Why London Smartphone Thieves Return Android Phones but Target iPhones

Some smartphone thieves are reportedly willing to give a handset back when they realise it is an Android. It may seem surprising, but the reason behind this pattern is ultimately straightforward.

Smartphone theft has become a serious problem in London. The UK capital recorded 80,000 stolen devices in 2024, a record figure that has taken the issue to another level. Offenders use a well-established method: wearing masks, they ride e-bikes, snatch phones directly from victims’ hands, then weave across pavements to get away.

Android smartphones returned by London thieves

According to accounts from victims, iPhones appear to be targeted far more often. Several Samsung Galaxy owners told London Centric that their phones had been stolen, only for the thieves to return them seconds later.

One victim, Sam, was attacked by a group of eight men and experienced an especially unlikely sequence of events. After taking his belongings, one of the thieves came back to hand over his smartphone. “We don’t want Samsung,” he told him. Other victims have described similar incidents. Mark had his Galaxy grabbed from his hand by a thief on an e-bike, who then stopped, inspected the device and carefully dropped it on the ground.

A structured global network

To make sense of this behaviour, it is necessary to look at what happens behind the scenes. In recent months, London police have uncovered an organised network led by exporters sending tens of thousands of smartphones to China or Algeria. Devices can fetch high prices there, particularly because some Asian operators do not take part in the international blacklist that blocks the use of phones reported as stolen.

Shops and middlemen buy devices from thieves, repair them or ship them in bulk. E-bikes have modernised the role of street criminals, but their objective remains profit. “Apple devices have a much higher value on the second-hand market,” says Jake Moore, a cybersecurity expert. This is the sole reason thieves focus on iPhones: stealing an Android earns them considerably less.

Smartphone theft figures in France

It is worth noting that around 600,000 mobile phones are stolen in France every year. A substantial number of those devices are Android smartphones.