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My phone detects going on a run as “someone snatching my phone and running off”

83 points · 153 comments · luu

  1. Waterluvian · · focus · HN ↗
    Is "snatching a phone and running off" a common enough problem in some regions that this is worth having? Or is this a feature chasing after fears of the bogeyman, leading to concrete inconveniences like this?
    1. bombcar · · focus · HN ↗
      Ever since phones became pretty immune to reselling-theft (steal phone, reset it, sell it) people have been snatching phones and trying to empty crypto, banks, etc before it locks. Some apps don't reauthenticate.
      1. Waterluvian · · focus · HN ↗
        Interesting point. The article linked in a sibling comment (about 2025 thefts) suggests that they are being resold. Which makes sense if it's a $2000 product that's so stealable. But I do recall there being a lot of difficulty resetting a phone that isn't yours. Do you feel the is article wrong? Are there ways around it? Is "pretty immune to reselling-theft" a newer feature than 2025?
        1. bombcar · · focus · HN ↗
          If I have your unlocked iPhone, I could probably reset your Apple ID because I have access to your email and your texts so I can reset your Apple ID password unlock your phone unlock. Remove it from Find My and reset it.

          It makes me wonder if there’s some way to put a third lock on there that’s not normally unlocked.

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