5 Ways to Beef Up Data Security and Privacy On iPhones

If you have been around iPhones and their marketing for a while, you will know that it is one of the most secure mobile platforms out there. This is very true, given the way Apple kicks against the collection of user data and information, among other things.

However, that does not render your iPhone invincible.

If you would truly safeguard your iPhone against attacks of any kind, here are a handful of things you need to do.

1. Update iOS regularly

Apple is known to support their devices for at least five years, if not more, and that is a great thing for us in the device security niche. This means that for five years after the purchase, Apple not only rolls out new features to you but ensures the security of the device is kept up to date. This is possible since the updates contain patches to fix inherent vulnerabilities that must have been found in the software. Thus, make sure you install the update as fast as it comes in when next you get one.

2. Update Your Apps

iOS apps get updated more frequently than Android apps, and we don’t think anyone is going to argue that. This could make you not want to update your apps as soon as the new version comes in, but you are doing yourself more harm than good.

Granted, app developers sometimes bring some updates that you don’t want. What you don’t know is that they also include bug squashes and patches in the updates. This means they, again, block areas where the apps might have been vulnerable to attacks.

This is the same thing that happened with the WhatsApp application just this month when an update was sent out to fix an issue where an Israel spyware could have been installed on the application. Not installing updates, in this case, increases your risk of falling prey to whatever attacks could be perpetrated by the security issue in question.

3. Use A Longer Passcode

Many people stick with the default 4-character passcode that Apple allows, which makes it easier for your device to get hacked in the first place. It would be much harder to guess your password with each addition of an extra character.

So, why not go all the way and activate a passcode with the highest amount of characters available?

To put things in context, a hacking tool from last year (GrayKey) could hack an iPhone with 4-digit passcode in a few hours. By using a 6-digit code, the tool will need a few days to get that open. When you use a 10-digit passcode, though, the same tool will have to run for more than a decade to crack that.

4. Disable Siri

This could come as a shock to many, but it is a sacrifice you should make if you are going to have total security of your privacy and data.

Siri, on its own, is a very helpful assistant to many users. The fact that it can get a lot of things done without your having to touch the iPhone is splendid, and its range of applications is nothing short of amazing.

However, it can be the first point of call for hackers due to the sheer amount of information it could provide them.

If you would still like to have Siri on your device, though, the least you could do is disable access to the personal assistant from the lock screen. That way, you can be sure only those with the ability to gain access to the unit would engage the assistant.

PS This can be done from the Siri menu in the Settings dashboard.

5. Install a VPN

Like we said earlier, Apple frowns on data collection and gathering when it comes to their customers. They enforce this rule even on third-party apps and boot off any app that doesn’t comply.

Unfortunately, it might take a while to know that an app is collecting data on you. Likewise, you could go on websites that monitor your internet traffic in a number of ways, one of such being browser fingerprinting.

The best way to get out of this bind is by downloading a trustworthy iOS VPN. The reason this works is that your internet traffic now gets bounced around a ton of servers, making it impossible for just anyone to track your information across the internet. Beyond that, it also makes it impossible to identify you with the information if it gets followed at all.

Wrap Up

Combining the above tactics with the native protection Apple puts on their iPhone units, you are sure to have one very secure device on your hand. Even if any slip does happen, it wouldn’t be as serious as it would have been without the measures above.