New Apple patent hints at disabled iPhones for 'unauthorised users'

It’s no secret Apple that doesn’t particularly like people jailbreaking their iPhones, and new patents released last week appear to demonstrate just how far they're willing to go to prevent it.

Patents filed in February by at least two Apple agents through a law firm suggest that the company is looking to clamp down on ‘unauthorised users’ in the future by directly sending warnings and cutting off features when a phone is compromised.

Interestingly, one sign of unauthorised usage is categorised as ‘jailbreaking the electronic device’, which is naturally what every thief does when he steals your phone. I think.

In fact, the document remains fairly vague as to what constitutes an ‘unauthorised user’, which raises an eyebrow considering that jailbreaking is referenced specifically as an example of such a person.

This latest development doesn’t guarantee that Apple is taking a sly route to stopping the activity, but it does raise questions about how far a company can go to keep people from tampering with its products beyond withdrawing the warranty.