Our iPhones and iPads are protected by Activation Lock, a security feature that prevents thieves from restoring and using the stolen device with a new account, however the Apple Watch it does not have any similar security features.
The Apple Watch, a device put on a tray to thieves
As pointed out from iDownloadBlog, there is nothing to stop a lost or stolen Apple Watch from being restored and paired with a new iPhone. The Apple watch has an access code option that requires the introduction of a sequence of numbers each time we remove it from our wrist, but this access code protects only data.
Furthermore, this access code can also be easily reset. By pressing on the side button of the Apple Watch, that in the form of a pill, the shutdown options appear and a continuous press on this screen takes us to the option of «Delete contents and settings». Thus, the Apple Watch clears the passcode and allows the Apple Watch to be paired with a new device, with no trace of the original owner.
There is therefore no activation lock and since the Apple Watch is dependent on the iPhone, there is no option Search my Iphone to locate a lost or stolen Apple Watch. Due to this lack of security, it is possible that the Apple Watch becomes an interesting target of thieves, as appreciate from MacRumors.
We are facing an expensive device (especially the high-end versions Edition range), it is compact, highly desirable and, like all Apple products, has a high resale value; Furthermore, it is easily visible on the wrist and is not hidden in a purse or trouser pocket like an iPhone. In summary, is an easy target for thieves.
In the past, the high rate of iPhone theft in cities such as San Francisco and New York led authorities to ask Apple and other smartphone manufacturers to implement a "Kill Switch" to disable stolen devices, which led to to the introduction of Activation Lock along with iOS 7. This measure reduced theft of iPhones by 25% in New York, 40% in San Francisco, and 50% in London in early 2015. Is it necessary to wait for what already happened with the iPhone to happen before adding "Activation Lock" to Apple Watch?
iDownloadBlog notes that in the future Apple could introduce stricter security measures such as checking the latest Apple ID known from a paired device rejecting a new connection without a password or other authentication. Furthermore, given the number of sensors present in the Apple Watch, tpco is hard to imagine in a future biometric solution that could also be applied as an additional security measure.
SOURCE: MacRumors | iDownloadBlog
