iPhones are generally known to be more valuable devices than their Android rivals. And apparently it’s no different for thieves.
In one of the examples that proves this and perhaps demonstrates this most perfectly, a group of thieves returned an Android device they had stolen to its owners because it was not an iPhone.
The incident, reported by ABC7, took place in Washington DC in the early morning hours. The victim was an Uber Eats and Instacart driver, and her husband was there that morning to help her park her vehicle. Just then, masked thieves arrived.
“As soon as I parked the car, two masked and armed men approached (my husband),” the victim said. “They robbed him, took everything from his pockets, took my car keys and got in the car and drove away.”
The attackers had guns and in the first stage they also took her husband’s smartphone. But then they returned it, complaining that it wasn’t an iPhone: “They simply looked at the phone and said ‘is this an Android?’ We don’t want this. “They were like, ‘I thought that was an iPhone’.”
Of course, the part where this theft incident was a much bigger problem was the theft of the vehicle that the couple used for their livelihood. However, if a thief stops stealing the phone when he sees that it is Android, it could be a dubious advertising opportunity for Google and Android.
The idea of choosing an iPhone to steal shouldn’t actually make much sense for thieves. Since Find My iPhone is enabled on most phones, it’s easy to track and disable.