[hbn]

> This feature is not really about protecting your device from being stolen.

Once a thief has stolen his 10th iPhone that he can't do anything with, he'll probably be less likely to bother stealing iPhones. If anything it's a liability since it can be tracked as long as it still has some battery.

[someotherperson]

> Once a thief has stolen his 10th iPhone that he can't do anything with, he'll probably be less likely to bother stealing iPhones. If anything it's a liability since it can be tracked as long as it still has some battery.

Theft isn't just for the whole device, it's also for parts. By making the part market so difficult they essentially create a black market for it in third world countries where just the phone's battery could be worth a day's wages.

[akmarinov]

That’s why they require that you activate parts as well. Motherboard, screen and face id sensors are useless. The battery isn’t worth much, compared to newer Chinese knockoffs

[someotherperson]

The screen is still usable no? It just disables true tone IIRC.

A day's wage in Colombia is about $10-15 and people tend to preference and pay more for original parts since the cost of the device is too high to risk. An iPhone X costs close to a month's salary. They even tend to avoid third party cables or chargers as a consequence.

[dylan604]

You have a lot of faith in the learning curve of a thief. In my area, the ATT fiber lines have been cut multiple times in the same area multiple times directly impacting my my friend's service. These have been due to the lines getting cut searching for copper. They still haven't learned and it keeps happening.

[nereye]

This is assuming that the thief can tell which phone brand/model it is at the time of theft.

For phones which are in a case/cover, inside bags etc., it seems almost impossible so am unsure that this is an effective deterrent.