Apple is continuing to develop a new iPhone security feature designed to automatically lock the device if it detects that it has been snatched from its owner’s hand, according to new code discovered in iOS 27.2 beta 2.
The unannounced feature is internally called “AutoLock,” according to 9to5Mac, which examined new references in the beta. Apple has not announced AutoLock, and it is not currently available as a user-facing feature.
The new code suggests Apple is building a system that can consider several signals before deciding that an unlocked iPhone may have been taken, rather than relying on a single movement or event.
According to 9to5Mac, those signals include a sharp acceleration consistent with the phone being snatched, loss of connectivity with a paired Apple Watch, the Watch remaining unreachable for a period of time, prolonged loss of network connectivity and the iPhone remaining unlocked beyond a certain interval.
The code also points to safeguards designed to reduce false positives. Successful biometric authentication, familiar locations and certain activity in the foreground app can apparently prevent a potential theft signal from triggering an automatic lock.
Apple also appears to be developing a backoff mechanism that can temporarily suppress further automatic locks after repeated lock events. That could help prevent the feature from repeatedly interrupting somebody if normal movement is mistakenly interpreted as suspicious.
The Apple Watch element could be particularly useful. If an unlocked iPhone suddenly moves away from the paired Watch being worn by its owner, that loss of proximity could contribute to the system deciding that the phone may have been taken.
However, this is still experimental. 9to5Mac reports that Apple has enabled the underlying AutoLock service in the background in iOS 27.2 beta 2, while the component that would actually lock the iPhone remains disabled.
That could allow Apple to test how frequently the system identifies potential theft events without unexpectedly locking beta testers out of their devices.
AutoLock would complement Apple’s existing Stolen Device Protection rather than replace it. Stolen Device Protection is primarily designed to protect sensitive settings, passwords and an Apple Account when a thief has obtained both an iPhone and its passcode. AutoLock appears aimed at the moment an unlocked iPhone is physically taken.
The Apple Post reported earlier this year that Apple has been working with London’s Metropolitan Police to tackle iPhone theft, as phone snatching continues to be a particularly visible problem in the capital.
An automatic lock could make an unlocked device considerably less useful to a thief if iOS can identify a snatching quickly enough. Apple already uses Activation Lock to tie an iPhone to its owner’s Apple Account, while Stolen Device Protection adds biometric requirements and security delays around particularly sensitive actions.
The references were discovered following Apple’s release of iOS 27.2 beta 2. The update is also being used to test the redesigned Health app, expanded Siri AI language support and other changes.
For now, there is no AutoLock switch for iPhone users to enable, and references inside beta code do not guarantee that Apple will release the feature. The findings do, however, show that development is continuing and offer the clearest look yet at how Apple’s anti-snatching system could work.