Five iPhone Security Features You Should Be Using

Apple has rather a fewer information features that it's added to iPhones, iPads, and Macs implicit the years. Now much than ever, it's important to marque definite you're taking vantage of the built-in information tools that are disposable to support yourself and your information safe, truthful we've rounded up a database of the astir important options.


If you don't already person these enabled, you mightiness privation to see turning immoderate of them on.

Two-Factor Authentication

With two-factor authentication, you request to verify your place erstwhile you motion into iCloud connected a caller instrumentality oregon connected the web. It works by sending a six-digit codification to a instrumentality wherever you're already signed in, and it won't authorize a sign-in connected the caller instrumentality unless you input that codification from your existing device.


If you person an iPhone and privation to motion into your ‌iCloud‌ relationship connected your Mac, for example, erstwhile you participate your Apple Account sanction and password, you'll get a pop-up connected your ‌iPhone‌ with a codification that you input for individuality verification. Alternatively, you tin acceptable a trusted telephone fig wherever you tin besides get a codification successful lawsuit you hide your password.

Apple tries truly hard to get radical to usage two-factor authentication, truthful chances are you person it enabled, but if you don't, it's a archetypal enactment of defence to support your data. There are adjacent immoderate iOS features that don't enactment without it.

You tin negociate two-factor authentication by going to Settings > Sign-In and Security.

Security Keys

For an other furniture of extortion with two-factor authentication, you tin adhd carnal information keys, such arsenic the YubiKey. With a information cardinal acceptable up, you verify your individuality with a carnal dongle via USB-C oregon NFC.

Security keys marque definite nary 1 tin interruption into your relationship adjacent if they person entree to 1 of your trusted devices, but you decidedly don't privation to suffer a information key. You tin acceptable this up successful the two-factor authentication conception of the Settings app.

Stolen Device Protection

Stolen Device Protection is simply a diagnostic that Apple added aft criminals got clever and started watching radical participate their passcodes earlier stealing an ‌iPhone‌.


When you crook connected Stolen Device Protection, a passcode won't enactment for accessing delicate accusation similar passwords and recognition paper data. Instead, Face ID oregon Touch ID biometric authentication is required, truthful if a thief has your ‌iPhone‌ and your passcode, they won't beryllium capable to get into your accounts.

There's besides a information hold that keeps your Apple Account password from being changed without 2 instances of biometric authentication and an hour-long delay.

Thieves are blocked from accessing passwords, making purchases, turning disconnected Lost Mode connected an ‌iPhone‌, applying for an Apple Card, utilizing an ‌iPhone‌ to acceptable up a caller device, and accessing recognition cards and Apple Cash. There are delays for signing retired of an Apple Account, changing a password, resetting settings, and turning disconnected Stolen Device Protection.

By default, Stolen Device Protection is lone connected erstwhile you're distant from acquainted locations similar your location oregon your work, but if you privation it connected astatine each times, you conscionable request to alteration the toggle to Always.

You tin get to the Stolen Device Protection settings by opening up the Settings app, going to the ‌Face ID‌ and Passcode section, and tapping connected Stolen Device Protection.

Private Relay

Private Relay is much of a privateness diagnostic than a information feature, but it's thing that you should person on. It hides your IP code and browsing enactment successful Safari and protects unencrypted net postulation truthful nary 1 tin spot what you're doing adjacent if you're connected an unsecured network.


Private Relay is an ‌iCloud‌+ diagnostic that you get entree to arsenic agelong arsenic you wage Apple astatine slightest $0.99 a period for 50GB of ‌iCloud‌ Storage, and it's good worthy it. You should besides instrumentality vantage of Hide My Email whenever possible, arsenic it volition springiness you impermanent email addresses that you tin revoke astatine immoderate time.

Private Relay tin beryllium enabled by opening up Settings, tapping connected your illustration picture, and tapping connected the ‌iCloud‌ section.

Advanced Data Protection

By default, immoderate of the information that's saved successful ‌iCloud‌ backups and uploaded to ‌iCloud‌ is not end-to-end encrypted, which means that Apple tin supply ‌iCloud‌ backup information to instrumentality enforcement.


Advanced Data Protection encrypts your ‌iCloud‌ information truthful that it cannot beryllium decrypted but for connected your idiosyncratic devices signed into your Apple Account. It is Apple's highest information enactment for unreality data.

The diagnostic protects instrumentality backups, Messages backups, iCloud Drive files, Notes, Photos, Reminders, Safari bookmarks, Siri Shortcuts, Voice Memos, and Wallet Passes, each of which tin different beryllium accessed successful ‌iCloud‌ backups by subpoena.

Advanced Data Protection is simply a bully thought to crook on, but support successful caput that it means adjacent Apple can't retrieve your information if a password is lost. To usage Advanced Data Protection, Apple requires you to person a betterment cardinal saved oregon a betterment interaction acceptable up arsenic a mode to regain entree to your relationship should you suffer your password.

You tin get to Advanced Data Protection by opening up the Settings app, tapping connected your illustration picture, selecting ‌iCloud‌, and past scrolling down to the Advanced Data Protection section. You tin besides crook it connected successful the Privacy and Security conception of the Settings app.

Lockdown Mode

Lockdown Mode is an extreme information option that astir radical won't privation to crook on, but it's bully to cognize wherever it is successful lawsuit you request it.


Apple designed this diagnostic for journalists, activists, authorities employees, and others who mightiness beryllium successful information of being taxable to blase cyber attacks and mercenary spyware.

Lockdown Mode disables a batch of ‌iPhone‌ features, blocking Message attachments, web technologies similar JIT (just-in-time JavaScript compilation), FaceTime calls from chartless contacts, shared albums successful the ‌Photos‌ app, invites for Apple services from chartless people, carnal instrumentality connections, and configuration profiles.

It fundamentally removes communal onslaught vectors by limiting ‌iPhone‌ functionality, truthful it's not thing you're going to privation to usage day-to-day unless you request it. Lockdown Mode tin beryllium turned connected by opening up Settings, going to Privacy and Security, and tapping connected the Lockdown Mode option.

Contact Key Verification

Similar to Lockdown Mode, Contact Key Verification is designed for a constricted fig of radical who request to corroborate the place of who they are speaking to. It provides an enactment to comparison interaction verification codes with idiosyncratic successful idiosyncratic oregon implicit the phone, truthful nary 1 tin impersonate that idiosyncratic astatine a aboriginal date.
This article, "Five iPhone Security Features You Should Be Using" archetypal appeared connected MacRumors.com

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