I used to have the same idea [1], having been a victim of theft and robbery myself, but as others in that thread pointed out, it would be trivial for thieves to take out the SIM, or to wrap it up in something that blocks all signals.
I think a better way might be to introduce a PANIC MODE; a special state that could be activated with a predefined fingerprint or PIN, different from the ones you use for unlocking. Say your left pinky.
In Panic Mode, the device would present a "fake" environment, which allows most operations but:
* Keeps the device secretly powered on even after being powered off.
* Regularly connects to open networks AND also transmits an SOS to all nearby Apple devices, to use THEIR network and transmit its location to Find My Phone.
* If not powered off, defaults to an easy passcode, like 0000 or 1234, and disables lockout protection for invalid retries.
* When unlocked, presents a home screen that looks identical to a freshly installed OS, with empty or random Notes, Contacts, Calendar etc.
* Allows calls to any local number, but for a duration of one minute only, so the networks can aid law enforcement in tracking it as well.
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TL;DR: Make the device appear unsecured to the thieves, so they don't have to force the owner to remove all protections, and entice them to keep using it normally for as long as possible while secretly and aggressively tracking them.
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.
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.
OTOH: This opens up a whole new avenue of pranks to pull on iPhone users.
Why not have Siri yell 'Im a stolen iPhone' full volume with the volume switch disabled.
On a serious note, none of these options seem desirable if the Apple account is compromised.
I'd've been _extremely_ unimpressed if the device suddenly started proclaiming it was stolen.
Why not make the iPhone blow in the face of the stealer?
/s
I would personally prefer to just lose my phone and have robust measures to stop thieves from accessing my data than increase the possibility of bad actors/govt using it as yet another surveillance tool (or at least more than it already is).
Prey (preyproject.com) does this. It'll take pics and screenshots and send them to you along with GPS coordinates at regular intervals.
Edit: Uhh, repetition it seems. God damn I need to not leave HN windows open for a couple hours then replying without refresh.
Obviously if your day-to-day as a police officer involves the cartels or something you won't care about an iPhone. But if you live someplace where a murder would make the news regardless of the circumstances, someone will probably look into it if you can prove you know where the thief is (or that the phone was in a given house/apartment).
The people who are really going to be in a bind are the totally unprepared legitimate owners who've been hacked.
Anything iCloud-initiated does not benefit from the protection of the secure enclave on the device--so with your idea, you'd be opening a denial-of-privacy attack vector
Personally I've never had issues with iPhones for the battery, I've had three- but then I also spring for AppleCare.
aggressively look for open access points and attempt to associate with them and phone home [...] location info
put the phone into a power conservation mode to keep it alive and phoning home as long as possible.
Not being able to remove the battery could be an advantage in this case :)
1) in situations where phones are not meant to be switched on (e.g. some flights)
2) from a privacy perspective not being able to ensure your phone is actually off is not great.
Nice try, but that's a long way from a (long running, secret, and still hidden) vast government/corporate conspiracy to remotely power on any smartphone to spy on the owner.
It was quite discussed at that time. for example: http://www.tomsguide.com/us/nsa-remotely-turn-on-phones,news...
This would be ideal, even if it doesn't really contribute to returning stolen phones. It makes the whole idea of stealing an iPhone so much more difficult for thieves.
A strong deterrent in my opinion is much better than a solution which returns your phone. I'd rather have it not stolen in the first place.
Works for thieves of opportunity, not necessarily others.
(Though a sophisticated thief might have a lightweight faraday cage on them - sleeve lined with aluminium foil might sufficiently dampen Wifi/GPS/cell signals.)