5 ms·

Wow, first I've heard of it. Seems to be enabled by default too -- I think users definitely are not "clear" about it.

wlesieutre 5y ago
The "slide to power off" prompt literally says "iPhone Findable after Power Off >" right under it every time, but 99% of users will never see it or care about this feature because no one ever turns their phone off. But if you're one of those few people who does turn the phone off, it says right there, and you can tap on it to shut down to unfindable state this time instead. Note that it requires a passcode to disable, which is key to this feature. If someone steals your phone it will remain findable unless they open it up and pull the battery.
- hungryforcodes 5y ago
  I turn off my phone but never that way. It either runs out of power or I hard reset it. Either way I don't want it spying on me.
  - wlesieutre 5y ago
    Hard reset doesn't have anything to do with this since it turns back on afterward. As far as letting the battery die, I think it's going to be much more common that someone loses their phone, the battery is dead, and this helps them figure out "whoops, I left it at the bar we went to after dinner." The power reserve for this only lasts a few hours, but if you don't want that feature you can turn it off.
  - ArchOversight 5y ago
    > Either way I don't want it spying on me. It literally isn't spying on you, it's allow you to find your after you've lost it.
    - serf 5y ago
      >It literally isn't spying on you, it's allow you to find your after you've lost it. almost no mobile device has a feature that is 'literally spying on you'. the problem is when the devices have so many features that they can be easily turned into a consummate spy device by any nearby paying agency. in other words : no mobile device is spying on you, but the people who control them definitely do, and they're often willing to sell the rights to do so to groups that are poorly vetted -- using a device with less capabilities necessarily gives the controlling party less options by which to gather data for whatever reasons they may be compelled to do so. so.. the phone, lacking sovereignty , does not spy on you; but it's a big leaky gps/imu-enabled microphone camera that sits in your pocket or purse all day, and the list of groups with access to that leaky data-pipe increases every day with little concern and little reform regarding data retention policies and ownership rights.
      - avianlyric 5y ago
        I’m not entirely sure what your point is here. Clearly an sophisticated electronic devices full of sensors and radios can be used to track you, I don’t think anyone on HN disputes that. But that issues seems rather orthogonal to topic at hand.
  - staplers 5y ago
    Either way I don't want it spying on me. Unfortunately iOS is filled with call-homes to apple servers with all sorts of telemetry data. You can "turn off" exact lat/long coordinates (location data), however your cell provider can triangulate your position and apple can triangulate via wifi/other Apple products. Read about how Airtags work.
    - breakfastduck 5y ago
      This is nothing to do with iOS. A cell provider can triangulate any phone connected to its network.
      - manwe150 5y ago
        I think they knew that, as they mentioned they could get the location that way. Though Apple can’t use AirTags to triangulate positions, since they are just uncorrelated random number to Apple—only once they are decrypted locally can your device find the location of another device that it knows about. The other way to be aware of by which websites do get location though is from GeoIP.
  - katbyte 5y ago
    > Either way I don't want it spying on me. then turn it off? most people will want this, and for those who don't it's easy to turn off.
- illegalsmile 5y ago
  Not that it really matters but mine does not say "iPhone Findable after Power Off" under the slider and I have find my iPhone enabled on 14.8.
  - wlesieutre 5y ago
    14.8 won't be findable after power off, it's an iOS 15 feature. When "turned off" it can maintain an occasional bluetooth beacon like AirTags which other iPhones pick up.
    - illegalsmile 5y ago
      Thanks, that makes sense. I don't immediately upgrade so I haven't seen that yet.
    - kennywinker 5y ago
      Running 14.7.1 and the Find My network setting says that it will enable my iphone to be found when turned off, but the power off screen does not say anything about that.
      - avianlyric 5y ago
        You might want to double check the text under that toggle in 14.7. I’m pretty sure it says: “Participating in the Find My network let’s you locate your phone even when it’s offline” It don’t it says anything about what happens if your phone is off.
        kennywinker 5y ago
        My mistake, you are right that is what it says.
- mr_toad 5y ago
  > no one ever turns their phone off Sometimes turning it off and on again is the only way to get wi-fi syncing to work.
  - 6nf 5y ago
    Changing my iPhone to airplane mode for a few seconds always seems to work for me
- dunham 5y ago
  Which model? I don't see this on my XR (iOS 15), maybe it doesn't have the hardware for it? > If someone steals your phone it will remain findable unless they open it up and pull the battery. Or drop the phone into a faraday bag?
  - hug 5y ago
    > I don't see this on my XR (iOS 15), maybe it doesn't have the hardware for it? It does not. iPhones 11 or newer.
- sizzle 5y ago
  defeated by a $5 wrench attack à la XKCD

The "slide to power off" prompt literally says "iPhone Findable after Power Off >" right under it every time, but 99% of users will never see it or care about this feature because no one ever turns their phone off. But if you're one of those few people who does turn the phone off, it says right there, and you can tap on it to shut down to unfindable state this time instead. Note that it requires a passcode to disable, which is key to this feature. If someone steals your phone it will remain findable unless they open it up and pull the battery.

hungryforcodes 5y ago
I turn off my phone but never that way. It either runs out of power or I hard reset it. Either way I don't want it spying on me.
- wlesieutre 5y ago
  Hard reset doesn't have anything to do with this since it turns back on afterward. As far as letting the battery die, I think it's going to be much more common that someone loses their phone, the battery is dead, and this helps them figure out "whoops, I left it at the bar we went to after dinner." The power reserve for this only lasts a few hours, but if you don't want that feature you can turn it off.
- ArchOversight 5y ago
  > Either way I don't want it spying on me. It literally isn't spying on you, it's allow you to find your after you've lost it.
  - serf 5y ago
    >It literally isn't spying on you, it's allow you to find your after you've lost it. almost no mobile device has a feature that is 'literally spying on you'. the problem is when the devices have so many features that they can be easily turned into a consummate spy device by any nearby paying agency. in other words : no mobile device is spying on you, but the people who control them definitely do, and they're often willing to sell the rights to do so to groups that are poorly vetted -- using a device with less capabilities necessarily gives the controlling party less options by which to gather data for whatever reasons they may be compelled to do so. so.. the phone, lacking sovereignty , does not spy on you; but it's a big leaky gps/imu-enabled microphone camera that sits in your pocket or purse all day, and the list of groups with access to that leaky data-pipe increases every day with little concern and little reform regarding data retention policies and ownership rights.
    - avianlyric 5y ago
      I’m not entirely sure what your point is here. Clearly an sophisticated electronic devices full of sensors and radios can be used to track you, I don’t think anyone on HN disputes that. But that issues seems rather orthogonal to topic at hand.
- staplers 5y ago
  Either way I don't want it spying on me. Unfortunately iOS is filled with call-homes to apple servers with all sorts of telemetry data. You can "turn off" exact lat/long coordinates (location data), however your cell provider can triangulate your position and apple can triangulate via wifi/other Apple products. Read about how Airtags work.
  - breakfastduck 5y ago
    This is nothing to do with iOS. A cell provider can triangulate any phone connected to its network.
    - manwe150 5y ago
      I think they knew that, as they mentioned they could get the location that way. Though Apple can’t use AirTags to triangulate positions, since they are just uncorrelated random number to Apple—only once they are decrypted locally can your device find the location of another device that it knows about. The other way to be aware of by which websites do get location though is from GeoIP.
- katbyte 5y ago
  > Either way I don't want it spying on me. then turn it off? most people will want this, and for those who don't it's easy to turn off.
illegalsmile 5y ago
Not that it really matters but mine does not say "iPhone Findable after Power Off" under the slider and I have find my iPhone enabled on 14.8.
- wlesieutre 5y ago
  14.8 won't be findable after power off, it's an iOS 15 feature. When "turned off" it can maintain an occasional bluetooth beacon like AirTags which other iPhones pick up.
  - illegalsmile 5y ago
    Thanks, that makes sense. I don't immediately upgrade so I haven't seen that yet.
  - kennywinker 5y ago
    Running 14.7.1 and the Find My network setting says that it will enable my iphone to be found when turned off, but the power off screen does not say anything about that.
    - avianlyric 5y ago
      You might want to double check the text under that toggle in 14.7. I’m pretty sure it says: “Participating in the Find My network let’s you locate your phone even when it’s offline” It don’t it says anything about what happens if your phone is off.
      - kennywinker 5y ago
        My mistake, you are right that is what it says.
mr_toad 5y ago
> no one ever turns their phone off Sometimes turning it off and on again is the only way to get wi-fi syncing to work.
- 6nf 5y ago
  Changing my iPhone to airplane mode for a few seconds always seems to work for me
dunham 5y ago
Which model? I don't see this on my XR (iOS 15), maybe it doesn't have the hardware for it? > If someone steals your phone it will remain findable unless they open it up and pull the battery. Or drop the phone into a faraday bag?
- hug 5y ago
  > I don't see this on my XR (iOS 15), maybe it doesn't have the hardware for it? It does not. iPhones 11 or newer.
sizzle 5y ago
defeated by a $5 wrench attack à la XKCD