all iPhones had either Find My iPhone or Activation Lock activated, according to the Office of District Attorney George Gascon, which conducted a small Facebook survey of 313 respondents who used iPhones.
"The introduction of kill switches has clearly had an effect on the conduct of smartphone thieves," says New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman in an interview the New York Times. "If these can be cancelled like the equivalent of canceling a credit card, these are going to be the equivalent of stealing a paperweight."
