logo
So, where do stolen iPhones go? Turns out, there's a whole building for that

So, where do stolen iPhones go? Turns out, there's a whole building for that

Phone Arena21-05-2025

Apparently, there's a building in Shenzhen that sports a rather curious nickname: "The stolen iPhone building". The unassuming Feiyang Times tower in Shenzhen's Huaqiangbei district has been found to have been a major hub in a global network of trafficking stolen iPhones, according to a Financial Times investigation (via MacRumors). Sam Amrani, a London tech entrepreneur, unfortunately, had his iPhone 15 Pro stolen. The device was taken by two men on electric bicycles. But Amrani did not hesitate, and he tracked the iPhone's journey using Apple's Find My. The iPhone ended up in a repair shop in London, then flew to Hong Kong, and finally, settled in Huaqiangbei. Amrani told the Financial Times that the process was quick, organized, and seemed "kind of targeted". In London, law enforcement estimates phone theft is a huge criminal activity, a £50 ($63.5 million) annual criminal industry. Similar estimates have been reported in Paris, France, and in New York.
Now, back to the building in question. Reportedly, the fourth floor of the Feiyang building specializes in selling second-hand iPhones from Western countries. Yep, not all of these are stolen; some are legitimate phones that were traded in. However, traders have allegedly admitted that even remotely locked phones have their "market price."
According to the FT investigation, Hong Kong is considered a critical intermediary in this supply chain. And more specifically, an industrial building at 1 Hung To Road in Kwun Tong is said to house hundreds of wholesalers advertising iPhones that are labeled "iCloud locked". Various messaging platforms allow the sellers to advertise those.
Be careful when using your iPhone in a crowded place. | Image Credit - PhoneArena A Shenzhen-based seller that was visiting Hong Kong explained that the passcode-locked iPhones were probably stolen or snatched from users in the United States. These are, according to the seller's words, then sold to Hong Kong and then on to other countries, including countries in the Middle East. Basically, the Huaqiangbei building is especially valuable as there, thieves can find buyers for every iPhone component. This includes phone screens, circuit boards, and chips. Of course, if the iPhone is locked, it's impossible to use as a regular phone, but it can be taken apart and still be profitable for thieves if its parts get sold. Meanwhile, there are many theft victims who receive messages from people in Shenzhen, trying to urge them to remove the affected iPhone from Find My. Usually, when you put your iPhone in Lost Mode, a contact number for anybody finding the iPhone can be added, so it seems this is the main way these people find contact information. Understandably, they can use all sorts of scammy techniques to get the theft victim to remove the iPhone from Find My. If they manage to convince the user to do that, this would significantly increase the value of the stolen iPhone (as it could be sold as a functioning device, not for parts). According to the Financial Times report, this criminal network takes advantage of Hong Kong's status as a free trade port. As such, there are no import taxes, which means traders can move stolen devices into mainland China and avoid electronics tariffs. Meanwhile, the Hong Kong police has told the Financial Times that it will take action when necessary to respond to specific occurrences in accordance with the law. For any person who'd like to protect their iPhone from getting stolen and ending up in the "stolen iPhone building", here's some basic guidance. First off, avoid using your iPhone in crowded places where it can easily get snatched (this includes not having your iPhone in your back pocket at the subway). Always be aware of your surroundings when outside and using your iPhone, especially if it's brand new.
If, after all, your iPhone ends up falling prey to a sneaky thief, don't remove it from Find My following dubious requests for you to do so. At least, the thief shouldn't be able to sell it as a functioning iPhone. Here's more information on how to protect your iPhone from thieves and scammers.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

WWDC shows that the myth about Apple and Android features is true
WWDC shows that the myth about Apple and Android features is true

Phone Arena

time21 hours ago

  • Phone Arena

WWDC shows that the myth about Apple and Android features is true

There is a long-standing myth about Apple that says the company takes a feature that has been used on Android for a few years, adds it to the iPhone, gives it a new name, and acts as though it has come up with the greatest thing since sliced bread. If you watched today's WWDC 25 Keynote, or read our coverage of it, you'll know that this is no myth. Three features that I wanted on the iPhone, Hold Assist, Live Translation, and Call Screening were taken from Google AI and Galaxy AI found on Pixel and Samsung handsets respectively. When Google introduced the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro in 2021, it revealed a new feature that was sure to be handy for users called Hold for Me. When activated, Google Assistant monitors the phone line while you are placed on hold. With Google Assistant on the job, you can turn your attention to something else without having to keep listening for someone on the other end of the call to return to the conversation. As soon as a live person is ready to help you, Google Assistant alerts you audibly. The Hold Assist feature has the iPhone monitor your call if you're put on hold and alert you when the other party returns to the line. | Image credit-PhoneArena This is a great feature and one that I missed greatly when I switched back to the iPhone. Today, during the WWDC Keynote, Apple announced its version of Hold for Me which it calls Hold Assist. Let's say that you need to call an airline to ask a question about a reservation you made. When you're placed on hold, you can have your iPhone sit through the silence while you go back to your work. When an agent is ready to help you, you will be notified so you can return your attention to the call. When on a call, tap on the More button on the screen showing the dial pad. It is the button with a three-dot icon. Pressing that button gives you several options with the last one being Hold Assist. Press on Hold Assist and you'll see in the Dynamic Island that the feature has been enabled, the call is on hold, and that you will receive notification when a live person is on the line. Live Translation allows you to have real-time communications with someone who doesn't speak your language. | Image credit-Apple Another new feature coming to the iOS Phone app is called Live Translation. This is another useful feature and is one that Samsung offers with its Galaxy AI suite of features and it carries the similar name of Live Translate. I was hoping that Apple would add this to iPhone and it is coming in iOS 26. Integrated into Phone, Face Time, and Messages, Live Translation uses on-device AI to translate what a caller is saying to you in a foreign language via audio or text. This translation is done in real-time, on the fly. Apple's new Live Translation feature is similar to Samsung's Live Translate. | Image credit-PhoneArena Keeping the technology on-device allows spoken or written conversations to stay private. Your response is translated in real-time into the other party's language allowing for a seamless two-way conversation. Lastly, a feature on Pixel models called the Google Call Screen uses AI and asks a caller to reveal his name and the reason for calling before connecting the call. Apple now has a similar feature that it calls Call Screening. The idea is to find out enough information from the caller to allow AI to decide whether to block the call or let it through. Call Screener asks callers questions to see if their call should get through. | Image-Apple As with Hold Assist, iPhone users will find Live Translation and Call Screening to be extremely useful features. I'm happy to see them available on iOS. As for that myth, how can anyone not see that this is a thing. It does show you the difference between Google and Apple when it comes to their operating systems. Android is tweaked in order to improve the user experience. Apple waits before it adds these useful new features and then comes up with a somewhat similar name. Still, having said that, I'm happy to see Apple add these features to iOS and I'm looking forward to using them.

Apple Maps learns a few new tricks with iOS 26
Apple Maps learns a few new tricks with iOS 26

Phone Arena

timea day ago

  • Phone Arena

Apple Maps learns a few new tricks with iOS 26

Apple used its WWDC 2025 keynote to unveil iOS 26 , and while the spotlight was shared with the major UI redesign, the Apple Maps app got a few neat changes of its own. With iOS 26 , Maps becomes more intelligent, more personal, and more helpful, while still preserving the user's privacy. With iOS 26, iPhone can detect when you're at locations like restaurants or stores and automatically log them. | Image credit — Apple One of the new features is Visited Places, which lets users choose whether they want their iPhone to detect and log locations such as restaurants, shops, and other points of interest they've stopped at. All of this data is end-to-end encrypted and stored securely on-device, meaning not even Apple can access will be able to browse their location history directly within Maps, helping them remember favorite spots, revisit hidden gems, or get a birds-eye view of their routine/travel history. Is it enough of a challenge for Google's Timeline feature, though? Well, personally, I prefer the layout and design of Apple Maps, but there's no doubt that Google Maps is still the more versatile app from the two, and that probably won't change anytime soon. iPhone will be able to use on-device intelligence to learn your daily commute. | Image credit — Apple Apple Maps also gets a serious upgrade in how it handles your commute. With iOS 26, iPhone now uses on-device intelligence to learn your typical routes. For example, the phone can recognize your drive to work or trip home, and it then proactively presents your preferred route, complete with real-time updates, alternate suggestions, and delay notifications. Again, this is all processed locally. For daily commuters, this should mean less time fumbling with navigation and more time trusting that your iPhone knows where you're going and how best to get there. And while it is a whole other part of iOS 26 , the new Liquid Glass aesthetic spreads throughout the whole operating system, which includes Maps. The redesign adds subtle depth, translucency, and more dynamic layering to the interface, improving readability and making multitasking more fluid. For instance, Maps notifications now stay partially visible even when switching to other tasks, so you never lose sight of key navigation updates. Expect these updates to roll out later this fall when iOS 26 becomes publicly available.

Apple's AI gets quieter but smarter at WWDC 2025
Apple's AI gets quieter but smarter at WWDC 2025

Phone Arena

timea day ago

  • Phone Arena

Apple's AI gets quieter but smarter at WWDC 2025

These days, it is rare to see a tech event without some kind of AI mention and Apple's latest WWDC 2025 is no different. Last year, Apple Intelligence made its debut, but the rollout has been anything but smooth. Features have either been super slow to arrive or missing altogether and instead of making a splash in the AI scene, Apple kind of became the butt of the joke. So, this time around, Apple took a different route. During the WWDC 2025 keynote, it didn't go all-in on AI, although it started with it – and honestly, that might've been the smarter move. Still, it didn't skip over AI entirely and revealed quite a lot. So, how exactly did it bring it up this time? Well, for starters, Apple Intelligence is expanding to eight new languages by the end of the year, including Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese (Portugal), Swedish, Turkish, Chinese (traditional) and Vietnamese. Apple also announced fresh AI-powered features to boost user experience across iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and Apple Vision Pro. One big highlight is Live Translation, designed to break language barriers in messaging and calls. Live Translation is coming to your iPhone. | Image credit – Apple Integrated into Messages, FaceTime and Phone, it runs fully on-device to keep conversations private. Messages can auto-translate as you type and instantly translate replies. On FaceTime, live captions show translations while you hear the speaker's voice. Phone calls get spoken translations in real-time. Sound familiar? That is because Google and Samsung have offered a similar feature for a while now – yep, Live Translate part of Galaxy AI on the Galaxy S25 series and earlier models. – Craig Federighi, Apple's senior vice president of Software Engineering, June 9, 2025 Apple also updated its creative tools with Genmoji and Image Playground. Now you can mix emojis with text to create custom Genmojis, tweak expressions and hairstyles and generate images in cool new styles like oil painting or vector art – all powered by ChatGPT. And don't worry, everything stays private, with nothing shared without your permission. Apple gives new ways to express yourself with Genmoji. | Image credit – Apple And if Genmoji isn't your thing (I know it's not mine), you might get more excited about Apple's expanded visual intelligence. It now works directly with your iPhone screen, letting you search and take action on whatever you are viewing across apps. Visual intelligence helps you learn about objects and places with your camera and now lets you do more on your screen – faster. Ask ChatGPT questions about what you see or search apps like Google or Etsy for similar images and products. For example, if you spot a chair you like, you can highlight it and search for that exact or similar item online — kind of like Google's Circle to Search. Apple Intelligence updates now bring visual intelligence to whatever's showing on your iPhone screen. | Image credit – Apple Visual intelligence also recognizes events you are looking at and suggests adding them to your calendar by extracting details like date, time and location. And this could be pretty convenient. There is AI love for the Apple Watch, too Apple Intelligence is also getting a workout boost on the Apple Watch with Workout Buddy – a new feature that uses your workout data and fitness history to give real-time, personalized insights. It taps into heart rate, pace, distance, Activity rings and fitness milestones, delivering motivational feedback through a dynamic voice built from Fitness+ trainers. Workout Buddy works privately on your Apple Watch paired with Bluetooth headphones and requires a nearby iPhone with Apple Intelligence support. It'll launch in English and support popular workout types like running, walking, cycling, HIIT, and strength training. And while the focus was not all on AI, there is more Apple Intelligence can now pull order tracking info straight from your emails and show a summary, plus it can suggest polls in group chats when it thinks one might come in handy. | Image credit – Apple There are even more AI-powered tweaks across everyday apps: Reminders now automatically categorize important actions from emails, websites, and notes. Apple Wallet summarizes order tracking from merchant emails so you can see all your orders and updates in one place. Messages can suggest polls when it thinks you might need one and lets you personalize chat backgrounds with designs or custom creations made in Image Playground. But what's up with Siri? If you were hoping for a more personalized Siri to drop soon, you'll have to hang tight a bit longer. At WWDC 2025, Apple made it clear that the personalized Siri features will come at some point during the year, but I don't think you should expect them in the first iOS 26, iPadOS 26 or macOS 26 betas. However, when they do arrive, expect smarter personal context understanding, better on-screen awareness and more detailed controls for individual apps.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store