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 SE 4 Vertical Camera Feature

iPhone SE 4 Production Will Reportedly Begin Ramping Up in October

Tuesday July 23, 2024 2:00 pm PDT by
Following nearly two years of rumors about a fourth-generation iPhone SE, The Information today reported that Apple suppliers are finally planning to begin ramping up mass production of the device in October of this year. If accurate, that timeframe would mean that the next iPhone SE would not be announced alongside the iPhone 16 series in September, as expected. Instead, the report...
iPhone 17 Plus Feature

iPhone 17 Lineup Specs Detail Display Upgrade and New High-End Model

Monday July 22, 2024 4:33 am PDT by
Key details about the overall specifications of the iPhone 17 lineup have been shared by the leaker known as "Ice Universe," clarifying several important aspects of next year's devices. Reports in recent months have converged in agreement that Apple will discontinue the "Plus" iPhone model in 2025 while introducing an all-new iPhone 17 "Slim" model as an even more high-end option sitting...
Generic iPhone 17 Feature With Full Width Dynamic Island

Kuo: Ultra-Thin iPhone 17 to Feature A19 Chip, Single Rear Camera, Semi-Titanium Frame, and More

Wednesday July 24, 2024 9:06 am PDT by
Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today shared alleged specifications for a new ultra-thin iPhone 17 model rumored to launch next year. Kuo expects the device to be equipped with a 6.6-inch display with a current-size Dynamic Island, a standard A19 chip rather than an A19 Pro chip, a single rear camera, and an Apple-designed 5G chip. He also expects the device to have a...
iPhone 16 Pro Sizes Feature

iPhone 16 Series Is Less Than Two Months Away: Everything We Know

Thursday July 25, 2024 5:43 am PDT by
Apple typically releases its new iPhone series around mid-September, which means we are about two months out from the launch of the iPhone 16. Like the iPhone 15 series, this year's lineup is expected to stick with four models – iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max – although there are plenty of design differences and new features to take into account. To bring ...
icloud private relay outage

iCloud Private Relay Experiencing Outage

Thursday July 25, 2024 3:18 pm PDT by
Apple’s iCloud Private Relay service is down for some users, according to Apple’s System Status page. Apple says that the iCloud Private Relay service may be slow or unavailable. The outage started at 2:34 p.m. Eastern Time, but it does not appear to be affecting all iCloud users. Some impacted users are unable to browse the web without turning iCloud Private Relay off, while others are...

Top Rated Comments

mobilehaathi Avatar
152 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
152 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
152 months ago
$500 billion dollar company took 11 months to fix a simple security hole. :)
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
FakeWozniak Avatar
152 months ago
About freaking time.
11 months is pretty lame.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macsrcool1234 Avatar
152 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
152 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)