There has been a leak of Apple’s new iPhone repair policy, and it’s terrible news for would-be phone burglars.
A new regulation from Apple might make it more difficult for iPhone thieves to fix stolen devices.
An internal Apple document obtained by MacRumors states that Apple repair staff should refuse to work on iPhones that have been flagged as missing in the GSMA Device Registry, a status that they can verify with their standard diagnostic tools.
As well as the IMEI number, the GSMA Device Registry also includes information on the device’s ownership and whether it was purchased using a payment plan. The police, your insurance company, or your cell carrier may flag the phone with the register after you’ve reported it stolen. GSMA’s Device Check system may then identify the device as missing if it is discovered, traded, repaired, or recycled.
Only the entity that submitted the report has the authority to remove this flag, therefore it cannot be erroneously disabled. The ability to deny mobile service to a phone that has been flagged with the registry may also make mobile device theft significantly less enticing.
Even if your iPhone is in Lost Mode, you can’t have it repaired by Apple unless you have evidence of purchase, which is already the case. Accordingly, this new regulation is consistent with Apple’s earlier efforts.
If anything happens to your phone, you may use our instructions on how to track down a stolen or lost iPhone to try to get it back. Apple AirTag and other top key finders are an easy and practical solution to keep track of your other electronics if you’re concerned about them going missing.