“Apple is disabling and tracking some looted iPhones”
Unconfirmed.
Unconfirmed.
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Sword would know.
“Apple is disabling and tracking some looted iPhones”
Unconfirmed.”
It is unconfirmed if tracking is going on, but any ipad/iphone taking from the display floor is bricked when it loses connectivity to Apple’s WiFi network. But, the bricking has been known for years but evidently not to the looters.
What did not happen with the various break ins was getting into the vault where boxed merchandise is stored.
Its SOP. No confirmation needed. Apple’s been doing this since the iPhone came out and stores were first robbed.
I recently saw, don’t remember where, an article on a “hub” - a patent application - that is for internal Apple use only. This hub provides network services and other un-defind functions for iPhones. They didn’t say specifically, and in fact I believe have have denied, of its use for In Apple stores.
Still, in addition to power and network connectivity, it does have a processor and a certain amount of storage.
I can see a scenario wherein, if you were to unplug a device from it, without entering in a code, that it could very well put the device into brick mode and, utilizing certain proprietary protocols, put the device into low power mode sending out a “ping” every now and then for tracking purposes.
Even if, the device has supposedly been turned off.
Perfectly doable.
Apple has been able to do this with stolen iPhones and iPads for years. They can brick them too. Same with Macs.