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You're not fooling any thieves. They knew it was a legit stolen phone that was PIN-locked when they stole it. A faked "fresh install" isn't going to trick the

You're not fooling any thieves. They knew it was a legit stolen phone that was PIN-locked when they stole it. A faked "fresh install" isn't going to trick them into using the phone. iPhone thefts will decrease when thieves know that the iPhone that they just stole is going to get them caught. I understand that some don't like the privacy implications of a phone that can be forced into spy mode with Apple ID credentials. Fine. Give the user the option to disable this functionality on the device (and only on the physical device). Users that don't want it can disable it in their settings and the phone will act just like the phones do today when stolen, regardless of what happens on the iCloud side.

Razengan 10y ago
It would still make a big difference where I live, where most phones are taken at gunpoint, and later sold for their screen, battery and shell if nothing else, unless you were walking down a particularly deserted neighborhood, in which case the muggers will make you unlock the phone and remove the passcode/fingerprint. However, many don't know about iCloud/Find My Phone yet, and it requires an internet connection to disable anyway, which most people don't have outdoors, here. Some kind of "fake mode," filled with random data, would also help with government coercion in, ahem, the more civilized countries.