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Apple has begun rolling out a scanning device in its retail stores that checks a returned iPhone without opening the box, according to a report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman on October 25. The tool is meant to catch customers who return boxes with the phone, accessories or components removed.
MacRumors summarized Gurman's Power On newsletter, and Gadgets 360 reported on October 26 that the scanners are now becoming operational.
Key facts
- Source of the report: Mark Gurman's Power On newsletter at Bloomberg, published October 25.
- The device scans an in-box iPhone and runs diagnostics to confirm the phone is fully intact.
- The box stays sealed, so the unit can go straight back into inventory.
- Rollout began earlier in October, per Gurman as relayed by MacRumors.
- Apple has not confirmed the system in the sources reviewed here.
The problem Apple is addressing
Gurman describes a growing pattern in which people buy an iPhone or another product, then take out accessories, internal components or the whole device. They then return the box and hope the employee does not notice.
Until now, retail employees have generally been told to open the box of a returned iPhone and check the contents. That process is slow, and opening the packaging means the item can no longer be restocked as new. Gurman says the new device cuts down on wasted inventory.
Existing hardware, new use
According to MacRumors, these are the same devices employees already use to install iOS updates on iPhones without removing them from the box. MacRumors adds that more recently the devices can put a personalized greeting on the iPhone Duo setup screen. The anti-theft function is therefore a software and diagnostic extension of tools already in stores, rather than separate new hardware, as the report presents it.
The sources do not detail what the diagnostics check, how a missing accessory would be detected, or whether the scan covers products other than iPhones. India Today also covered the rollout on October 26, framing it as a measure against sealed-box return fraud, but its excerpt adds no further detail.
What to watch next
The main open question is confirmation. Everything here rests on one newsletter report, and Apple has not described the system publicly in the material available.
Also worth watching is whether the scanners expand beyond iPhones, and whether Apple changes its return procedures, such as how staff handle boxes that fail a scan. Customers with legitimate returns should see little change, since the check happens without opening the packaging.
