This coming Monday, September 16, Apple will release iOS 18, a new version of the operating system for the iPhone, which, along with a number of improvements, will add an Activation Lock feature for third-party smartphone parts, the resource 9to5Mac reported.
BetaProfiles.com noted that the iOS 18 RC (Release Candidate) build released to developers and public beta testers includes Activation Lock for iPhone parts. As Apple previously announced, Activation Lock will link a user’s account not only to the iPhone itself, but also to its components, such as the battery, cameras and display, based on their individual serial numbers.
Apple’s goal is quite obvious – to close access to the possibility of selling parts from stolen iPhones. Nowadays, due to activation lock, most stolen iPhones are sold on the gray market for parts, which are still quite valuable. Now, when the iPhone detects a used part, it will ask for the Apple account password of the owner of the original device.
Some users have already tried to replace the part on iPhones running iOS 18.0 RC, and indeed, the device requires an Apple account password to unlock and verify the used part.
This year in April, Apple said it would add Activation Lock to iPhone components to prevent stolen smartphones from being dismantled for parts. If a device that has had a part replaced detects that it came from another device with Activation Lock or Lost Mode enabled, calibration capabilities for that part will be limited, the company noted.
It should be noted that Activation Lock for details will appear only in iPhone smartphones and will not be available on iPad tablets with iPadOS 18.