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The Activation Lock capabilities within Apple’s recent iOS devices has seen a huge drop off in iPhone thefts in three of the world’s major cities, it has emerged.
Since Apple introduced the feature with iOS 7 , which allows iPhone users to effectively brick their devices if they’re lost or stolen robberies are down significantly in London, New York and San Francisco.
In London, the fall in crime was most evident with a 50 per cent drop in the twelve months after iOS 7 arrived in September 2013, Reuters reports.
In New York the number of iPhone’s robbed sank by 40 per cent, while 25 per cent less devices were half-inched in San Francisco, close to Apple's Cupertino home turf.
The Activation Lock technology requires an authorised user of the device in order to wipe the handset and launch a fresh install. That means thieves cannot use or prepare the device for resale unless they have the iCloud credentials of the phone’s owner.
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It was an optional feature within iOS 7, but Apple switched it on by default with the arrival of iOS 8 and the iPhone 6 range.
The feature has helped make it far less lucrative for thieves to steal an iPhone as their haul is now unusable and unsellable.
"We have made real progress in tackling the smartphone theft epidemic that was affecting many major cities just two years ago," floppy-haired London Mayor Boris Johnson said.