iPhone "Kill Switch" sharply reduced mobile phone theft. According to the Associated Press, "new crime data show Apple's addition of a "kill switch" to its iPhones last September has sharply reduced robberies and thefts, authorities said Thursday."

Reportedly, robberies of Apple products fell 19 percent while grand larcenies dropped 29 percent in the first five months of 2014 in New York City compared with a year earlier. Robberies and grand larcenies involving a Samsung smartphone, which didn't have a kill switch during much of that time, rose more than 40 percent. Samsung introduced a kill switch in April.

Crime data from police in San Francisco and London, comparing the six months before Apple's switch to the six months following, showed similar trends, according to the report.

In San Francisco, iPhone robberies declined 38 percent, while robberies of Samsung devices increased 12 percent.

In London, Apple thefts declined 24 percent, while Samsung thefts increased 3 percent.

According to Intego, "Find my iPhone" feature has incorporated a new technology called "Activation Lock," which is effectively Apple's version of the Kill Switch.

Here's how to activate the "Kill Switch" feature in your iPhone according to Intego:

Setting up Find my iPhone

Enable "Find my iPhone."

1. Go to Settings on your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad.

2. Tap iCloud.

3. Sign in with your Apple ID, if necessary.

4. Turn on Find My iPhone.

5. Enable "Find my iPhone" in your iOS settings.

If your phone or iPad was stolen, you should immediately put it into Lost Mode through Find my iPhone.

Enabling Lost Mode

• To put a device into Lost Mode, simply log in to icloud.com/find from a Mac or PC, or use the Find My iPhone iOS app from another of your devices.
• You'll see a map of where it believes your lost device can be found.
• Once logged into iCloud, you can activate Lost Mode.
• You will be given the option to display a phone number and message on the locked device's screen. You can also remotely wipe the lost iPhone/iPad if you wish.
• Your custom message will continue to display even after the device is wiped.
• You can display a message and contact details on the lost device.
• Once Lost Mode has been enabled, your device's screen will be locked and demand that whoever finds it enter your Apple ID and password before they can do anything with it.

Activation lock on iPhone

The locked iPhone cannot be used until the correct Apple ID and passcode is entered.