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London Thieves Favor iPhones Instead of Androids, Returning Android Gadgets to Their Owners

London Centric, the men began to run, but the one who took the phone paused to hand back the device to the astonished victim. Sam’s experience isn’t uncommon, as other Android users in London faced similar treatment after having their devices stolen. The publication provides a few more instances of thieves abandoning stolen Android phones upon realizing they weren’t iPhones. Notably, in the comments section of the article, a user named Sarah mentioned that they had their older Pixel phone stolen on two occasions and discarded twice.

London Centric points out that the UK mobile market is nearly evenly divided between iPhone and Android. Statistically, one would anticipate random phone thefts to affect iPhone and Android users in a similar manner. The total number of stolen devices would be distributed evenly across the two rival platforms. However, that isn’t what is occurring in London, where thieves predominantly favor the iPhone over Android. Last month, the BBC reported that a traced stolen iPhone prompted an investigation which unveiled a large smartphone smuggling operation that authorities believe is responsible for exporting 40% of the phones stolen in London, amounting to approximately 40,000 devices sent to China annually. In July, The Guardian stated that two-fifths of Europe’s mobile phone thefts occur in the UK, with London being the primary center. Data from the Metropolitan Police indicated that roughly 80,000 phones were stolen in the capital last year, with iPhones being the more common target.