Sending your iPhone in for repair was always a little nerve-wracking. Not just because you no longer have access to what may be the most important gadget in your life, but because you never know if it’s safe.
Apple’s recommended procedure for preparing your device for service is to back up your phone, turn off Apple Cash, remove all cards from Wallet, and then remove your iPhone from Find My. This also removes Activation Lock. The fine print says, “Apple might not be able to service your device if Find My isn’t turned off.” It’s all very worrying and not the smooth and seamless experience we’re used to from Apple.
That’s about to change, it seems. MacRumors found a new feature in iOS 17.5 (currently in beta) that allows you to set your iPhone to a “Repair State” in which it remains fully functional and has Find My and Activation Lock enabled but still does whatever Apple needs to repair your iPhone.
When you go to Find My, then your Devices list, and choose “Remove This Device” on your iPhone with iOS 17.5, you’ll get a message that says “Cannot remove iPhone. Prepare this device for repair?” Choosing Continue will retain your device’s functionality and it can be tracked via Find My. It will have a stethoscope icon next to it in the device list.
Foundry
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The feature is currently limited to iOS, but it makes sense that Apple would expand it to other devices, including the Apple Watch and Mac.
Allowing users to track their devices as they’re sent in for repair, and keeping Activation Lock enabled, should hopefully give users a lot more piece of mind that it won’t get stolen.