London's Metropolitan Police are now working directly with Apple to combat mobile phone theft – and the initial figures are remarkable. The key: a data exchange that makes the effectiveness of Apple's security features measurable and has thwarted a central trick used by thieves.
Over the years, Apple has introduced a whole range of features designed to make a stolen iPhone as worthless as possible for criminals – including Activation Lock and Stolen Device Protection, which ranks among the iPhone's most important security features. How effective these measures actually are can now be backed up with police data for the first time: the head of London's Metropolitan Police has publicly described how closely his authority cooperates with the company on this.
A partnership that shares data
At the heart of the collaboration is a mutual exchange of data. The Met Police have begun sharing information with Apple to create a "global picture" of what happens to stolen devices - for example, whether they are reconnected to a cellular network. For Apple, this means valuable real-world feedback: The company learns how well its security measures work and can refine them where necessary.
Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley sums up the logic behind it in a simple way: If stolen phones can no longer be reactivated, their value collapses – and with it the incentive to steal them in the first place.
Apple's security features and the cracked reset trick
Features like Activation Lock and theft protection are designed to prevent a stolen iPhone from being reactivated and resold, while also making it more difficult to access personal data on the device and in iCloud. However, a crucial vulnerability persisted for a long time: illegal software that could reset iPhones to factory settings. This allowed stolen devices to be sold as supposedly new products in foreign markets.
Using the insights gained from the partnership, Apple was able to identify and block this software. According to Rowley, the company believes it has solved the technical problem – and data from recent weeks shows that the vast majority of phones recently stolen in London were no longer successfully reset.
The figures behind the decline
The impact of this measure is evident in the crime statistics. Between June 2025 and May 2026, the number of thefts involving stolen phones fell by 14,000 – a decrease of 18 percent compared to the previous year. The effect is particularly pronounced in central London: In Westminster, where between 69 and 72 percent of robberies and thefts from persons involve a phone each week, the number has fallen by 45.8 percent so far this year.
Street robbery, e-bikes and drones
Alongside the technical measures, the London Metropolitan Police are pursuing a tough stance against street robbery. Their primary targets are perpetrators who approach pedestrians on e-bikes and scooters and snatch unlocked devices from their hands. To this end, operational tactics have even been adapted: patrol cars are authorized to intervene using "tactical contact" and knock thieves off their bikes. Additionally, the Met is now using drones to track fleeing perpetrators on e-bikes.
Pressure on manufacturers is having an effect
This alliance is no coincidence: Apple activated the protection for stolen devices by default with iOS 26.4 and subsequently extended this default activation to managed company iPhones. The latest figures from London now provide, for the first time, concrete evidence that the interplay of consistent police work and technical safeguards can indeed dry up the black market for stolen devices – an approach that is likely to be adopted far beyond London. (Image: Shutterstock / BearFotos)
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