Activation Lock, the feature introduced to the iPhone in iOS 7 has been responsible for a drop in crime in some cities, police forces across the US have reported.
The feature was introduced by Apple to prevent anyone aside from the owner from using an iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch, if it was ever lost or stolen.
Now, police in San Francisco, London, and New York, have all claimed crime involving the iPhone is improving. Those police forces have reported drops of 38 percent, 24 percent, and 19 percent respectively, in iPhone robberies.
Furthermore, NYC police have said that grand larcenies including the iPhone have fallen by 29 percent.
“The introduction of kill switches has clearly had an effect on the conduct of smartphone thieves,” New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said. “If these can be canceled like the equivalent of canceling a credit card, these are going to be the equivalent of stealing a paperweight.”
Activation lock works through the Find My iPhone app, and required the Apple ID and password of the user before anyone could turn off Find My iPhone, erase the device, or reactivate and use the device.