The Apple Watch is smart enough to protect your data. It knows when it’s been taken off your wrist, and it won’t let itself be unlocked without a passcode.
But it’s not smart enough to destroy its resale value should it leave your wrist for good.
The hole in the device’s security measures was documented Wednesday by iDownloadBlog’ s Jeff Benjamin, who helpfully provided the how-to video attached below. It shows how, without a passcode, you can reset the watch to factory condition, ready to paired with someone else’s iPhone.
The iPhone used to be just as easy to reset, making it a popular target for thieves. Then, two years ago, with the release of iOS 7, Apple added a “kill switch,” a lock that prevents the phone from being activated without the owner’s name and password. The news quickly spread, and within 12 months, iPhone thefts had fallen 40% in San Francisco, 25% in New York City and 50% in London.
News of the Watch’s vulnerability is already out. Apple can’t make a Find My Watch app because the device doesn’t have its own cellular radio. But Apple could make a kill switch that would prevent resets without proper credentials.
Until it does, be careful where you flash that Apple bling.
Follow Philip Elmer-DeWitt on Twitter at @philiped. Read his Apple (AAPL) coverage at coins2day.com/ped or subscribe via his RSS feed.