Apple’s built-in security features and the massive Find My network should keep thieves from stealing your iPhone. Thefts still happen. Some thieves will unlock the phone while looking over your shoulder to see the lock screen password and then try to lock your Apple ID. That’s a nightmare scenario that Apple needs to fix. Until then, I’ve already shown you what you can do to strengthen your security and prevent Apple ID theft on a stolen iPhone.
But what if someone steals your iPhone from your hand while the screen is unlocked? Well, this is an unusual decision on their part, because they can still track the handset. The problem is that when the phone is unlocked, the thief can access sensitive information. And you can enable airplane mode. Thankfully, there’s a brilliant Apple Watch trick that you should deploy as soon as possible to lock your iPhone’s screen remotely.
Key prerequisites
For this iPhone security trick to work, you need to make sure a few things are in place.
First, you need to use the lock screen password/PIN and Face ID/Touch ID on your phone. If you don’t, your handset is practically unencrypted. Also, the Apple Watch trick doesn’t work, because it doesn’t unlock the screen. A thief can still unlock an iPhone without password protection.
Second, you need an Apple Watch connected to that iPhone. And this thief better not stop at your watch and other possessions after you swipe your iPhone.
Finally, you may want to disable Control Center on the iPhone Lock Screen to prevent the thief from accessing Airplane Mode after unlocking the display.
This is how the Apple Watch method works
List by Gizmodo AustraliaThe method is based on the automatic setting from the iPhone shortcuts App.
The automation allows you to create custom Focus mode On the iPhone that does the following things
- Closes the screen.
- Turn off airplane mode
- Turns on mobile data, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
- Sets low power mode.
- It shows a notification
The purpose of this automation is to allow you to remotely activate Focus Mode, which performs all of these actions, so you can lock the iPhone immediately after the thief exits Focus Mode.
You have to be quick to keep the iPhone within Bluetooth range of the Apple Watch. You’ll want to access the iPhone so that Focus Mode turns on all wireless connectivity and Airplane Mode turns off. With Control Center turned off on the lock screen, the thief can’t re-enable Airplane Mode.
That said, here’s what you need to do to enable this automation.
Locking iPhone screen from Apple Watch
First, go to set the focus mode on your iPhone settings, focus mode, and tapping + Button. Give it a name you remember, eg Lock screen. Make sure you share access across devices.
Open now shortcuts App and go to Automatic Tab to search Create personal automation.
You want to tap Lock screen Option in Attention Menu. Then choose When lit Before you click next to. This is the page you use. Add action To get the above steps and set these parameters, issue a command:
- Lock the screen
- Set airplane mode (off)
- Set mobile data (on)
- Set up Bluetooth (on)
- Set up Wi-Fi (on)
- Set low power mode (on)
- Show notification (custom message for the person looking for the phone)
Once you set them up, tap on them next toturn off Ask before you runAnd hit Done.
If someone grabs your iPhone when the screen is on, you can swipe up on the Apple Watch screen to bring up Control Center. Tap The moon Select the icon and choose Lock screen Attention. Enable focus mode, and you’re good to go.
Be sure to try the feature at home to find out what to do. Hopefully, you never have to use the automation. But testing at home will tell you whether you did everything right or not.
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