iPhones have a surprising security feature that few people know about and that seems straight out of a spy movie like Mission: Impossible. This is an optional setting that allows you to automatically erase everything on your device after 10 failed unlock attemptswhether with Face ID, Touch ID or a password.
Designed to protect user privacy in the event of loss or theft, this tool is an example of how Apple prioritizes the security of its mobile phones, self-destructing everything you have saved on your smartphone if it falls into the hands of others. And it’s already quite annoying to lose such a phone.
How does iPhone content self-destruct work?
The option is integrated into the iPhone security settingsbut it is not enabled by default. Its purpose is clear: to prevent someone from trying to access the device through brute force methods, that is. Try a large number of password combinations until you find the right one.
When activated, the iPhone is able to detect if something goes wrong realizing that something or someone is trying to unlock the phone ten times in a row and, as an extreme measure, is able to erase all data stored on the device.
On paper, yes someone tries to unlock iPhone and fails repeatedlythe device will be temporarily locked. After each additional failed attempt, the wait time between attempts increases, starting with a few seconds and extending to several minutes or hours. But, when the tenth failed attempt is reached, the function (if enabled) will run automatically and delete all data from the mobile, which is why we recommend that you do not tempt your luck and try this function even in jest.
This “complete erase» returns the iPhone to its factory state, but if the contents of the device are deleted, the data remains safe in iCloud, as long as it was previously saved, so that you, as the owner, can easily recover it by restoring the device from your account from iCloud.
How to enable this security tool?
To enable the automatic cleaning on an iPhone and protect your content from third parties, follow these steps:
- Open the settings app
- Scroll down to the Face ID and password menu (or Touch ID and password depending on the model)
- Enter the device security code.
- Scroll down and enable the Clear data option
From now on, the iPhone will behave like a ruthless nightclub bouncerdestroying any unauthorized attempt to access the information. Of course, remember that this measure is the last resort to thwart any attempt at unauthorized access and that it is essential to make regular backup copies in iCloud or on a computer to have a backup of all this data that can be deleted in case of theft or loss.
You know, prevention is always going to be much better than cure.
valuable as above for them to get hold of our data.
