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iPhone remains findable after power off

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Re: iPhone remains findable after power off

#51

Post by elzbardico »

mrtksn wrote: post #46
jaywalk wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It doesn't connect to your iPhone's hot spot, but your daily iPhone is able to detect the other iPhone's presence just like it detects AirTags and logs that info.

Yes but apparently other iPhones can also detect it and send the location just like with the AirTag even if the iPhone is turned off. That was a surprise.

That’s the whole point of the feature: being able to track a phone that has been turned off. If you’re afraid of FBI, CIA or Mossad tracking you with this feature, you can disable this on settings

Re: iPhone remains findable after power off

#52

Post by mrtksn »

elzbardico wrote: post #51
mrtksn wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes but apparently other iPhones can also detect it and send the location just like with the AirTag even if the iPhone is turned off. That was a surprise.

That’s the whole point of the feature: being able to track a phone that has been turned off. If you’re afraid of FBI, CIA or Mossad tracking you with this feature, you can disable this on settings

Nope, I'm happy to be tracked. I actually enabled Google Maps to track me all the time because I would like to be able to look back at Google Timeline[0] and see where I have been at particular time in the past.

Since a few years, I'm in Turkey and I know that in this country the GSM operators track your location constantly and keep the records indefinitely. How do I know that? Well, in Turkey every SIM card is tied to a proven identity(ID scan is required even for pre-paid SIMs) and getting the GSM signal records to prove whereabouts of someone at particular time has become a standard practice on criminal cases. Everyone is well aware of being tracked by the govt. With Apple and Google, I at least get something out of it.

[0]: https://timeline.google.com/

Re: iPhone remains findable after power off

#53

Post by Jtsummers »

pfranz wrote: post #44
krageon wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe you don't want to be tracked sometimes, and you expect turning off your device to turn it off.

I've found iPhones way too fickle to trust them to stay off. If you plug in a charger or tap the power button they power back on. If you don't want to be tracked turn off your phone and put it in a faraday bag.

I would expect tapping the power button would turn most devices with a power button on. With respect to charging it, for most users that's probably the correct behavior. There are 2 reasons people seem to turn off (not just airplane mode or disabling some things) their phones:

1. To preserve a low battery or because the battery has died.

2. To fully disable the device.

(1) is by far the most common of the two. In that case, once it's charging then turning back on automatically is the desired behavior. In the case of (2), if you have a strong motivation (avoiding detection, for instance) then you'd presumably have done a bit of research or noticed that this happens and make deliberate choices around how you use and charge the device.

Re: iPhone remains findable after power off

#55

Post by wlesieutre »

hungryforcodes wrote: post #49
chewmieser wrote: post #8

Apple is very clear that this is how things work now. They even give you a dialog prompt now to inform you of this change the first time you try to shut your device off - https://9to5mac.com/2021/06/07/ios-15-find-my-network-can-fi... I'm not sure why this is presented as some new thing, or a gotcha or whatever this is. We've known about it for months... And IMO, it's a positive change although it does sound a little…

Wow, first I've heard of it. Seems to be enabled by default too -- I think users definitely are not "clear" about it.

The "slide to power off" prompt literally says "iPhone Findable after Power Off >" right under it every time, but 99% of users will never see it or care about this feature because no one ever turns their phone off.

But if you're one of those few people who does turn the phone off, it says right there, and you can tap on it to shut down to unfindable state this time instead.

Note that it requires a passcode to disable, which is key to this feature. If someone steals your phone it will remain findable unless they open it up and pull the battery.

Re: iPhone remains findable after power off

#56

Post by MerelyMortal »

rjh29 wrote: post #43
todd3834 wrote: post #22

This article has me wondering if I’ve ever turned my phone off besides restarting it or the battery died. I’m sure I have but I bet it is very uncommon. That being said, if it were off and lost, this feature would be amazing. Apple is very transparent about it and also allows you to disable it as far as I remember. The OP has a follow up tweet that iOS 15 made their phone hot during charging. Kind of feels like they…

There is an obvious trend on HN turning against Apple since the image hash stuff. Search 'Apple' in the last month and you'll see stories about Apple screwing over blind people, copying other people's ideas, screwing over employees, removing apps from the app store, disabling FaceID if you try to change the screen etc. From my POV (a non-Apple user) they have not changed, they have always been pretty anti-consumer. B…

It's helping show people that "they have always been pretty anti-consumer".

Re: iPhone remains findable after power off

#57

Post by riddleronroof »

krageon wrote: post #3
AndrewStephens wrote: post #2

Umm, isn’t this, like maybe, a good thing? If I want my very expensive iPhone found, I want it found whether it is on or off. If people are worried about being tracked maybe they should carry around a device that is always broadcasting radio signals to third party towers.

Maybe you don't want to be tracked sometimes, and you expect turning off your device to turn it off.

Yes, exactly this. Imagine à reporter going through an unfriendly country’s airport.

Re: iPhone remains findable after power off

#58

Post by hyperstar »

pfranz wrote: post #47
hyperstar wrote: post #11

wtf?! is this true of 5s as well?

I think there's a hardware component required. Unless it's only in a beta OS, I have and Xs and I see a different wording for that setting. Mine omits "and powered off."

Why? wouldn't it just be a matter of activating a low-power mode and turning off the screen? It's been said a long time that this is done by certain malwares.

Re: iPhone remains findable after power off

#59

Post by zzyzxd »

To use this feature, you have to turn on Find My Network in settings (it is on by default), turning it on also means the device will report other nearby Find My devices like AirTags.

I like to have my phone findable after power off, but I am still not sure whether I want my phone to report other devices.

Re: iPhone remains findable after power off

#60

Post by hungryforcodes »

wlesieutre wrote: post #55
hungryforcodes wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wow, first I've heard of it. Seems to be enabled by default too -- I think users definitely are not "clear" about it.

The "slide to power off" prompt literally says "iPhone Findable after Power Off >" right under it every time, but 99% of users will never see it or care about this feature because no one ever turns their phone off. But if you're one of those few people who does turn the phone off, it says right there, and you can tap on it to shut down to unfindable state this time instead. Note that it requires a passcode to disable…

I turn off my phone but never that way. It either runs out of power or I hard reset it. Either way I don't want it spying on me.
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