The current generation is more and more in love with their smartphones. We spend more than 40% of our routine time scrolling those touchscreens. These tiny gadgets contain almost all our important data that we need in our routine lives. But have you ever thought that the secrets you have stored inside your iPhone are accessible to the world; even when your phone is in your hands? Yeah! That sounds dangerous, but it is true that our photos, credentials, and financial details are not as safe as we think.
Well, we cannot stop using our iPhone. We need it each and every hour. But we have to find some ways to protect our data. And the great news for iPhone users is that everything is hidden inside the superior features of your iPhone. You just need to tweak a few settings, and it will make all your data safe from intruders.
Below we have highlighted a few trusted tips to enhance your iPhone security:
- Use strong passwords
One of the best and most reliable solution to protect your data on the iPhone is using strong passwords. Experts do not recommend basic 4-digit codes for screen unlock function. It is better to use a unique combination of symbols, digits, and letters. Your iPhone should even ask for the password right after the lock screen, avoiding even a second of delay. One can also use auto-erase data for the cases when someone makes 10 failed attempts to enter the password. But note that it will completely erase your data, so, you should never forget the password.
- Turn off notifications on lock screen
No password can protect your data if it pops up on the top of the screen even with the screen is locked. Screen notifications may display emails, messages, and other details. Sometimes, it may even include confirmation codes, secret passcodes, financial data, and private appointments. If your iPhone shows all the content on the screen even when it is locked, anyone can peep into your personal life. It is better to turn off lock screen notifications so that only you can check the updates on your phone.
- Use two-step verification
Well, single protection mechanism like password can protect your data on iPhone but using two protection mechanisms is a far better option. Experts recommend using two-step verification, and it can be created with the mix of Apple ID and iCloud. After setting up this two-stage verification, you can register your phone with few trusted devices that are allowed to accept 4-digit verification codes. It can be received via Find My iPhone service or via SMS. Whenever you need to open your account on any other device, you need to follow two-step verification. With this, it becomes much easier to protect your data as intruders find it quite difficult to gain access to the account by crossing two-stage security.
- Disable Siri on Lock screen
iPhones come with Siri feature, and this amazing personal assistant can also help you to keep your information secure and confidential. You can activate Siri on your lock screen and assign it some voice code to open the lock screen. But before you apply this setting, it is important to know that Siri can communicate with anyone. It cannot identify the owner of the iPhone.
- Turn off automatic syncing
Many cases have been reported were images of some people got viral on the internet without their consent, and it all happened just because of their storage on Apple iCloud servers. Most of us believe that it is enough to delete the images from our phone, but actually everything is stored in the cloud and sometimes intruders can access that data. It is advised to turn off the automatic syncing feature on your handset so that your data stays at local memory only. Note that, the syncing issue can happen with almost all type of data, including documents, contacts, notes, and messages as well. Hence, it is important to be on the safer side by turning off the auto-sync.
- Discard automatic connectivity to known Wi-Fi
One of the most popular features of the iPhone allows these tiny gadgets to remember Wi-Fi connections, and it can connect automatically to any previous network whenever the hotspot is available within the set range. With this feature, our iPhones can instantly switch from mobile data to any open Wi-Fi network. This may seem helpful in some cases, but it may provide more opportunities to hackers. They can create some fake wireless network with the same settings as that of your local trusted hotspot, and your iPhone may automatically get connected to the malicious network. It is the biggest reason behind data losses and may cause major trouble to the handset owners. Experts advise disabling the automatic Wi-Fi connections on your iPhone so that the data can stay protected.
- Prefer to use VPN
You might have heard about VPN, better known as Virtual Public Network. It is one of the most amazing tools for extra security and can help you stay safe even when you are connected to the internet. Note that, not all free VPN services are made equal. It is better to stay with a trusted VPN app from reputable provider to stay safe all the time.
- Turn of browser cookies
Last but not least, experts recommend not to use browser cookies. They usually contain some information related to your preferences, and website data. Cookies also help you to stay logged in to several websites on your browser. But the terrible fact is that cybercriminals also make use of cookies to attack your system. Cookies pose a major security threat on smartphones; hence, they must be disabled on time. This setting can also help you to keep your sensitive information and credential safe from intruders.
