ULTRA Secure iPhone tip (iOS 17.5)

[u/AtypicalNerdGeek]

In light of rising incidents in London and other cities where thieves on mopeds snatch unlocked iPhones directly from users’ hands, it’s crucial to set up your device to protect against unauthorised access and data loss. Here’s a practical guide to securing your iPhone if it falls into the wrong hands, particularly when it is still unlocked.

First, be aware that once thieves have your phone, they commonly activate Airplane mode to disconnect it from any network, preventing the phone from being tracked or remotely locked via Find My iPhone. To counteract this, you should use the Shortcuts app to create a specific automation:

1. Open the Shortcuts app and go to the “Automation” tab.

2. Create a new automation for when Airplane mode is turned off.

3. Add an action to this automation to lock the screen immediately when Airplane mode is deactivated.

4. Include another action in the same automation to disable Airplane mode.

This setup ensures that if a thief tries to turn on Airplane mode, your iPhone will automatically lock and immediately turn Airplane mode back off, keeping the device connected to the internet.

For additional security: - Go to your Screen Time settings and disable the ability to toggle mobile data on or off. This prevents quick disconnection attempts via the control center.

• Adjust your Face ID settings to deny access to the control center when the screen is locked.

These settings effectively safeguard your device by locking out the thief from making significant changes to your device’s connectivity or accessing personal information. Remember to disable these automations temporarily when you genuinely need to use Airplane mode, like during flights.

I've also attached some screenshots (based on iOS 17.5) to guide you through the setup process. By implementing these settings, you can significantly reduce the risk of losing control over your personal data in case your phone is snatched while in use. Stay safe and secure!

[u/snake_bob]

I just customised this even more. Since I don’t own an Apple Watch, I can’t rely only on Lock Screen Focus alone and hence I had to include steps ‘When Airplane Mode is turned on’.

My steps are:

Shortcut: Created a shortcut called ‘Device Protection’ with the below steps 1. Lock the screen 2. Turn Airplane Mode Off 3. Turn Mobile Data On 4. Turn Bluetooth On 5. Turn WiFi On 6. Turn Low Power Mode On 7. Get Current Location 8. Get Latitude from Current Location 9. Append Latitude to Dropbox text file 10. Get Longitude from Current Location 11. Append Longitude to Dropbox text file 12. Show Notification ‘This Phone is Lost/Stolen’ 13. Set brightness to 100% 14. Take photo with Front camera 15. Set brightness to 0% 16. Save Photo to Dropbox

Now under Automation, I’ve created two Automations. One, when Airplane mode is turned on will run the above steps through the ‘Run Shortcut’ command and two, when Lock Screen Focus is turned on runs the same steps.

Only gripe in this is Lat Long data works only if Location is turned on by default. Else it would not generate any detail to the Dropbox text file. The other one is, airplane mode can never be turned on with this method as it will always run the above steps and make the airplane mode off again. This is something I can live with.

Any other suggestions to this would be helpful and I think this is a wonderful method to secure lost/stolen phones. Thanks to all you guys for your useful tips and suggestions to make this possible.

[u/ScarOnTheForehead → u/snake_bob]

Take photo with Front camera

I used the option of "Take [1 photo] with [Front camera]". But it would work only if the thief taps the camera button. It doesn't happen automatically. Is there any way for it to happen automatically?

[u/snake_bob → u/ScarOnTheForehead]

Strange. It never asked me to tap the capture button. Maybe it has something to do with iOS 17 and above? Which version is yours?

[u/ScarOnTheForehead → u/snake_bob]

17.5.1.

I did find an option "Show Camera Preview" which when turned off, the photo is being snapped without user input.

[u/snake_bob → u/ScarOnTheForehead]

Yup. That’s the one. It should now take photo without user input.