Item — HN Reader

I didn't set up "Find My". The connection with the Activation Lock wasn't obvious to me.

The main thing Apple emphasizes is that you can recover a missing device. But it wasn't obvious to me how that would work without an internet connection (unlike with an iPhone where I have a data plan).

Protecting unwanted disclosure of data is different than preventing the erasing of a device, which is where I'm stuck.

3 comments

Yeah, I'm a lifelong user of apple products and I had no idea until your article that "Find My" was an activation lock. I thought it just reported your location to Apple, and so I turned it off for privacy reasons...

> But it wasn't obvious to me how that would work without an internet connection

I believe Bluetooth pinging the iPhones of passersby.

That's true, as I recall the explanation is pretty brief during setup and they should probably explain it better.

That's an interesting fight between minimalist designers/product people and a good security team wanting to make things crystal clear. Especially at a company like Apple that really strives to prioritize both. I'd like to be a fly on the wall for that conversation.

I think it would be pretty clear even if they just add one sentence:

> Find My includes Activation Lock — a feature that's designed to prevent anyone else from using your device if it's ever lost or stolen.