iOS 6 Fixes iMessage "Bug" that Sends Texts to Stolen iPhones

stolenphoneLast December, an apparent bug appeared in Apple's iMessage service that caused iMessages to continue to be linked to a stolen iPhone. The customer's messages would continue to arrive and be sent from the stolen phone even after changing passwords, a remote wipe, and a SIM card deactivation. Apple initially denied it was a bug, but did later compensate at least one affected user for her trouble.

TheNextWeb now reports that that iOS 6 resolves this issue by forcing all devices to re-enter credentials if your Apple ID settings change.

According to a source with knowledge of Apple’s steps to correct the matter, the issue has been fixed in iOS 6 through a variety of checks placed on iMessage. The most important of these is that Apple now uses its push systems to force a user to re-enter a password to use iMessage once your Apple ID credentials have been changed.

Now, if your iPhone is stolen, simply changing the password of your Apple ID will force the stolen device to prompt for a password in order to continue receiving and sending iMessages from your account. In addition, wiping your iPhone remotely using Find My iPhone will now disable the stolen device from receiving iMessages.

Popular Stories

iphone 16 display

iPhone 17's Scratch Resistant Anti-Reflective Display Coating Canceled

Monday April 28, 2025 12:48 pm PDT by
Apple may have canceled the super scratch resistant anti-reflective display coating that it planned to use for the iPhone 17 Pro models, according to a source with reliable information that spoke to MacRumors. Last spring, Weibo leaker Instant Digital suggested Apple was working on a new anti-reflective display layer that was more scratch resistant than the Ceramic Shield. We haven't heard...
iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Reaches Key Milestone Ahead of Mass Production

Monday April 28, 2025 8:44 am PDT by
Apple has completed Engineering Validation Testing (EVT) for at least one iPhone 17 model, according to a paywalled preview of an upcoming DigiTimes report. iPhone 17 Air mockup based on rumored design The EVT stage involves Apple testing iPhone 17 prototypes to ensure the hardware works as expected. There are still DVT (Design Validation Test) and PVT (Production Validation Test) stages to...
iphone 17 air iphone 16 pro

iPhone 17 Air USB-C Port May Have This Unusual Design Quirk

Wednesday April 30, 2025 3:59 am PDT by
Apple is preparing to launch a dramatically thinner iPhone this September, and if recent leaks are anything to go by, the so-called iPhone 17 Air could boast one of the most radical design shifts in recent years. iPhone 17 Air dummy model alongside iPhone 16 Pro (credit: AppleTrack) At just 5.5mm thick (excluding a slightly raised camera bump), the 6.6-inch iPhone 17 Air is expected to become ...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Blue

20th Anniversary iPhone Likely to Be Made in China Due to 'Extraordinarily Complex' Design

Monday April 28, 2025 4:29 am PDT by
Apple will likely manufacture its 20th anniversary iPhone models in China, despite broader efforts to shift production to India, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In 2027, Apple is planning a "major shake-up" for the iPhone lineup to mark two decades since the original model launched. Gurman's previous reporting indicates the company will introduce a foldable iPhone alongside a "bold"...
apple watch ultra yellow

What's Next for the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Apple Watch SE 3

Friday April 25, 2025 2:44 pm PDT by
This week marks the 10th anniversary of the Apple Watch, which launched on April 24, 2015. Yesterday, we recapped features rumored for the Apple Watch Series 11, but since 2015, the Apple Watch has also branched out into the Apple Watch Ultra and the Apple Watch SE, so we thought we'd take a look at what's next for those product lines, too. 2025 Apple Watch Ultra 3 Apple didn't update the...
AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Tuesday April 29, 2025 1:30 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 13 New Features

Wednesday April 23, 2025 8:31 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
iPhone 17 Pro on Desk Feature

All iPhone 17 Models Again Rumored to Feature 12GB of RAM

Tuesday April 29, 2025 3:36 am PDT by
All upcoming iPhone 17 models will come equipped with 12GB of RAM to support Apple Intelligence, according to the Weibo-based leaker Digital Chat Station. The claim from the Chinese leaker, who has sources within Apple's supply chain, comes a few days after industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that the iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max will all be equipped with 12GB of RAM. ...

Top Rated Comments

mobilehaathi Avatar
162 months ago
Apple's security features are second to none. Google can't do anything like this. Not even close.

God I hope this is sarcasm.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Rocketman Avatar
162 months ago
If the issue is logins for multiple services, have a login after stolen or wipes at an Apple server that enables all default features with cloud preferences.

Earth to Apple, please come in.

Your iDevice has been stolen and we have identified the location of the perps. What do you want to do?

1. Go there personally and kick their a$$.
2. Call the police and report it.
3. The police suck, call my cousin Sam and tell him to hold the forgiveness.
4. Send three hot chicks over to persuade them to cough it up.
5. Stop diddling. Send the Russian Mafia.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
realeric Avatar
162 months ago
$500 billion dollar company took 11 months to fix a simple security hole. :)
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
FakeWozniak Avatar
162 months ago
About freaking time.
11 months is pretty lame.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macsrcool1234 Avatar
162 months ago
Wow. Only took one year and a plethora of iMessage downtimes to fix this gaping privacy hole.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Shrink Avatar
162 months ago
Stubborn Apple, they need to change this attitude - at least now when everyone is a bit sick of them overall...

Everyone??

Speak for yourself, please...
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)