‘Kill switch’ deterring iPhone thefts; Microsoft, Google to add feature to phones

Can technology stop robbers from targeting you and your smartphone? Microsoft and Google are joining Apple in adding new “kill switch” technology to disable stolen phones, in hopes of slowing the spate of mobile phone robberies.

The technology is proving to be surprisingly effective. San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón announced Thursday robberies of iPhone users have dropped 38 percent in the city since Apple last fall added the ability for iPhone users to disable their phones with what’s called Activation Lock, the San Francisco Examiner first reported.

Gascón says iPhone theft also dropped 19 percent in the first five months of 2014 in New York, while iPhone thefts in London dropped 24 percent over the same period.

It’s clear the crooks know whether they can resell your smartphone. While iPhone thefts are sharply down, robberies of Samsung devices such as the popular Galaxy G5 rose by over 40 percent in New York, and were up in San Francisco and London as well.

With a kill switch, users can remotely wipe all of the data on their phone, render it unusable and prevent reactivation without authorization.

Amidst growing pressure from state and federal lawmakers, Microsoft and Google announced Thursday the companies would add the new kill switch capability to Windows and Android devices by July 2015.

“With these additional features, we’re hopeful that technology – as part of a broader strategy – can help to further reduce incentives for criminals to steal smartphones in the first place,” writes Fred Humphries, Microsoft VP of U.S. Government Affairs.

“The introduction of kill switches has clearly had an effect on the conduct of smartphone thieves,” said New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. “If these can be canceled like the equivalent of canceling a credit card, these are going to be the equivalent of stealing a paperweight.”