New references in the latest iOS 27.2 beta show that Apple continues to develop a new feature which will lock your iPhone if it's snatched from your hand by a thief.
As previously reported, the feature will use the gyroscope, accelerometer, and other sensors to determine when an iPhone has been grabbed. It'll also rely on a paired Apple Watch to detect when the iPhone has suddenly moved away from the owner's wrist.
According to new code seen by 9to5Mac, the feature is called "AutoLock" internally, and it can use several different methods to determine whether an iPhone has been snatched from its owner:
- A sharp acceleration consistent with the phone being snatched.
- A paired Apple Watch remaining unreachable for a certain period.
- Loss of connectivity to a paired Apple Watch.
- Prolonged loss of network connectivity.
- The device remaining unlocked beyond a certain interval.
There are also references to safeguards to prevent false positives, like as successful biometric authentication, or foreground app activities that could be mistakenly taken as a sign that the iPhone has been snatched.
Additional code also suggests the feature works using a voting system where a potential theft signal can request a lock, while safeguards such as biometrics and familiar locations can veto it.
When the iPhone is yanked from the owner's hand, assuming a successful theft signal, the device will lock and activate Stolen Device Protection to prevent thieves from accessing information on it.
Stolen Device Protection adds extra security to your iPhone when you're away from familiar locations like home or work. It requires biometric authentication for actions like accessing stored passwords or credit cards, and there are built-in hour-long delays for actions like changing an Apple Account password.
Android already has a Theft Detection Lock feature that locks a smartphone in a snatch-and-grab theft situation. It's not clear when Apple's equivalent feature will launch, if at all, but the additional code indicates that Apple is at least still developing it under wraps.
