Apple ‘Repair State’ on iOS 17.5 Now Available—'Find My' Always On for iPhone

No more need to turn off Find My with Apple's latest iOS 17.5's "Repair State," as it will always be on whenever sending your iPhone to an authorized service center that will fix the device. Apart from being another layer of security, Repair State will help verify that users with the job order legitimately own the iPhone sent to Apple and service centers.

Apple 'Repair State' Now Available with iOS 17.5's Find My

Apple brings a new feature to iOS 17.5's fourth beta version called the 'Repair State,' discovered by 9to5Mac in the operating system's latest code on the public beta. Through this, iPhones sent for repairs will always be trackable, but more importantly, it will serve as the verification method for Cupertino that the devices sent to service centers are not stolen.

Previously, Apple's way of verifying a device was by asking owners to turn off Find My on their iPhones whenever taking it in for repairs. However, this was made harder through iOS 17.3's introduction of Stolen Device Protection.

When this was made available, users had to wait an hour in service centers for the turning off/verification process, but with the Repair State, it is no longer needed.

Repairs for iPhone: Can You Track it via Find My?

The iOS 17.5 beta's Repair State now lets users confirm that the device is theirs using their Apple IDs and passwords, and while it can confirm that these are legitimately owned, it is unknown how to turn it off. Beta users now have a chance to enable it, but the company says there are no procedures to turn it off by a user, and it may only be done so by technicians unknown and is in a gray area.

Find My and Its Security Features

For many years, Apple's Find My has been known as the main security feature of iPhones and other Cupertino devices, and it will help track the device whenever it is stolen. It is protected via the Apple ID and iCloud. Still, the iPhone 15 series saw a significant upgrade thanks to its new ultrawideband (UWB) chip, calling the new feature 'Precision Finding.'

However, Apple introduced the latest feature on the Find My tracker for regular devices, further enhancing its security measures. This feature, better known as 'Stolen Device Protection, ' was Introduced last December 2023. It further improves security by preventing thieves from using obtained passcodes to remove the Apple ID, thus not hindering the tracking feature for the lost device.

Whether the reason behind Find My Tracking is to avoid losing sleep over the device's whereabouts or sending it for repair, Apple is enhancing the security measures it applies for the iPhone in its latest update. The iOS 17.5 beta now makes the Find My's Repair State available to turn on before sending it for service to help verify it to Apple.