iPhone remains findable after power off • Hacker News Board

Re: iPhone remains findable after power off

#321

Post by lolsal » Thu, Sep 30, 2021, 5:08 PM UTC

wyattpeak wrote: post #184

lolsal wrote: post #182

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You made a decision before you had all the information, but you're so busy you don't want to reconsider your decision after learning new information?

This sounds an awful lot like defences of hundred page EULAs: "So you made a decision not to read it...". No, it was intentionally designed in a way which discourages reading. In the case of this warning, it's possible that it was unintentionally designed in a way which discourages reading, but regardless the fault lies, at least in part, with the design.

Some people are impossible to please I guess.

Re: iPhone remains findable after power off

#322

Post by sudosysgen » Thu, Sep 30, 2021, 5:11 PM UTC

katbyte wrote: post #319

sudosysgen wrote: post #197

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Except they don't. Thieves don't know how change the ESN of a phone or how to bypass an iCloud Lock. They have fences that either sell the phones for parts or bypass the security features. It's how it works for a few years already now. The only difference is now instead of turning off the phones they'll put it in a metallized plastic bag.

Sure, either way it’s another deterrent. Also huh you finally gave me a reason why apple may be locking its hardware components now.

But it's really not. They already have to find a fence beforehand, what does it change if the fence gives you a procedure for turning it off without the password or if they just give you a bag?

Thieves and fences always figure out how to bypass the component lockdowns.

Re: iPhone remains findable after power off

#323

Post by DaiPlusPlus » Thu, Sep 30, 2021, 5:14 PM UTC

dcow wrote: post #316

DaiPlusPlus wrote: post #296

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We considered it, but (in this case) the application's use-case is on shared/communual "front-line" machines (hence why we added quick-user-switching), so even though ostensibly a single, human user is logged-in, we honestly don't know who is actually using the machine, and some other user who is just borrowing a machine could easily dismiss a tour/onboarding intended for the actual user who is logged-in. If you thin…

LoB is line of business ? What are a few examples of LoB software companies and roles? Walmart secops?

Yeah. We’re not in any big company - far from it. If this was the last decade I guess we’d be called a Micro-ISV. I don’t know what the current trendy name is though.

Re: iPhone remains findable after power off

#324

Post by zzyzxd » Thu, Sep 30, 2021, 6:23 PM UTC

avianlyric wrote: post #120

zzyzxd wrote: post #59

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.

Out of interest, what’s your concern with your phone reporting the location of other devices?

You can extract a lot of information by knowing how frequent an AirTag has been approached by random iPhones.

For instance, if I toss an AirTag into my neighbor's yard, I can get some idea on when they leave/return back to the house by monitoring the AirTag's update timestamps. I can later use this data to build their activity patterns and whatnot. I understand that Apple has some mechanism to mitigate this, like "reporting stranger's airtags in frequent accessed locations", but unless it is proven to be reliable, I can't trust it.

Re: iPhone remains findable after power off

#325

Post by zzyzxd » Thu, Sep 30, 2021, 6:26 PM UTC

fastball wrote: post #252

zzyzxd wrote: post #59

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.

So... you want to get the benefits of Find My without actually giving back to the network?

Yes. I also consume a lot of websites and block their ads at the same time. This is selfish, but it is the way I mitigate risks.

Re: iPhone remains findable after power off

#326

Post by EastOfTruth » Thu, Sep 30, 2021, 7:27 PM UTC

ecnahc515 wrote: post #200

mavrc wrote: post #143

Earlier quoted context omitted.

i'd like to be able to store a phone on the shelf with a properly conditioned battery, to be able to disable the radios during flight, or frankly anywhere else I don't want to be located. Interesting how different people have different desires.

So disable it when you turn off the device?

That should be the default?

Re: iPhone remains findable after power off

#327

Post by roywiggins » Thu, Sep 30, 2021, 8:29 PM UTC

gremloni wrote: post #130

roywiggins wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your police investigate rapes? Ours don't. https://www.wnyc.org/story/nypd-misled-public-about-response...

This comment could not be anymore hyperbolic.

Texas sat on untested rape kits for two decades

https://www.texasobserver.org/activist-and-rape-survivor-lav...

It's getting a bit better, but it's still a problem:

https://www.nycsouthpaw.com/p/texas-still-has-thousands-of-u...

Re: iPhone remains findable after power off

#328

Post by ncmncm » Thu, Sep 30, 2021, 8:31 PM UTC

tptacek wrote: post #270

ncmncm wrote: post #190

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the US, their actual job is filing the report. Anything that goes beyond that is PR.

Wasn't my experience in Chicago. I was robbed (of my phone, at $12) and had my phone back within 15 minutes, including the time it took to call the police.

Chicago is in particular need of good PR, because its PD is renowned for entrenched corruption on par with NY and LA.

Re: iPhone remains findable after power off

#329

Post by yencabulator » Fri, Oct 01, 2021, 12:10 AM UTC

fastball wrote: post #248

vorpalhex wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ideally yes. However, people need to communicate and coordinate. Even arranging transportation may be an issue without a phone.

If you're communicating and coordinating while out at this protest then you're being tracked, Find My isn't moving the needle...

You can use your phone to get a ride to a restaurant-heavy district 15 blocks away from the protest, turn your phone off, and walk.

You can use your phone while traveling 1-2 hours to a big city, and then turn it off.

Re: iPhone remains findable after power off

#330

Post by halikular » Fri, Oct 01, 2021, 1:05 AM UTC

SilverRed wrote: post #171

fsckboy wrote: post #149

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> They even give you a dialog prompt now to inform you slightly tangential, I hate being informed of things when I try to do them. I'm in a hurry, I don't want to read all about something now. I wish the dialogs had an "email this to me, willya?" selection, with an opportunity to decide the long term setting that I want.

Ultimately it doesn't really matter anyway. Unless you are the worlds most wanted criminal and Apple is working with the government to track you down via your turned off iphone. And in that case, you should have done your research to see this anyway. If the average user blows past this message, it has no impact on their life.

The Chinese, Russians or Belarusians wouldn't agree with you. There's plenty of people there doing "illegal things". Why should you care? You never know when something can become illegal in the future or the social equivalent of cancelling. You might have made a joke that's not okay in the future, criticized a leader, read a book, played a game, used a VPN...