Oliver Haslam on November 19, 2025, 7:15 pm

London iPhone Thieves Are Giving Android Phones Back To Victims

The theft of smartphones is something that Londoners are all too familiar with these days, but there’s good news for Android phone owners — the thieves don’t want your phone.

According to a new report by London Centric, thieves are reportedly giving Android phones back to their owners. If they steal your phone and it isn’t an iPhone, they simply don’t seem to want it.

While it might feel like London’s phone thieves will indiscriminately take any device they can get their hands on, there are a growing number of indicators that many of them are only interested in Apple iPhones.

Multiple capital-dwelling Android users who shared their stories with London Centric said they had been on an emotional journey after they were mugged — only to have their device handed back.

The report goes on to detail some examples that prove the rule, with one man saying he was given his Android phone app back after thieves initially stole it along with his camera and even his hat.

The reason for thieves’ lack of interest in Android phones is likely their low resale value when compared to Apple’s iPhones. However, it’s still surprising to see phones actively being handed back rather than being disposed of another way.