Apple  introduced the Activation Lock feature in the iOS 7, which requires a valid Apple ID and password for turning off the “Find My iPhone” option on the handset, failing which the phone can be traced to its current location. In addition, even after a remote erase, Find My iPhone can continue to display a message with the user’s phone number on the iPhone’s Lock screen.

 

After news that government officials would be testing the efficiency of iOS 7’s Activation Lock against thieves, San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón has come out in support of the feature, saying that “clear improvements” have been made to stop criminals.

“I’m very optimistic that they came and were willing to share their technology with us,” Gascón said.

Apple’s earlier solution to iPhone thefts was “Find my iPhone” which let iOS users remotely track the location of their lost device, and securely wipe it, if needed. But even with those measures, a thief could easily erase the device and resell it. With the new Activation Lock, once a device has been marked as lost, and then erased, it can only be used after the owner’s iTunes credentials are entered.

 

Do you think iOS 7’s activation lock will be effective at reducing smartphone thefts?