Earlier this year we told you about a bug in iOS that allowed stolen iPhones to continue receiving iMessages, even if you had deactivated the SIM and changed your password! Now, it seems that bug has finally been squashed.
According to a source with knowledge of Apple’s steps to correct the matter, the issue has been fixed in iOS 6 through a variety of checks placed on iMessage. The most important of these is that Apple now uses its push systems to force a user to re-enter a password to use iMessage once your Apple ID credentials have been changed.
So, if your phone is stolen, just change your Apple ID password, and all of your devices will require the new password to be entered before anyone can use iMessage on that device.
Other solutions, which also worked for many with iOS 5, include placing your SIM in a new phone with the same number associated with it, or wiping your phone using Find my iPhone. Both should stop the device from receiving iMessages.
