Apple (AAPL 0.20%) has the ability to track iPhones stolen during looting and vandalism that’s broken out in recent days, rendering them useless thanks to software long used by the company.
According to Forbes it’s well known that Apple has software that disables an iPhone if it's heisted from one of its stores although Apple never confirmed it. That was proven true Tuesday after an image of a purportedly stolen iPhone turned up on Twitter.
IMAGE SOURCE: APPLE.
On the device was a message alerting the user the iPhone is disabled and should be returned to the store. It’s not clear if Apple or law enforcement plans to do anything with the data it collects.
Nah son I swear to god I’d be heated 😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/RoFxHV1lLm
— josh (apex male) (@onlyfanobtainer) May 31, 2020
The tech stock, which has been fighting to clamp down on theft for years, also has built-in software to help users find a lost or stolen phone. Through its Find My app, users can locate, lock, and erase the device remotely.
Apple Stores in New York, Los Angeles, and Washington have been the target of vandalism and looting during protests against police brutality in America, which have been raging since the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody. That has prompted Apple to announce the closures of some stores across the country. Other retailers including Target, Walmart, and Amazon’s Whole Foods also shuttered stores or shorten hours because of the situation.
The civil unrest sweeping across America comes just as Apple is opening more than 100 stores in the U.S., after shuttering them for weeks because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s not clear how long the stores will remain closed.
