Apply These iPhone Security Tips To Protect iPhone And Sensitive Information From Hackers!
Purchased a new iPhone?
Or got iPhone in gift from your family member or friend?
No matter how you got your first or second hand iPhone, there are some basic iPhone security tips that you must follow to protect your iPhone (and all data including login credentials, emails, messages, photos, videos) from the snooping eyes of theft and hackers.
Though Apple’s iOS is secure, there are few basic things that you must follow to make sure that your iPhone is more secure from hackers and theft as it can be.
So, here follow our iPhone security tips to protect your iPhone from theft or hackers.
Tip 1: Create A Longer Passcode (Better If You Create Alphanumeric Code)
The very first thing that you must do is “set-up a passcode”. Do not leave your iPhone that anyone can easily swipe to open it. Create passcode for your iPhone with the available options – 4 digit numeric code, custom numeric code or custom alphanumeric code. If you like then you can set Touch ID or Face ID.
You can easily set-up your iPhone passcode going to Settings > Touch ID & Passcode or Face ID & Passcode (if you have iPhone X) and create your new passcode.
Make sure that iPhone Unlock is toggled ON after you create a passcode.
However, if you have set-up Touch ID or Face ID to unlock your iPhone, then you don’t have to enter passcode to unlock it.
Tip 2: Keep Your iPhone iOS Up-To-Date
The second thing that you must consider is that you must keep your iPhone operating system up-to-date, including even the smaller “dot” updates.
The new iOS version always has new features, bug fixes and a potential to protect your iPhone from being hacked by hackers and hence hackers could not find any flaws in Apple’s coding so that they cannot exploit and have access to your sensitive data.
In order to update your iPhone to latest iOS version, go to Settings > General > Software update. If there is no update available then you will be welcomed with a note that you are already running up the most updated version of iOS and if there is any update available then you will be prompted to download and install the latest version of iOS update.
At present the latest version of iOS is iOS 12, but dot updates of iOS 12 will get release regularly, so it is important for you to keep an eye out for those.
Tip 3: Turn ON “Find My iPhone” Feature
“Find My iPhone” is a very helpful feature of iOS device. I recommended you to activate Find My iPhone. iPhone with Find My iPhone feature enabled will help you track your lost or stolen iOS device from another iOS device or computer by watching your iPhone is on a map.
Beside that you can also play sound to find your lost iPhone and if you are really finding it difficult to locate your iPhone, Find My iPhone allow you to lock your iPhone remotely and also erase all data remotely on your iPhone.
It doesn’t cause any inconvenience in your day-to-day operation and it is easy to set-up. Here, how to turn ON Find My iPhone, go to Settings > [your account name] > iCloud > Find My iPhone and toggle Find My iPhone to ON.
Tip 4: Disable Access To Siri and Control Center From The Lock Screen
Even if you have set-up a strong and longer passcode, a stranger person can still access your iPhone via the lock screen.
Do you know that Siri app can share lots of information from your screen locked iPhone, it liberally displays the personal information to a person who finds your lost iPhone. If this feature of Siri makes you uncomfortable, then it is better that you must disable Siri from the lock screen.
Another way through which a theft or hacker can get access to your iPhone or at least get some time to find a way to bypass your phone passcode and that is possible – by enabling Airplane Mode via Control Center from the lock screen. If Airplane mode turned ON, then you can locate your iOS device via Find My iPhone.
In order to disable access to Siri and Control Center from the lock screen, go to Settings > Touch ID & Passcode or Face ID & Passcode (if you have iPhone X) and toggle OFF Siri and Control Center in Allow Access When Locked.
Tip 5: Enable Data Protection To Auto-Wipe iPhone Content
If stranger, hacker, thief or someone has your iPhone for enough time, then they could guess or crack your passcode until they find the right combination, particularly if you use 4-digit passcode. So, in order to avoid a hacker or thief that have got enough time to crack your phone passcode, you must enable data protection feature that will help in erasing data if 10 consecutive wrong passcode is entered.
Here you might get worried – what if you give clumsy attempts at remembering your passcode or what if your kids enter wrong passcode for few attempts. Well, you don’t have to worry about it as it does not erase your iPhone until and unless someone enters the wrong passcode consecutively for 10 times.
Your iPhone is smart enough. After first 4 wrong attempts, iOS adds a delay time until you try again. After 5th wrong attempt, iOS add 1 minute delay. After 6th wrong attempt, iOS adds 5 minutes delay. After 7th and 8th wrong attempt, iOS adds 15 minutes delay and after 9th wrong attempts, iOS add 1 hour of delay time until you try again.
To enable data protection to auto-wipe data, go to Settings > Touch ID & Passcode or Face ID & Passcode (if you have iPhone X), scroll down and toggle ON Erase Data to enable this feature.
Tip 6: Set Up Two-Step Verification
This is the last tip and you should not ignore it. Two-step verification helps you to secure your sensitive data and information that you have saved with Apple that includes payment information for iTunes, photos, videos and other files saved or backed-up in iCloud.
If you have enabled 2-step verification, then hacker, thief or someone will need access to another device of your to get into your account, even if they manage to hack your passcode and get access to your iPhone.
Wrap Up
Those are the basic and must to consider tips that you must follow to protect/secure your iPhone from hacker or theft. So, if you have purchased a new iPhone or got a second hand iPhone from any of your family members or friends, then immediately implement above-mentioned iPhone security tips to protect your iPhone from anyone.
Max Field
Max Field is a founder of recoveriphone-data.com. He is an iOS lover and loves to write tips, tricks, fixes for errors, data recovery solutions and more related to iOS, iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, iTunes and iCloud.
