With the advent of the iPhone series, everyone started to realize how much people were willing to pay for high-end technology. And consequently, this also leads the way to the beginning of the GTi (Grand Theft iPhone). Today there’s a war, the likes of which the world has never seen before. The war we’re talking about isn’t fought with guns, bullets, or even proper grammar. No, this war is fought through software, through firewalls, through traps and hidden identities. This is the constant struggle between the black hats that spend their time trying to crack the latest iPhone’s security software, and the security team at Apple whose sole task is to constantly update every iPhone’s security to prevent stolen phones from being broken into.
How do you fit into all this? It’s quite simple; if you own an iPhone then one of three things could happen.
- Your phone is at risk and will be stolen when you least expect it
- You bought your iPhone from shadier sources and it may in fact be stolen
- Nothing
So if you own an iPhone 11 Pro Max, what can you do to keep it safe?
If we want to keep our phones from being stolen and thus, reduce the number of people who unwittingly buy stolen iPhones, here are a few things you can do as an iPhone owner. If you haven’t done any of these since you purchased your iPhone Pro 11 Max, then you’d better get on it RIGHT NOW!
Step 1: Get Applecare+ with theft and loss
Until recently, Apple’s iPhone insurance service (Applecare) would offer no assistance to people who suffered the misfortune to lose their iPhones to theft or carelessness. But all that changed when their more expensive insurance plan came out, now Apple will not only fix two incidents of broken parts, but will also allow one of those incidents to be a case where your phone has been lost or stolen. Make sure to look at the conditions that need to be fulfilled so you’re covered.
Step 2: Enable “Find My iPhone”
Find My iPhone is a very important feature that a lot of people don’t really think about when they get their shiny new iPhone. So if you’ve got your iPhone 11 and are busy playing with the camera, take a minute to set up your Find My iPhone. This feature isn’t just for when your phone is lost, but also for when your phone is stolen. If you don’t enable the Find My iPhone feature, then not only will you be unable to track your lost iPhone XS, but you will also not be able to avail any insurance coverage given that activating this feature is a conditional clause if you want Applecare to replace your phone.
Step 3: Backups!
Another thing that’s actually recommended is backing up your data. Your Apple cloud is one of the best anti-theft tools you will have, if you use it right. Data today is as valuable as any goods or services, so protect yours by backing it up on the cloud so you won’t feel too attached when you need to wipe your phone and lock it in the event that it is stolen. With backups, you have the ability to take immediate action regardless of the circumstances.
Step 4: Use different passwords!
This isn’t a necessarily mandatory step, but it’s certainly more beneficial as a final way to guard your data. If your phone has in fact been stolen and you’re unable to lock and erase it because you forgot to activate the security feature, your data will at least have an additional level of protection that gives you a little more time to change your passwords and deactivate your cards. However, if you don’t activate your Find My iPhone security feature, you’ll find yourself in deep trouble given that “Find My iPhone” is the only feature that lets you control your iPhone remotely and you’ll have handed your phone over to whoever is about to crack the security software.
And finally:
Make sure you can identify your iPhone immediately. Cases are far too easy to remove and can be done quite quickly. However, iPhone 11 skins are not as simple. Using a skin as a key identifying feature will make it easier for you to find your phone if accidentally swapped with someone else’s (it happens more than you would think!) After all this, if your iPhone does indeed get stolen, you could give the thieves a run for their lives, and the police can help too!