iPhone: allows you to keep "Find My" turned on during a repair

With the iOS 17.5, Apple introduces the new "Repair Mode" function, which allows you to send a iPhone for repair without forcing the user to disable the Find My and Activation Lock functions.

The latest beta version of iOS 17.5, which was released today, introduces the ability to "Remove Device" from Find My by activating the new "Repair Status" app on any iPhone.

Read more: Apple: releases the third beta version of iOS 17.5 and iPadOS 17.5

Right now, to send an iPhone to the Apple for repair, it is necessary to disable the Find My function. Apple claims that it may not be able to repair devices with this feature enabled. function. Turning off Find My also cancels Activation Lock, a valuable security feature that prevents iPhone use by another Apple ID, providing important protection against theft.

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Apple now uses Find My and Activation Lock to ensure that the real owner is the one sending a device in for service, while ensuring that the Device is not stolen. An iPhone without Find My enabled that is sent for repair cannot be tracked and is not protected against theft. This means that if it is lost or stolen while being shipped for repair, there is no way to recover it. Turning Find My off presents the problem of reduced protection against device theft, with the complicated waiting process to turn it off that can cause discomfort during repairs.

The new repair process maintains the function Find My active, ensuring that Activation Lock remains active, allowing the iPhone to still be tracked through the Find My app throughout the repair. During this process, the device being repaired is marked with the "Ready for Repair" label and remains fully functional.

In the list of devices, an iPhone in the process of being repaired is distinguished by a stethoscope icon, but despite its repair status, the iPhone remains fully functional.

At this time, the "Remove this device" option via Find My to enable repair status seems to be available only for iPhone. If you try to use this option for other products, such as an iPhone, Mac, or Apple Watch, you'll see a warning that the device will be removed from your Apple ID account, allowing someone else to use it.

See also: iOS 17.5: Adds "Quartiles" word game for Apple News+ subscribers

It is important to know that to display the status option repair, the iPhone must be connected and tracked via Find. An iPhone that is offline will only display the standard cancellation message. Additionally, it's worth noting, it's not possible to disable the repair status at this time.

Source: macrumors