Turn On iPhone Stolen Device Protection

A thief who watches you type your passcode can lock you out of your accounts in minutes. Apple's free Stolen Device Protection stops that cold.

5 min read · 7 steps · Checked May 2026

1. Step 1. Check your iPhone is running iOS 17.3 or later

   Open Settings, tap General, then tap About. Look at the "iOS Version" line. You need 17.3 or higher — by 2026 most iPhones are on iOS 18 or iOS 26. So you are almost certainly fine. If you see anything lower, go back to GeneralSoftware Update and install the update first. This setting does not exist on older versions.

2. Step 2. Make sure Face ID or Touch ID and Find My are turned on

   Stolen Device Protection only works if Face ID (or Touch ID on older iPhones) and Find My are both turned on. Check Face ID: SettingsFace ID & Passcode → enter your passcode → make sure "iPhone Unlock" is on. Check Find My: Settings → tap your name at the top → Find MyFind My iPhone → make sure all three switches are on (green). If any are off, turn them on now.

3. Step 3. Turn on Stolen Device Protection

   Now the main step. Open SettingsFace ID & Passcode → enter your passcode. Scroll down to "Stolen Device Protection." Tap "Turn On Protection." You will see a screen explaining what it does. Tap "Turn On Protection" again to confirm. That is it. The protection is now active.

   Quick Tip

   Quick Tip: You can set the security delay to "Always" (always requires the 1-hour wait + Face ID for sensitive changes) instead of just "Away from familiar locations." If you are willing to wait an hour even at home, "Always" is the most secure setting. Most people leave it on the default.

4. Step 4. Understand what it now blocks

   With Stolen Device Protection on, when your iPhone is away from familiar locations (home, work), these actions require Face ID or Touch ID — NOT your passcode — and have an hour security delay: changing your Apple ID password, turning off Find My, factory-erasing the iPhone, viewing saved Wi-Fi or website passwords, and using saved payment methods on autofill. A thief who watched you type your passcode cannot do any of these things. They have to wait an hour, fail Face ID, and try again — at which point you have time to mark the phone lost from iCloud.com.

5. Step 5. Practice locking your phone remotely (so you know how)

   If your phone is ever stolen, the fastest response is to mark it as lost from any computer. Open a web browser, go to iCloud.com/find, sign in with your Apple ID, and click your iPhone in the list. You will see options for "Play Sound," "Lost Mode," and "Erase This Device." Lost Mode locks the phone with a passcode of your choosing and lets you display a message and phone number on the lock screen. Practice this once now from your home computer so you know exactly where to click in an emergency.

   Warning

   Do NOT click "Erase This Device" first — once erased, you lose the ability to track it. Always Lost Mode first.

6. Step 6. Cover your screen when typing your passcode in public

   Stolen Device Protection is a strong second line of defense, but the first line is still: do not let strangers see your passcode. In bars, restaurants, and on public transit, cup your hand over the screen when typing it. Better yet, use Face ID or Touch ID in public so you never type the passcode at all. The thieves in the WSJ investigation worked in pairs — one watched, one snatched. Hiding your passcode kills the whole scheme.

   Quick Tip

   Quick Tip: If you only use Face ID, change your passcode to a long alphanumeric password (SettingsFace ID & PasscodeChange PasscodePasscode OptionsCustom Alphanumeric Code). Even if a thief sees you type it once, the long random characters are nearly impossible to memorize at a glance.

7. Step 7. If your phone is stolen — the first 10 minutes

   Speed matters. From a friend's phone or any computer: (1) Go to iCloud.com/find, sign in, and put the phone in Lost Mode. (2) Change your Apple ID password at appleid.apple.com. (3) Call your bank and freeze any cards stored in Apple Pay. (4) File a police report — most departments take them by phone for stolen phones. Stolen Device Protection buys you time, but the thief is still trying. Acting in the first 10 minutes locks them out completely.