With today's new beta release, iPhone users get closer to the important stable version of iOS 17.3
Apple today released iOS 17.3 beta 3 to developers which means that the public version of the beta should be arriving in a few days. The most important new feature and the one that most iPhone users are looking forward to receiving once the final stable version of iOS 17.3 is released, is the Stolen Device Protection feature. Remember that interview The Wall Street Journal's Joanna Stern conducted with iPhone thief Aaron Johnson? Johnson said that once he had your passcode, he could turn your iPhone into his iPhone in only seconds.
The Stolen Device Protection feature coming in iOS 17.3 will make it harder for thieves to takeover an iPhone
The Stolen Device Protection feature makes life difficult for criminals like Johnson by requiring more than just a passcode to make certain changes to the phone and delaying some major changes by up to one hour. This gives iPhone users time to report that their phone has been lost or stolen. The Stolen Device Protection feature works when your iPhone detects that it is at an unfamiliar location that is not home or work.
The Stolen Device Protection feature is coming to iPhone users with iOS 17.3
For example, one of the things that Johnson would do once he had your passcode and your iPhone would be to change your Apple ID password. In the interview, he said that he became so skilled at changing the data on a stolen iPhone that he could turn your iPhone into his iPhone in just five to 10 seconds. And with the Find My app disabled, there would be nothing that the real owner of the device could do. Once Johnson placed his image on Face ID, he "got the key to everything," he said.
With the Stolen Device Protection feature, certain actions will require the use of Face ID or Touch ID to verify the user's identity. These actions include"
- Viewing/using passwords or passkeys saved in iCloud Keychain
- Applying for a new Apple Card
- Viewing an Apple Card virtual card
- Turning off Lost Mode
- Erasing all content and settings
- Taking certain Apple Cash and Savings actions in Wallet
- Using payment methods saved in Safari
- Using your iPhone to set up a new device
The following changes will be delayed by one hour and will then still require Face ID or Touch ID to verify the user's identity:
- Changing your Apple ID password
- Updating select Apple ID account security settings, including adding or removing a trusted device, trusted phone number, Recovery Key, or Recovery Contact
- Changing your iPhone passcode
- Adding or removing Face ID or Touch ID
- Turning off Find My
- Turning off Stolen Device Protection
The criminal who steals your device counts on his ability to make certain changes (like passcode, Apple ID password, and Face ID) quickly so that he can continue to make your iPhone his iPhone. But by waiting an hour for certain changes to take place, you now have time to contact Apple to inform the company that your phone has been stolen. And requiring biometric approval to make changes to Face ID and Touch ID, and to turn off key apps like "Find My," the process used by thieves like Aaron Johnson becomes harder to do.
The Collaborative Apple Music Playlist feature is also expected in iOS 17.3
You might recall that Apple was forced to pull iOS 17.3 beta 2 and iPadOS 17.3 beta 2 because of a bug that caused some devices to get stuck in a boot loop. Instead of re-releasing iOS 17.3 beta 2 and iPadOS 17.3 beta 2, Apple apparently included the fix for the boot looping issue with the new release.
We should see the public version of iOS 17.3 released at the end of this month.
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