7 Useful iPhone Security and Privacy Tips

Smartphones are one of the greatest inventions of this century and the iPhone helped to pioneer them when it launched back in 2007 . A massive 14 years later, it’s still one of the best smartphones around.

Yet if you use an iPhone, you may be worried about security and privacy. Phone privacy has been a hot topic for years now, with the debate only intensifying following the launch of Siri.

It’s smart to want to limit the amount of information that Apple and other companies have on you. Why should you have to share your secrets in exchange for using a smartphone? 

You shouldn’t have to.

In this guide, we’re going to give you some actionable phone security tips that will help you stay more private while using your favorite smart device.

Are you ready to learn more? Then read on!

1. Use a Strong Passcode

Good privacy begins with good device security. It’s the bedrock that everything else that you do is built on. This means that you need to set a great passcode for your device. 

On iPhone, your passcode has to be six numbers long, so pick something that is unique to your phone. Don’t reuse the same code that you also use for your banking app, or similar.

You should also use Face ID or Touch ID depending on which your phone supports. These biometrics are unique to you, which makes them great for security.

2. Turn on Two-Factor Authentication

Let’s say that someone manages to hack your iPhone or your iCloud account and then they have your username and password. How can you stop them now? The answer lies with two-factor authentication.

This technology, also known as 2FA, demands that you type in a code, displayed on your phone when you use your Apple ID to log in anywhere. It takes a few more seconds and means that anyone who has your details cannot use them.

What’s more, if someone tries to log in, you’ll get a notification on your phone telling you. Then you can change your password and stay protected.

While 2FA is a fantastic bit of technology, some people find it annoying. If you want to turn off two factor authentication Apple, you can go to your phone’s settings and tweak them so that you can log in faster.

3. Change Your Phone’s Locked Capabilities

Even without a passcode, a thief could do a surprising amount of things with your phone. Many people, for instance, have their settings set so that they can reply to a phone call with a message, without even unlocking the phone. 

If you want to make your phone more secure, you should lock down what someone can do without logging into your phone. 

To do this, go to settings and then go into the Face ID and passcode settings. Here, you can set what can and can’t be done when the phone is locked.

If you are very security-minded, you can disable all the listed functions. At the very least, we’d recommend that you don’t allow “reply with message,” “return missed calls,” or “notification center.” Changing these settings will severely curtail any thief’s ability to use your phone.

4. Set Your iPhone to Self-Destruct

Okay, that title was a lie. There’s no self-destruct setting for your iPhone, but there is something similar. 

In the Face ID and passcode settings, you’ll see a setting called “erase data.” Turning this on means that your phone will wipe itself if someone gets the passcode wrong 10 times. As they are unlikely to guess a six-figure passcode within 10 tries, you can bank on your data being safe with this setting turned on.

5. Check App Permissions

iOS gives you a good level of granular control over what apps can and cannot do with your data. To access app permissions, go to settings, then privacy. Here, you’ll be able to scroll through a list of apps and change the privacy settings for each of them.

For example, location data is often gathered, even though it’s not necessary for a lot of apps. You don’t need to put up with this invasion of privacy any longer. You can set the apps that do need it, like mapping apps, to only allow location use when you’re running the app.

Think carefully about what each app should be allowed to use and optimize your privacy!

6. Sign in to Apps With Apple

Signing into apps with social media like Facebook can sometimes cause privacy concerns. However, signing into apps with Apple offers some tremendous advantages.

Chief among them is the ability to have emails forwarded to your address, rather than giving them your email address for them to do whatever they want with. If you’ve never signed in with Apple, give it a shot: you’ll be surprised at how good it is.

7. Stop Ads Tracking You

Ads can track you around the internet, which is deeply problematic. If you want to stop targeted advertising in its tracks, there’s a setting for that, to coin a phrase.

Go into settings, then privacy, then Apple advertising. Here, you can turn off personalized ads, which means that your phone won’t be able to target ads at you. While this may result in less relevant ads, the privacy it offers is something you may want to harness.

Use These Tips to Optimize Your Device for Security and Privacy

Security and privacy are of vital importance. By using these tips, you’ll be able to make your iPhone a lot more secure and more private.

For more great articles like this, check out the rest of our blog!