Every user wants their mobile phone or tablet to be more secure and safe. There are situations where you are compelled to allow others to use your device, but you will never prefer to make your information, documents, or photos an open book to them. Your device should have some privacy.
In addition, getting any of your devices stolen is like a nightmare to most. Suppose it is an iPhone or iPad the same increases in many folds for the whopping price of those devices. However, if you lose your device, you need to ensure that all your data are safe and secure. According to Forbes, the latest iPhones are also under security threats, and Apple is providing emergency updates to nullify them quite often.
In this article, you will get the six most valuable tips to maximize the safety and security of your iPhone or iPad.
Protect your device with a passcode
Never use your iPhone/iPad without a passcode; otherwise, anyone can swipe the screen of your device to unlock it. Don’t use a simple 4-digit pin as your passcode. Use a 6-digit passcode or a unique alpha-numeric combination as a passcode to make your device more secure and safe from others. Using Touch ID or Face ID will allow you to unlock your phone without putting in the passcode every time.
Use the Activation Lock feature
Activation Lock is a built-in feature of the iPhone or iPad that protects your device when it goes in the wrong hands. It prevents others from using your device without your permission and makes the hardware useless for others. Besides, it allows you to erase all your data remotely and increases the chance of recovering your device. You can easily activate this feature by turning on the “Find My” option under settings. However, at times the screen becomes less responsive on activation lock iPhones. In that case, you can bypass this feature either by using your Apple ID and password or via iCloud and DNS.
Do not allow Siri to trust a stranger
Even if you are using a strong passcode, a stranger can get your personal information by using your device’s lock screen with the help of ‘Siri’. Siri can’t identify whether you or a stranger is asking for the information, and it shares the same with the intent of help. Hence, it is safer to disable the Siri feature from your device’s lock screen.
At times, hackers also enable the ‘Airplane’ mode on your device from the lock screen via Control Center to buy some time to crack your passcode. You cannot track your device using “Find my iPhone” once put in Airplane mode. Hence, it is safer to disable access to the Control Center from the lock screen.
Make your passcode act faster
You can set the time on your device, after which it will be locked and shall require the passcode to unlock it further. You can set any duration up to 4 hours. It is safer to choose a small duration to enable your passcode faster. If you forget your device idle at a place, it will stop any person from accessing your device in no time by asking for the passcode.
Protect your data
If someone steals your iPhone or iPad and the thief gets enough time to spend with your device, they can try different combinations of passcodes to unlock it. If your passcode is not strong enough, the person may succeed after a few attempts. Your iPhone comes with an “Erase Data” feature that can enable data protection for your device. If you enable this feature, if any stranger wrongly guesses your passcode 10 consecutive times, it will wipe out all data from your devices.
Do not worry about yourself putting clumsy passcodes after a Saturday night party or your kids doing the same for fun. Your device enables a delay from the 5th attempt starting from 1 minute and gradually increases it to 1 hour after the 9th attempt.
Enable Find my iPhone
Last but not the least; it is the easiest and effective way of securing your iPhone. Enable the “Find my iPhone” feature to locate your device if you lose it. Enabling that feature allows you to track your lost iPhone from your computer or another iOS device via a map. Even if you cannot recover your phone at the worst, you can remotely erase all the data from your iPhone by using this feature.
Conclusion
It is always better to be safer than sad and provide the utmost security to your device. You can use all the above tips to achieve that. If you are a lazy person or not very tech-savvy, at least use a few of them to ensure your peace of mind.
