Stolen iPhones from French riots are showing an on-screen message telling holders to return the devices to Apple Lille, after the store was looted on Saturday, 17 October 2026.
According to MacGeneration, a video circulating on X shows an iPhone displaying a message in French that asks for the device to be returned to the Apple store in Lille. The message adds that the device has been deactivated and is being located, and that the authorities will be alerted.
Why stolen iPhones from French riots lock themselves
iPhones taken from Apple stores are locked as soon as they leave, and several sources told the report they show a message saying the phone belongs to Apple and sound loudly. A separate video on social media shows a stolen iPhone locked through Find My’s Lost mode, which lets an owner lock a device remotely and show a message on its screen.
The Apple stores in Lille and Bordeaux were looted during demonstrations over the cost of living on Saturday, 17 October 2026. The Lille store, on rue Faidherbe, was forced open in the afternoon, and Apple has not said how many devices were taken. Bordeaux reopened on Monday, 19 October 2026, and Lille on Wednesday, 21 October 2026.
During the same unrest across France, a viral video also showed a Rolex watch left beside a trash bin, with a passer-by picking it up. The Bordeaux store, on Sainte-Catherine, was targeted along with dozens of other city-centre shops, and early local estimates put the total at 50 to 100 businesses. Apple has not issued a public statement about the looting.
What buyers of stolen iPhones from French riots risk
Buyers on second-hand sites risk ending up with an unusable phone. Apple would not confiscate such a device if it were brought to a store, but it would refuse any service, even if the buyer acted in good faith. The main second-hand marketplaces have agreed to step up monitoring after a government meeting.
Phones stolen from other retailers are identified by their IMEI, a 15-digit number unique to each handset that can be shown by dialling *#06#. Police pass the lists to mobile operators, which have four days to block the devices, so a phone that works at purchase can be blocked days later.
A similar message appeared in June 2020, when iPhones looted from Apple stores in the United States were disabled and showed a warning that the devices were being tracked and should be returned to an Apple store.
Sources
- MacGeneration, Après les pillages, gare aux iPhone volés revendus sur les sites de petites annonces
- iPhoneSoft, Manifestations en France : les Apple Store de Lille et Bordeaux pillés
- MacRumors, Apple Stores in Bordeaux and Lille looted during French protests
- Swisher Post, Rolex France riots: Video shows watch beside a trash bin
