In another shot at security and privacy, Apple has released 20 page guide It outlines the steps you can take to protect your iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Whether you’re concerned about the security of your iDevice, including your personal data, or you want to further enhance the protection against unauthorized access, the guide is worth a close look. Among a few security measures, I noticed the checklist that tells you how to check if someone else has access to your iPhone, iPad, and Apple account. Monitor your device for a quick security check and also take immediate action to prevent unauthorized access.
Check Who Has Access to Your iPhone and Apple Account
Apple offers several ways to increase the security and privacy of your iDevice. If you detect a threat at any time, you can run a security check to catch the culprit. To be more precise, it’s all about detecting the usual suspects like malicious profiles, custom apps, and making sure additional layers of security are enabled. Having said that, let’s get started!
View Which Devices Are Associated With Your Apple ID On iPhone, iPad, and Mac
The first thing we will do is check which devices are associated with the Apple ID. By connecting a device to their iCloud account, anyone can access the synced data. So make sure there is no device synced with your iCloud account.
start Settings app On your iPhone or iPad -> profile/avatar. Scroll down now Family Sharing.
Start System Preferences on your Mac. (Alternatively, click the Apple menu in the upper-left corner of the screen and choose System Preferences.) your Apple ID. On the next screen, you should see a list of all connected devices in the sidebar.
Open a web browser and navigate to: appleid.apple.com. Then sign in to your account and tap/click on a specific device and remove the device if you no longer want it associated with your Apple ID.
If you are concerned about the security of your Apple ID, I recommend: enable two factor authentication. When 2FA is enabled, your account gets an additional layer of protection, asking for verification every time anyone tries to sign into the account. To further increase the security of your account, 2FA only sends the verification code to the trusted device.
To open, go to: Settings app -> Profile -> Password & Security -> Two-Factor Authentication. Now follow the instructions to activate it.
Check for Unexpected Alternative Face/Touch ID Setup on Your Device
Another security setting you should check is the alternate Face or Touch ID setup. Maybe someone has accessed your iPhone and unlocked face/fingerprint to access your device and spy on your private photos and notes. get over your head Settings app -> Face/Touch ID. If there is an alternate face unlock or fingerprint setting, remove it.
Examine All Installed Apps and Delete Any Unrecognized
In terms of security, it is always better to keep track of all the apps installed on your iPhone. Knowing that private apps can be modified to access sensitive data, you should always guard against them by making sure they are not available on your iOS device.
Thanks to Application Library, it has become quite easy to access certain apps on the device. All apps are organized into different categories such as entertainment, games, and productivity so you can easily find a particular type of app. You can also view them in list view by tapping the search bar to scroll through all installed apps.
Note:
- It’s no secret that outdated apps are vulnerable to hacking and even tend to create a lot of problems like draining the battery and slowing down the device. Therefore, you should keep apps up to date. iOS allows you to update apps both manually and automatically.
- You can go to App Store -> Profile and then update all apps at once. If you want to update apps automatically, go to Settings app -> App Store. Under the Automatic Downloads section, turn on the App Updates switch.
Delete Unknown Configuration Profiles
Companies and educational institutions use mobile device management tools and device profiles to manage devices and even access data. While no one can dispute the usability of MDM and device profiles, there have been numerous instances where they have been used to access device data and location information. Therefore, you need to make sure that there are no unknown configuration profiles installed on your iPhone or iPad.
To delete a profile or MDM configuration from your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch: Go to: Settings app -> General -> Profiles and Device Management. Now select the profile and Delete profile. After that restart your device.
To remove a profile from your Mac: Go to: System Preferences and click on profiles. Next, click on the suspicious profile and then Remove button (-) at the bottom of the profile list. After that, click on To pick up After that restart your Mac again (click on the Apple menu and choose Restart) to confirm the deletion.
More Tips to Protect Your iPhone and iPad Against Unauthorized Access
iOS provides several ways to protect your iOS device from unauthorized access. There are three important security features I want you to consider.
Set the alphanumeric password: Go to Settings app -> Face/Touch ID -> Change Passcode -> Passcode Options -> Custom Alphanumeric Passcode.
Automatically erase your iPhone after 10 failed passcode attempts: Settings app -> Face/Touch ID -> Erase Data.
Safe Lock Screen: Settings app -> Face/Touch ID. Under Allow Access While Locked, turn off the toggles right next to today view, notification center, control center, Siri, Message Replay, Home Control, Wallet, Bring Back Missed Calls to secure your iPhone’s lock screen.
There is also an option to force iPhone to ask for a passcode to allow USB accessories to be connected, when more than an hour has passed since your iPhone was locked.
Take Control of Your Device Access to Prevent Foul Play
Come in! So, this is how you can increase the security of your iDevice to prevent unauthorized access. It’s just a matter of checking the basics and making sure that all designed security measures are in effect. Now that you know how to protect your device, make the most of the tips to keep your private information safe.
You may also want to read these privacy-related iOS 14 articles:
- Limit Third-Party Access to Photos App in iOS 14 and iPadOS 14
- How to Manage Local Area Access of Apps in iOS 14
- Enable Private MAC Address on iPhone in iOS 14
- How to Stop Apps from Accessing Your Precise Location in iOS 14
- How to Manage Access to Location Data for Widgets on iPhone and iPad
In the meantime, do you have any questions or feedback? Be sure to take it in the comments below.
