This Hidden New iPhone Feature Can Protect You If Your Device Gets Stolen

But you have to activate it yourself. Here's how to do it.

Storing your precious photos and valuable credit card information on your iPhone makes life more convenient. But if your phone gets stolen, all of that is immediately at risk.

Enter Apple’s newly-released feature, “Stolen Device Protection,” which is now available through the iOS 17.3 update. If your iPhone is not in a familiar GPS location that you regularly frequent, the Stolen Device Protection feature will make it harder for anyone using your iPhone to access your most sensitive information.

Once the feature is on and working, a passcode won’t be enough to access your stored passwords and credit cards ― it will take Face ID or Touch ID to gain access. It will also require Face or Touch ID to turn off “Lost Mode,” erase contents, use any payment methods that were stored in Safari or transfer money with Apple Cash.

If a thief tries to change your Apple ID password, change your Settings or sign out of your account, the feature also buys you more time and activates an hour-long delay. This way, the person using the iPhone will have to wait 60 minutes and then complete another biometric check before taking any of those actions.

According to Apple, the security delay gives you more time to mark your phone as Lost and make your iPhone inoperable. But here’s the important catch: you must turn this feature on before the device is lost or stolen for it to work.