No iCloud lock on Apple Watch

[Aniallation]

http://thenextweb.com/apple/2015/05/14/apple-watch-allows-anyone-to-reset-it-even-if-they-dont-know-the-passcode/

http://www.theverge.com/2015/5/14/8605697/apple-watch-theft-security-features-lacking

http://time.com/3858762/apple-watch-theft/

 

I'm surprised this is happening, I remember this is what everyone would do with stolen iPhones and iPod Touches before Apple implemented iCloud lock. They should have thought about it with the easier-to-lose Apple Watch.

 

 

As spotted by iDownload, would-be thieves don’t need any sort of expertise to reset a stolen Apple Watch, after which they are free to pair it with their own iPhone, or sell it on for someone else to do the same.

 

Ironically, Apple does ask you to enter a passcode if it’s removed from your wrist, to prevent any of your data falling into the wrong hands, in the case of something like a robbery, but there’s no protection against simply wiping it and starting again.

 

 

 

This is explicitly outlined in Apple's own Apple Watch user guide. The company frames it as a way to restore your Watch's functionality if you should somehow totally blank on your passcode.

 

 

 

How exactly do you "reset Apple Watch and pair it again" if you don't know the code? To see the option for a factory reset, you hold the side button until the menu with three options (power off, power reserve, and lock device) appears. Then you force touch on that screen for another, hidden option: erase all content and settings. This does the same thing on the Watch as it does on your iPhone. It wipes out the entire thing and erases all of your private data. The option to completely reset Apple Watch is only available when it's attached to a charger, which means for all practical purposes it's impossible to wipe on the go.

 

The Apple Watch doesn't have Activation Lock or any equivalent designed for a wrist-worn device. Nor can you locate it with Apple's "Find My iPhone" app, which can track the last known whereabouts of your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or even a Mac. That second part makes sense since the Apple Watch doesn't have a GPS chip inside. But the smartwatch can connect to known Wi-Fi networks, so theoretically Apple could offer some idea of where it last held an internet connection, even if there's no way to guarantee that's where your Watch stayed. As of now, the option's just not there. Your Watch can help find your phone, but nothing exists to help recover the Watch.

 

 

“In other words, it’s totally feasible to steal an Apple Watch and set it up on a different device as if you just purchased it from an Apple Store,” wrote blogger Jeff Benjamin.

 

While the workaround poses no security threat to users’ personal data, it does highlight the notable absence of a “kill switch,” a security feature which became standard on iPhones with the release of iOS 7 in 2013. City officials have hailed the kill switch as a major deterrent for thieves, as they dramatically reduce the value of stolen phones.

 

[terrytek]

Now i REALLY don't want an Apple watch.

[Unlikelyjoker]

Thats a nice iScam you got there.

Can i have a go?

[ShadowCaptain]

100% this will get patched just as all phone and tablet security bugs to too

 

 

Also its attached to your fucking wirst so....

[Trik'Stari]

Wow, as much as I dislike apple, I'd have thought they would have been aware of this.

 

100% this will get patched just as all phone and tablet security bugs to too

 

 

Also its attached to your fucking wirst so....

 

A good pickpocket could take it off your wrist without you even noticing.

[Unlikelyjoker]

100% this will get patched just as all phone and tablet security bugs to too

 

 

Also its attached to your fucking wirst so....

And thats why man made chainsaw's 

[ShadowCaptain]

And thats why man made chainsaw's 

 

If my arm was chainsawed off, I am not sure I would care about my watch

 

 

This is still completely a none issue for most people and I am positive in the next update it will be patched

[theKumba]

Dang. That sucks. It's one of the better iOS features.

[syoumans54]

It's not on your wrist when it's charging....

[Victorious Secret]

Breaking News: Rolex can be stolen off your wrist and used as well, more at 11. 

[cesrai]

Breaking News: Rolex can be stolen off your wrist and used as well, more at 11.

I didn't know I could use mr Rolex to access my iCloud files.

[dmegatool]

I didn't know I could use mr Rolex to access my iCloud files.

 

Well you can't with the Apple Watch either. There's a passcode required. It's just that theives can wipe the thing... 

 

In the end, Apple put the remote lock on the iPhone to bring down the number of iPhones stolen. I guess that the market for stolen Apple Watches is pretty low right now as it's straped to your wirst. They'll surely add it later. For now, the data is still safe so it's no big deal. 

 

If you're a thief though...well good for you. You can format watches and sell them. Ass

[Mr.Jackson]

100% this will get patched just as all phone and tablet security bugs to too

 

 

Also its attached to your fucking wirst so....

in brooklyn. if i can see it on your wrist, I'm taking it.

if i see you with an iPhone, I don't take it. not worth the effort, usually locked.

[Aniallation]

in brooklyn. if i can see it on your wrist, I'm taking it.

if i see you with an iPhone, I don't take it. not worth the effort, usually locked.

This. Not just watches either, people with Androids, specifically Samsung, seem to be much more targeted towards theft because of no lockout mechanism, whereas most thieves know about iCloud lock by now. Samsung has one, but I've found it to be broken af

[Castdeath97]

I didn't know I could use mr Rolex to access my iCloud files.

Replying back to what you said to me in the previous, android wear and tizen don't actually have a activation lock as I know. You might have misunderstood due to the sensationalist title, as apple didnt want to have have a lock in the first place so its not a "loophole".