A device and method of verifying protective case usage, is described. The device includes one or more processors to drive an electromechanical transducer with an input signal. The electromechanical transducer generates an input force based on the input signal, and a sensor of the device generates a test output signal in response to the input force. The one or more processors determine, based on the test output signal, a level of verification that a protective case is mounted on the device. The determination can include determining whether the test output signal matches a predetermined impulse response signal indicative of an unprotected device or a protected device. A digital identification tag of the protective case can be read by a radio-frequency transceiver of the device to provide an additional level of verification that the protective case is mounted on the device. Other aspects are described and claimed.