Iphone’s new kryptonite thwarts smartphone thieves

Always be careful in public when you’re tapping out the passcode to unlock your smartphone; thieves may be watching. And don’t fall for ploys from strangers trying to trick you into sharing

that passcode voluntarily. Not everyone heeds the advice. A yearlong _Wall Street Journal__ _investigation found a spate of smartphone crimes across the country. iPhones are the chief target

because Apple’s handsets generally have a higher resale value than their Android counterparts. PASSCODES OPEN THE DOORS TO YOUR SMARTPHONE Armed with snatched passcodes and the phone

itself, bad guys can replace facial recognition or fingerprint protections with their own mugs or digits, giving them the key to your bank accounts, passwords, photos and other personal

information. You could lose much more than the smartphone itself. On Jan. 23, Apple released a new, free tool as part of its iOS 17.3 update, the aptly named Stolen Device Protection, and

found in your iPhone’s Settings ⚙️. While not bulletproof, it adds a layer of security when your phone is outside your familiar surroundings, preventing crooks who have stolen the device

from making critical changes to it or your Apple account. Stolen Device Protection is not on automatically. You’ll have to enable the feature manually. HOW DO I BEGIN? 1. Start by installing

the iOS 17.3 update. Tap SETTINGS ⚙️ | SOFTWARE UPDATE to begin. 2. Use two-factor authentication for your Apple ID and make sure to have a passcode, Face ID or Touch ID. The Find My tool

that can help you locate lost items, and sometimes people, must also be enabled. 3. In SETTINGS ⚙️, scroll to either FACE ID & PASSCODE or TOUCH ID & PASSCODE, depending on the

iPhone model you own. 4. Enter your device’s passcode. 5. Scroll down to STOLEN DEVICE PROTECTION. Tap it so ON is showing. DOES THE PHONE REALLY NEED TO KNOW PLACES I FREQUENT? For the

purposes of the Stolen Device Protection feature, it does. Make sure the optional Significant Locations feature on the device is enabled. Go to SETTINGS ⚙️ | PRIVACY & SECURITY |

LOCATION SERVICES | SYSTEM SERVICES | SIGNIFICANT LOCATIONS. Significant Locations helps the iPhone and other iCloud-connected devices learn about places important to you, such as where you

live, work or frequent, Apple says. The idea is to supply useful location-related information when you use Calendar, Maps, Photos or other apps. These places are end-to-end encrypted,

scrambled so not even Apple can read them, the company says.