Understanding the Importance of iPhone Security
It wasn’t until I experienced a hacking incident that I truly began to reflect on how much personal data I was carrying around on my iPhone. This device isn’t just a communication tool; it holds logins for all my banking apps, photos of my baby’s face, and details about his childcare. Thanks to my Apple Watch, the Health app has more information about my body than my doctor does. The realization hit me hard when I was hacked, and I found myself in a situation where I had to deal with the consequences of not being vigilant.
I was bathing my baby when scammers called, pretending to be from the payment app Klarna. They claimed my account had been compromised and asked me to read them codes sent to my phone and email. Despite working for one of the largest tech sites in the U.S., I was sleep-deprived and distracted, and I did exactly what they asked. An hour later, I realized what I had done, with hundreds of dollars worth of transactions appearing on my app. Although it eventually got sorted, and I didn’t lose any money, I felt vulnerable and violated. I was extremely foolish for falling for it, but more than that, I now fear every unknown call.
This experience made me more aware of the security features available on my iPhone. Here are five features I wish I had known about sooner:
Scam Call Screening
A highly useful feature coming with the iOS 26 software update this fall is Apple’s new scam call screening. When enabled, this feature answers calls from unknown numbers for you and asks the caller for their name and the reason for their call before connecting them. If it’s a machine-recorded scammer, they’ll likely hang up, but if it’s a legitimate caller, their responses will be converted into text and displayed on your iPhone screen. This adds an extra layer of protection between you and potential scammers, giving you time to consider the information before picking up.
Stolen Device Protection
While this won’t protect you from hackers calling, it can be helpful if your phone is stolen. When turned on (found in Settings, Privacy & Security, then Stolen Device Protection), there’s an extra layer of protection even if someone knows your passcode. When your iPhone is away from familiar locations, like your home or workplace, you’ll have to wait an hour to perform certain actions, such as changing your Apple ID password. You’ll also need to use Face ID or Touch ID to access stored passwords and use credit cards. The passcode alternative will be disabled.
Locked Apps
My son’s daycare app is now password-protected, so that if someone stole my phone, they couldn’t find sensitive information about him. To lock an app, simply locate the app on your home screen and touch and hold down on the icon. From the quick menu options, tap Require Face ID (or Touch ID or passcode) and authenticate. Once enabled, you’ll need to use Face ID or your password to open the app. You can also choose to hide apps from your home screen entirely by selecting the app and tapping Hide and Require Face ID.
Prevent Trackers from Following You Around the Internet
This feature helps prevent trackers from following you online. Safari uses Intelligent Tracking Prevention, which uses machine learning to identify and stop known trackers. It automatically turns on, and you can view a Privacy Report to see which trackers are being blocked. It also hides your IP address from trackers, providing an additional layer of privacy.
Use the Passwords App
After the hack, I realized I had been using the same password for everything. The Passwords app on my iPhone has helped me keep my passwords and verification codes in one place. It generates, creates, and saves passwords for me and tells me if my passwords might not be secure. Now, I allow my iPhone to create strong passwords for me, which are far more secure than anything I could think of. These passwords sync across my other Apple devices, making it easier to manage my online accounts securely.
In today’s digital world, your data is a prime target. Learning how to leverage your iPhone’s built-in security features isn’t just smart—it’s crucial to keeping your personal information locked down and preventing cyberattacks.