The iCloud lock and donated phones


A new report looks at donated devices and how many working devices have to be reduced to scrap due it the iCloud lock. It's an interesting side-effect of good device security. Before Apple offered the ability to lock down devices, iPhones were an attractive target for thieves who could turn them for cash. Now locked, they're basically useless without the owner.

Motherboard:

Between 2015 and 2018, the Wireless Alliance, the recycling company in question, collected roughly 6 million cell phones in donation boxes it set up around the country. Of those, 333,519 of them were iPhones deemed by the company to be "reusable." And of those, 33,000 of them were iCloud locked and had to be stripped for parts and scrap metal. Last year, a quarter of all reusable iPhones it collected were activation locked.

Due to the security designs, third-parties can't force unlock devices. At least without using an exploit of some kind. Apple reportedly has the ability to remotely unlock phones but doesn't seem too interested in taking on this role. The scale of that operation would probably be significant.

The best solution probably is to simply raise awareness of unlocking devices before donating.