I have a friend who, in his retirement, is traveling the world.
His latest stop, Turkey, was a jive experience. It wasn't pickpocketing, it was out and out a gang of thieves. Multiple people had phones and wallets stolen from them, not by stealthy pickpockets but by strong-armed groups of thieves.
It was quite organized, they had a picturesque scene staged, even with a fake fashion photographer. They drew a crowd, the robbery takes place, the photographer and models disappear and the police seemed disinterested to the point where they told them to wait three hours before they could file a report
This is the photo that automatically went to the iCloud taken just before the robbery.
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Now, if Apple wouldn't just lock the phone down once reported stolen, but actually have it self-destruct and start a fire, it might be more enjoyable. I don't know if he has AppleCare with the loss prevention coverage. Probably not