According to sources, Apple has applied for a patent covering different methods for identifying and disabling unauthorized use including jailbreaking and other hacks of other electronic devices like iPhone and iPads. But U.S government has made the jailbreaking of iPhones legal which means users can download and install those apps which are not supported by Apple. But by applying to patent, it seems that Apple is wishing to gain control over the devices.

At present, the Cupertino, California based tech company automatically cancels its warranty on all iPhones on which jailbreaking and other hacks have been applied. The patent for which Apple has applied focuses on measures for identifying stolen devices and protection of sensitive information like credit card numbers, passwords etc. For instance, if the company learns about customer’s iPhone which has been stolen, sensitive information stored on that customer’s device can be sent to one of the Apple’s remote storage servers and after that it can be erased from the phone completely.

This patent also covers the methods for recognizing the devices which have been hacked, jailbroken, had SIM cards removed or unlocked. Apple can delete the personal information from these devices and then send the warning to AT&T to shut down the service to that device.


Written by: josh, who runs a website about Tech News