Met Police calls on tech firms to make stolen phones unusable
London's Metropolitan Police has announced a data-sharing agreement with Apple and is calling on tech firms and the UK government to make stolen smartphones effectively unusable. Apple's Stolen Device Protection feature, enabled by default in iOS 26.4, requires biometric authentication for sensitive actions and imposes security delays when a device is away from familiar locations, making factory resets by thieves significantly harder. The initiative has already contributed to an 18% drop in phone thefts across London over the past year, with Westminster seeing a 45.8% reduction, and reactivations of stolen iPhones falling by around 60%.
The Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has revealed a formal intelligence-sharing agreement with Apple, under which both parties exchange stolen device identifiers and reactivation telemetry to build a global picture of where stolen handsets end up. Apple's Stolen Device Protection — which requires Face ID or Touch ID for actions like viewing passwords, erasing a device, or disabling Lost Mode, and imposes time delays for sensitive changes when the phone is away from familiar locations — was enabled by default in the iOS 26.4 update in March 2026. Rowley said that whereas a few months ago the majority of stolen phones were being reactivated using illicit factory-reset software, now only a minority are, representing roughly a 60% decline in reactivations. London phone theft statistics show 14,000 fewer theft and robbery offences involving phones in the 12 months to May 2026, an 18% year-on-year drop, with Westminster recording a 45.8% reduction so far in 2026. Rowley has written to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood requesting legislation that would compel all phone manufacturers to publish data on stolen devices and enforce minimum technical standards rendering stolen handsets unusable. Samsung and Google are also implementing similar anti-theft measures, including AI-powered snatch-detection screen locks and authentication requirements after factory resets. The Met warned that if industry fails to deliver, the UK government will legislate, with 83% of the public reportedly backing permanent blocking of stolen smartphones.
What's missing
It is unclear how the ~60% drop in reactivations was measured or independently verified, and whether it applies only to iPhones or across all handsets. The sources do not address what proportion of stolen phones are Android devices versus iPhones, which would affect the overall impact of Apple-specific measures.
How coverage differed
BBC and The Register provided detailed, technical reporting focused on the mechanics of the Apple partnership and policing operations. The Guardian framed the story with greater emphasis on London's status as Europe's phone-snatching capital and the scale of the criminal trade, while LBC led with the commissioner's direct warning to criminal gangs and highlighted recruitment of children via Snapchat, giving the story a more law-and-order tone.
What different sources said
- BBCCenter
Met Police calls on tech firms to make stolen phones unusable
- BBC Top StoriesCenter
Met Police calls on tech firms to make stolen phones unusable
Met police chief calls for law to make stolen phones ‘unusable bricks’
- The TelegraphRight
Smartphones given ‘kill switch’ to deter thieves
- The TimesCenter
Met chief demands mandatory phone kill switch to stop thieves
- The RegisterCenter
Met Police, Apple join forces to choke London's phone theft trade
- Times of IndiaCenter
London police to Apple, Google and Samsung: ‘Make stolen phones … '
- Hindustan TimesCenter
Apple’s ‘kill switch’ turns stolen phones useless as crackdown targets rising phone theft crisis
- lbc.co.ukCenter
'You need to give up': Met police chief's warning to phone snatch gangs in London - as new 'kill switch' makes stolen handsets 'unusable bricks'
- AppleInsiderCenter
iPhone Stolen Device Protection is thwarting prolific London thieves
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