Thousands of iPhones are dropped every month because Apple likes security

iPhone, iPad and MacBook are all equipped with tight security capabilities. This is fun for device owners but bad news for thieves and … the environment.

Activation Lock on new Apple products uses a special type of security chip called T2, combined with Apple ID. If the owner does not remove the device properly, it will become a “block” unless the correct Apple ID and password are entered.

Apple’s tight security features make it difficult to recycle and refurbish iPhones. Photo: Shutterstock.

According to ZDNet, the problem is that not all users know this. They sold the device while the Activation Lock feature was still on. Therefore, old equipment cannot be reused or refurbished.

iFixit quotes Peter Schindler, founder and owner of an electronics recycling company in Colorado (USA), saying they receive ” between 4,000 and 6,000 locked iPhones per month “. All must be discarded because the Activation Lock feature is still on.

This is only information from a recycling unit, if considered in a wider range, the number must be many times larger. So what to do to solve this problem?

According to Schindler, Apple can provide recycling companies, refurbish equipment with a special type of certification, bypassing Activation Lock to unlock devices that are resold or given away. He is working with a number of other organizations such as EFF, US PirG and iFixit to file a claim under the DMCA if Apple does not voluntarily come up with a solution.