How to turn on Stolen Device Protection on iPhone
Posted on
by
Doris Muthuri
Here’s how to switch it on, choose when the extra checks apply, and understand the Security Delay for important account changes.
What does Stolen Device Protection do?
Stolen Device Protection adds two types of safeguards to actions that could expose sensitive information or let someone take control of your iPhone or Apple Account.
Biometric authentication
First, certain actions require Face ID or Touch ID without a passcode alternative. These include:
- Viewing passwords or passkeys saved in Keychain
- Using payment methods saved in Safari
- Turning off Lost Mode
- Opening a locked app
- Erasing all content and settings
- Viewing an Apple Card or Apple Cash virtual card number
- Using your iPhone to set up another device
- Setting up or transferring an eSIM
Security Delay
Second, critical account or security changes may trigger a Security Delay. Depending on the setting you choose, these additional safeguards apply away from familiar locations or everywhere.
Security Delay gives you time to mark your stolen iPhone as lost using Find My and secure your Apple Account before someone can make critical changes.
What you need before turning on Stolen Device Protection
Your iPhone must run iOS 17.3 or later and have the following security features set up:
- A device passcode: Your iPhone needs a passcode before you can set up Face ID or Touch ID.
- Face ID or Touch ID: Stolen Device Protection uses biometric authentication without allowing a passcode alternative for certain sensitive actions.
- Two-factor authentication: You must enable two-factor authentication for your Apple Account.
- Find My: Find My must remain on while you use Stolen Device Protection. You can’t turn it off while the feature is enabled.
- Significant Locations: This setting helps your iPhone recognize familiar places, such as your home or workplace, when you choose location-based protection.
How to turn on Stolen Device Protection on iPhone
Follow these steps to enable Stolen Device Protection:
- Open the Settings app and tap Face ID & Passcode (or Touch ID & Passcode if your iPhone has a Home button), then enter your device passcode.
- Scroll down and tap Stolen Device Protection. In the next window, tap the slider next to Stolen Device Protection to turn it on.
Which Stolen Device Protection setting should you choose?
Stolen Device Protection lets you decide where its additional safeguards apply:
| Option | How it works | Best for |
| Away from Familiar Locations | Applies additional safeguards when your iPhone detects that you’re away from familiar places, such as home or work. | A balance between security and convenience |
| Always | Applies additional safeguards wherever you are, including at familiar locations. | The strongest available protection |
Away from Familiar Locations skips the extra checks at places your iPhone recognizes. Always keeps them in place at home or work too. Choose the setting that fits where you want those checks and how often you change important account settings.
How does your iPhone identify familiar locations?
Your iPhone uses Significant Locations & Routes to recognize places where you regularly spend time, such as your home or workplace. It learns these locations from your usage patterns rather than relying only on the home or work address saved in Contacts or Maps.
When you set Stolen Device Protection to Away from Familiar Locations, your iPhone checks whether it recognizes your current location before you perform a protected action:
- At a familiar location: You can generally make sensitive account and security changes without a Security Delay.
- Away from familiar locations: Stolen Device Protection requires stronger authentication and may delay certain critical changes.
- At an unrecognized location: Your iPhone may treat the location as unfamiliar, even if you consider it safe.
You can’t manually add a familiar location from the Stolen Device Protection screen. Your iPhone identifies these places automatically as it learns where you use the device regularly. Saving an address as “Home” or “Work” doesn’t guarantee that Stolen Device Protection will immediately recognize it as familiar. A new home, workplace, or frequently visited location may take time to become familiar.
To check that the feature your iPhone uses is enabled:
- Open Settings and tap Privacy & Security.
- Tap Location Services and make sure it’s on. Scroll down and tap System Services.
- Tap Significant Locations & Routes. Authenticate with Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode and make sure Significant Locations & Routes is on.
Apple says Significant Locations data is end-to-end encrypted and can’t be read by Apple. If you don’t want Stolen Device Protection to depend on whether your iPhone recognizes your location, select Always under Require Security Delay.
What does Security Delay mean on iPhone?
Security Delay is a waiting period that prevents someone from immediately changing critical security settings or taking control of your Apple Account. It doesn’t lock your iPhone or stop you from using it. It only postpones the protected action you’re trying to complete.
When Security Delay applies, the process works as follows:
- Authenticate with Face ID or Touch ID to start the Security Delay.
- Wait approximately one hour.
- Authenticate with Face ID or Touch ID again.
- Complete the security or account change.
Security Delay may apply when you try to:
- Change your Apple Account password.
- Sign out of your Apple Account.
- Add or remove a trusted device, Recovery Key, or Recovery Contact.
- Add or remove Face ID or Touch ID.
- Change your iPhone passcode.
- Reset all settings.
- Enroll the iPhone in mobile device management.
- Turn off Stolen Device Protection.
If you select Away from Familiar Locations, Security Delay applies when your iPhone doesn’t recognize your current location. Your iPhone may end the delay early if it detects that you’ve arrived at a familiar place. If you select Always, the delay applies to protected changes wherever you are, including at home or work.
How does Stolen Device Protection work with locked apps?
Stolen Device Protection strengthens the security of apps you choose to lock. Normally, a locked app can open with Face ID, Touch ID, or your device passcode. When Stolen Device Protection applies, the app requires Face ID or Touch ID and doesn’t offer the passcode as a fallback.
This helps prevent someone with your passcode from opening locked apps when the extra checks apply. Locking Mail, for example, can help protect private messages, password-reset emails, and verification codes.
When biometric-only access applies depends on your chosen setting:
- Away from Familiar Locations: Locked apps require Face ID or Touch ID when your iPhone is away from places it recognizes.
- Always: Locked apps require Face ID or Touch ID regardless of your location.
Stolen Device Protection doesn’t automatically lock your apps. You must choose which iPhone apps to lock or hide from the Home Screen.
Why can’t you find or turn on Stolen Device Protection?
If Stolen Device Protection is missing or won’t turn on, check the following:
- Your iPhone runs an older iOS version: Stolen Device Protection requires iOS 17.3 or later. Go to Settings > General > Software Update to check for an available update.
- Face ID or Touch ID isn’t set up: The setting may not appear until you configure biometric authentication under Settings > Face ID & Passcode or Touch ID & Passcode.
- Your iPhone doesn’t support iOS 17.3: If the device can’t update to a compatible version, you can’t use Stolen Device Protection.
- A required security feature is off: Confirm that your device passcode, Apple Account two-factor authentication, Find My, Location Services, and Significant Locations & Routes are enabled.
- Face ID or Touch ID isn’t working: Because protected actions rely on biometric authentication, a problem with the camera or sensor may prevent you from enabling or using the feature correctly.
If you’ve met all the requirements but the setting still doesn’t work, restart your iPhone and install any available iOS update. Contact Apple Support if the problem continues.
How to turn off Stolen Device Protection
If you’re selling, trading in, or giving away your iPhone, turn off Stolen Device Protection before erasing the device or travelling to the handoff location. Otherwise, you may have to complete a Security Delay before you can disable it.
- Open Settings.
- Tap Face ID & Passcode, or Touch ID & Passcode if your iPhone has a Home button.
- Enter your device passcode.
- Scroll down and tap Stolen Device Protection.
- Turn off Stolen Device Protection.
- Authenticate with Face ID or Touch ID if prompted.
With Away from Familiar Locations, turning off the feature at an unrecognized location triggers a Security Delay. Tap Start Security Delay, authenticate with Face ID or Touch ID, wait approximately one hour, and authenticate again to complete the change. Your iPhone may end the delay early if it detects that you’ve reached a familiar location.
With Always, you must complete the Security Delay wherever you are, including at home or work.
How to strengthen your iPhone security beyond Stolen Device Protection
Stolen Device Protection helps if a thief has your iPhone and knows its passcode, but it doesn’t protect against every security risk. Take these additional steps to strengthen your overall protection:
- Use a stronger passcode: Choose a long numeric or custom alphanumeric code instead of an easy-to-guess four- or six-digit PIN, and shield the screen when entering it in public.
- Install iOS updates promptly: Updates fix known security vulnerabilities and help ensure that Apple’s latest protective features work correctly.
- Review Lock Screen access: Under Settings > Face ID & Passcode, limit access to features you don’t need while the iPhone is locked, such as Control Center, accessories, or notification details.
- Check your Find My settings: Enable Find My iPhone, Find My network, and Send Last Location so you have more options if the device goes missing.
- Secure important online accounts: Use unique passwords or passkeys, enable two-factor authentication, and keep your trusted phone numbers and recovery contacts current.
- Watch for phishing attempts: Stolen Device Protection can’t stop you from sharing information with a scammer, so check whether unexpected Apple security alerts are genuine before clicking links or providing your passcode, password, or verification code.
Intego ONE on iPhone can check unfamiliar Wi-Fi and flag security settings that may need attention, such as your passcode, Face ID, and iOS updates. It doesn’t switch on Stolen Device Protection for you — use the Settings steps above.
Is Stolen Device Protection worth turning on?
Yes, Stolen Device Protection is worth turning on for most iPhone users. A device passcode can give someone access to sensitive information and settings, so requiring Face ID or Touch ID for protected actions provides an important additional safeguard.
The trade-off is an extra step when you change important settings. Away from Familiar Locations usually skips it at places your iPhone recognizes; Always keeps it wherever you are. Choose Always if you prefer that extra check even at home, and expect a delay for some changes.
Protect your iPhone before it goes missing
Stolen Device Protection helps when someone has both your iPhone and its passcode. For certain sensitive actions, the passcode alone isn’t enough: the phone asks for Face ID or Touch ID and may delay account changes. That can give you time to use Find My if your iPhone is stolen.
Check that the feature is on now, and choose whether its extra checks should apply away from familiar places or everywhere.
Frequently asked questions
Where is Stolen Device Protection on iPhone?
Stolen Device Protection is under Settings > Face ID & Passcode > Stolen Device Protection. On an iPhone with a Home button, go to Settings > Touch ID & Passcode > Stolen Device Protection instead. Enter your device passcode and scroll down to find the setting.
Should I set Stolen Device Protection to Always?
Yes, choose Always if you want the strongest protection and don’t mind extra authentication or a Security Delay when changing critical settings. Choose Away from Familiar Locations if you prefer to avoid these additional steps at places your iPhone recognizes, such as home or work.
Why can’t I turn off Stolen Device Protection immediately?
You can’t turn off Stolen Device Protection immediately when a Security Delay applies. You must authenticate with Face ID or Touch ID, wait about an hour, and authenticate again before turning it off. This delay applies outside familiar locations or everywhere if you selected Always.
How does an iPhone know a familiar location?
Your iPhone uses Significant Locations & Routes to identify places where you regularly use it, such as home or work. It learns these locations from your usage patterns, and you can’t manually add a familiar location through the Stolen Device Protection settings.
Does Stolen Device Protection work on iPad?
No. Stolen Device Protection is currently available only on iPhone and doesn’t work on iPad, even if the iPad runs a recent version of iPadOS.
Does Stolen Device Protection stop someone who knows my passcode?
It helps, but it doesn’t block every action someone can take with your passcode. When Stolen Device Protection applies, sensitive actions require Face ID or Touch ID with no passcode alternative, and critical security changes may trigger a Security Delay.
