Apple has always been a little finicky when it comes to repairing devices, especially when it comes to third party components being present. That trend is set to continue, with a report suggesting that Apple will decline to repair iPhones that are marked as stolen or lost.

The report in question comes via MacRumors, which is a fairly reliable source when it comes to such matters. To that end the publication cites a memo sent out to Apple Stores and authorised resellers regarding the repair of iPhones within the framework of its missing device policy.

As such, when working on a device, if repairs should receive a notification on their internal MobileGenius or GSX systems that the iPhone had been marked as missing, they should not continue with the repair.

On top of this, repairers will likely have to check the device’s IMEI number against the GSMA Device Registry to ascertain what its exact status is. What happens from there is unclear, with no mention of what would occur if a technician continues with the repair despite it being flagged.

Given how particular Apple is on such matters, choosing to ignore this reported memo will more than likely see the technician or Store loose its accreditation for repairs.

None of this is new, however, as Apple also instructs repairers or technicians to not work on a device that has had its Find My iPhone feature enabled which the “owner” of the device cannot disable.

It is a finicky new addition to Apple’s long list of rules for repairing iPhones, but in this case, we think it is a smart move, especially given the high resale value these devices carry.