iPhone theft in London falls 18% after Met Police and Apple close key loophole

iPhone theft across London has dropped by 18% in a single year, and Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley says a data-sharing partnership with Apple is a significant reason why — after the two organisations worked together to close one of the most widely exploited loopholes in smartphone theft.

Between June 2025 and May 2026, London recorded 14,000 fewer phone thefts compared to the same period the previous year, marking an 18% year-on-year decline. The Metropolitan Police and Apple say the fall is directly linked to their collaboration.

How the Met and Apple worked together

The two organisations have been exchanging real-world data to build what officers describe as a "global picture" of what happens to handsets after they are stolen. That includes tracking whether devices are being reconnected to mobile networks following theft.

The arrangement gives Apple ground-level intelligence on the effectiveness of features such as Activation Lock and Stolen Device Protection. It also allows the company to identify and respond to workarounds as they emerge in practice.

The factory reset loophole

One of the most significant gaps in Apple's anti-theft architecture had been illicit third-party software capable of factory resetting stolen iPhones — effectively wiping them clean so they could be resold on foreign markets as if new.

Using intelligence gathered through the Met partnership, Apple identified and blocked that software. Rowley said Apple now believes it has "cracked" the engineering problem, and that data from recent weeks shows the vast majority of phones stolen in London were not successfully factory reset.

"If stolen phones cannot be reactivated, their value collapses, and so does the incentive to steal them," Rowley said.

Westminster sees sharpest decline

The impact is most visible in Westminster, the city's central borough, where phones account for between 69% and 72% of all personal thefts each week. The rate of phone theft in Westminster has fallen by 45.8% this year.

Drones and motorcycle tactics

Alongside the Apple collaboration, the Metropolitan Police Service has been increasing pressure on thieves through additional operational measures. Officers have deployed drones to monitor gangs using e-bikes and have instructed patrol cars to push motorbike-riding thieves off their vehicles.