10 iPhone privacy settings you should activate immediately

Do you feel like your iPhone is insecure even though Apple tries hard to keep your environment safe? Check out the following 10 settings that you can enable and modify according to your preferences.

Apple has made a significant investment in privacy. Each presentation of operating systems, as is usually the case at WWDC, is a fundamental part and has continued to improve.. It is no exception with the arrival of iOS 18. The iPhone is the main emblem of privacy at Apple and sometimes it is important to know how it works on a day-to-day basis. Maybe you have bought an iPhone but you do not know the inner workings regarding privacy. Do not worry that In this article we will show you some adjustments that you can make to your iPhone so that it is as well protected as possible..

Turn on Stolen Device Protection

With this function It prevents changing security settings when the device is away from known locations and will require authentication via Face ID or Touch ID. Saved passwords and some sensitive account information are protected. If your iPhone is stolen, the criminal will not be able to manipulate or make changes to your iPhone.. Activate it this way.

Protecting your iPhone in case of theft

1. Open the Settings app and go to the Face ID & Passcode section
2. Enter your access code
3. Scroll down and Tap on Stolen Device Protection
4. Activate the function

One of the settings that can be changed is the security wait time so that it does not matter if you are at home or at work, a waiting period of at least one hour will be applied.

Don’t allow access to your iPhone from the lock screen

Have you ever used your iPhone when it’s locked? It can backfire in the event of theft or unauthorized use. This is partly possible due to the settings we have enabled by default that allow the use of the Control Center, Today View, Notification Center, and even Siri. What can we do about this? We are going to apply a setting to limit iPhone access for anyone unless Face ID or Touch ID access is enabled.

Reduce iPhone Actions While Locked

1. Open the Settings app, go to Face ID & Passcode
2. Enter your code
3. Scroll and disable shortcuts when iPhone is locked

We recommend disabling the display of Today and Search, Notification and Control Centers, Widgets (if you have sensitive information), Siri, Wallet, Reply with Message, and Return Missed Calls.

Keep Find My iPhone on

Following the line in case of theft, Find My iPhone feature is one of the most important when it comes to iPhone protectionThis feature is part of the Apple ecosystem and is a great help when we lose our iPhone or it is unfortunately stolen. If you don’t have it activated, follow these steps.

An iPhone locked by iCloud

1. Open the Settings app and tap on your name
2. Select Search and then Find My iPhone
3. Then check the Find My iPhone box
4. Then activate the Network options of Search and Send last location

These last two checkboxes allow you to locate your iPhone if the device is not connected to the Internet, up to 24 hours after it is turned off or 5 hours after it enters battery backup mode. The location is sent to Apple when the iPhone’s battery level is very low.

Change your access code to a secure password

For several iOS versions now, it has been content with a 6-digit passcode. If you think your iPhone is vulnerable in this way, you could enable an alphanumeric code so that you use letters, numbers and other types of characters.

Switch to a custom alphanumeric code to protect your iPhone

1. Open the Settings app and go to the passcode section
2. Enter your code
3. Scroll and tap on Change access code
4. Enter the current code again
5. Tap on Access code options to select the alphanumeric code
6. Enter the new secure password and confirm Next

Make sure you don’t forget the new password in case it is long enough or difficult to remember.

Enable two-factor authentication

In recent years, Apple has required its users to enable two-factor authentication to keep their accounts secure. If for some reason you don’t have it enabled or you’ve created a new Apple account, make sure to activate it.

Check two-factor authentication on iPhone

1. Open the Settings app and tap your name
2. Tap on Login and Security
3. Tap on Two-Factor Authentication and turn it on

From now on, Every time you sign in with a new device or sign in with your Apple account somewhere you will be asked for the 6-digit code which will arrive on one of your trusted devices or while you are logged in.

Disable location for apps that don’t need it

Please note that location may work for essential services like Find My iPhone. You don’t need social media apps (at least not all the time), games or some utility apps.. Depending on your criteria, disable those apps that do not require knowing where you are.

Disable location services for apps that don’t need them

1. Open the Settings app and enter the section Privacy and security
2. Tap on Location
3. Disable location from apps that don’t require it and that you don’t need

For example, if you use navigation services like Apple or Google Maps, Waze, or some other app that requires access to your location, you can leave them enabled.

Check ad tracking

Remember that moment when a new app asks you to track your activity? If you remember and now regret not having asked the app not to track you, you can change this criteriaAccording to Apple, ad tracking allows it to create a profile based on your tastes and searches.

Prevent app tracking from this iPhone privacy section

1. Open the Settings app and go to Privacy and Security section
2. Tap on Tracking
3. Disable tracking option in general or disable only those apps you don’t want
4. Return to the privacy section and scroll to enter the Apple Advertising section
5. Disable personalized ads

From now on, you will no longer receive personalized ads based on what you do with your iPhone, the sites you browse or the searches you perform.

Apply the latest iOS updates

One of the last recommendations we make is to keep your iPhone updated.The most important thing is to take advantage of when Apple releases updates regarding security fixes. We must not forget that there are always criminals on the network who manage to violate our devices, or at least they try to do so, despite the fact that Apple works every day to prevent it.

It is important to update your iPhone

Check the Software Updates section Every time we notify you of a new update

iCloud+ integrates useful security features

These last two recommendations involve making an investment in cloud services and paid internet.For example, iCloud+ was introduced a while ago. If you’re already a iCloud subscriber No matter how much space you need or if you have Apple One, now you have additional security features.

Private Relay allows you to remain anonymous and protected on the Internet

The features that are part of iCloud+ are iCloud Private Relay and Hide My Mail. The first one is like a VPN so that when using Safari your IP and browsing activity are hidden. Apple indicates that even they cannot see the sites we visit. The second is for create alternative email addresses that in turn forward emails to our main address. This prevents you from revealing your real email address.

Use a trusted VPN

Lastly, if you feel that iCloud Private Relay works for you but If you want to extend this protection to other browsers like Chrome or protect all internet activity, subscribing to a VPN app is the ideal solution.Your connection will be encrypted and it will be almost impossible for them to access any information during the active VPN session.

VPN services usually set a new IP address for your iPhone every time you connect.

It’s useful to have it when you’re connected to a public or dubious Wi-Fi network. Here we tell you more about using VPN, some paid apps and other free apps that you can use for your iPhone.