Apple Stores Will Now Decline to Repair iPhones Reported as Missing

Tuesday March 29, 2022 9:42 am PDT by Joe Rossignol

Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers will now be alerted if an iPhone has been reported as missing in the GSMA Device Registry when a customer brings in the device to be serviced, according to an internal memo obtained by MacRumors.

repair iphone x
If an Apple technician sees a message in their internal MobileGenius or GSX systems indicating that the device has been reported as missing, they are instructed to decline the repair, according to Apple's memo shared on Monday. The new policy should help to reduce the amount of stolen iPhones brought to Apple for repair.

The GSMA Device Registry is a global database designed for customers to report their devices as missing in the event of loss or theft. Devices in the database are identified by their unique IMEI number. An iPhone's IMEI is listed in the Settings app under General > About.

Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers are already unable to service an iPhone if the customer cannot disable Find My iPhone, and this policy will help to prevent stolen iPhones that never had Find My iPhone enabled from being repaired by Apple. In the event your iPhone is lost or stolen, be sure to read our guide on the next steps to take.

Tags: Apple Authorized Service Providers, Apple Store

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Top Rated Comments

upandown

57 months ago

Why wasn’t this protocol from the start?

What’s the point of having a “missing phone” feature if it doesn’t do anything.

Score: 38 Votes (Like | Disagree)

happydude

57 months ago

hope they also alert the original owner it's been located vs. giving it back to the person who brought it in. otherwise...what's the point. the phone is still not in the original owners hands, fixed or not. police should prob be notified too, I'd think.

Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Alan Wynn

57 months ago

Dumb policy. A used stolen/lost phone can be legitimately purchased.

Nope. Since the person who sold it did not legally own it, no one down the line can have purchased it legitimately.

By the time it reaches a repair centre, the previous owner of a stolen or lost phone would have already moved on with life.

Making it harder to sell stolen iPhones makes them less valuable, and discourages thefts, just as Activation Lock has done.

This is marketing for morons like their green initiatives.

No, this is a good thing for consumers. I am curious why it took so long to implement, and I think it is also interesting that it seems carriers do not prevent these devices on their networks.

Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)

currocj

57 months ago

Why did this take a decade?

Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)