Apple working on anti-snatching feature that automatically locks the stolen iPhone

Apple may offer a sneak peek at the new security feature during the WWDC 2026 event in June second week.

Compared to any other brand, iPhone commands the highest resale value in the handset industry. Even a two-year-old model can retain 50-60% of its retail value.

This is also one of the main reasons why thieves find it lucrative to steal iPhones. Apple has improved the security of the iPhone with a stolen device lock (can be enabled from another device), lock device after 10 failed passcode attempts, activation lock and more. But criminals are coming up with more ingenious ways to unlock a stolen iPhone.

Now, Apple is planning to bring a more potent anti-theft feature to the iPhone, reported 9to5mac, citing the code of the unreleased iOS beta software.

The iPhone comes with a lot of sensors, including an ambient light sensor, a high-g-force accelerometer, a high-dynamic-range gyroscope, a barometer, GPS, and a microphone and with software, it will be able to detect changes in the nearby environment to control display brightness or activate crash detection during an accident.

Here too, the iPhone, based on sudden changes in walking speed, will sense that it has been snatched from the owner's hand. To double-check, if the user has paired with Apple Watch, it will estimate the distance, and if it is too far, the anti-snatch feature gets triggered and the iPhone locks.

And, the iPhone, when it is too far away from the owner or from regular locations (such as the office or home) automatically enables Stolen Device Protection. Even if the criminal knows the passcode, the iPhone will not open. It can only be unlocked when it is brought to the known location of the owner, such as home/office Wi-Fi and authenticated with the Face ID security feature.

This way, the thief will never be able to open the iPhone to factory reset.

For now, there is no word on when Apple plans to bring the new anti-snatching for iPhone. It should be noted that Apple is hosting the Worldwide Developers Conference early next month (June 8-12), where it will offer a sneak peek at the all-new software- iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, tvOS 27, watchOS 27 and more. So, we can expect to see some news with regard to this security feature for sure.

Get the latest news on new launches, gadget reviews, apps, cybersecurity, and more on personal technology only on DH Tech.