Protect your personal information from prying eyes. Here are some ‘must follow’ ways to lock your iPhone using passwords or passcodes so that your data remains private and protected against all sorts of cyber theft. Your data is not only your asset but it is your identity which if falls into the wrong hands can lead you into a lot of trouble. It goes without saying, how much nuisance it can cause if your personal information is lying exposed all over the place. Anyone can use it to impersonate your identity and cause troubles. However, the problem is even though your iPhone lock screen is passcode protected or is locked using an Apple Touch ID it’s screen will still be filled with notifications stating sensitive data and controls. From text message notifications to emails, from scheduled meetings to important contacts, from Siri to Home control your phone’s lock screen is brimming with alerts, features, and settings that anyone can tamper with, even after you’ve locked your handset. Thus these iPhone lock screen notifications need to be kept locked to be protected from inquisitive eyes that might try to breach your privacy. So here are the ways by which you can protect your iPhone using Screen Lock, Passcode and by locking iphone lock screen notifications.
3 Most Secure Ways To Protect Your iPhone
Using Screen Lock
We all know how unsafe it is to keep your phone screen unlocked. It is almost like leaving the front door to your apartment open for the intruders to come in. This is extremely dangerous since our phones nowadays are not just our calling devices but are reservoirs of personal data starting from important messages to bank codes. Hence it is of utmost importance to keep our phone screen locked in all instances. Here is how Apple lets you lock the screen of your iPhone.
Step 1 – Find the Power Button on Top or Side Edge of Your iPhone.
Step 2– Press the Power Button only once. Make sure to not hold the button down for too long as that would shut the device down.
To Unlock the Screen
In order to unlock the screen, press the Home button just below the device screen. Give it a single Tap and wait for the screen to light up. Once the iPhone screen lights up you will be able to see a slider with an arrow to appear at the mid-bottom of the screen. Next, you need to Tap and Drag the arrow to the right in order to unlock the screen.
If you use the iPhone Touch ID that uses fingerprint reading technology only touching your finger on the Home button will straight up unlock the screen. Similarly, if you use a passcode then the slider will be followed by a screen that will prompt you to enter the password. You will be able to unlock the screen only after applying the correct password.
How To Lock your iPhone RemotelyÂ
When it comes to security, Apple tops the list with its security features that are exceptionally ahead of the others. One such remarkable feature of the iPhone is that it lets you lock your iPhone remotely in case of theft. The ‘Find my iPhone’ or ‘Lost Mode’ of the iPhone works exceptionally well in case your phone goes missing or falls into wrong hands. This feature lets you take complete control of your iPhone remotely so that you can instantly silence all notifications, alarms, and rings from incoming phone calls. Control Center will also be disabled, and even the Camera shortcut will shut down. This will render the phone useless and no one can use it on your behalf. Following are the steps by which you can enable the ‘Lost Mode’ of the iPhone.
Step 1– Visit https://www.icloud.com
Step 2– Click ‘Find My iPhone’ on the website
Step 3– Select your iPhone device from the list
Step 4– Click and turn on ‘Lost Mode’
You can also turn on Lost Mode using the Find My iPhone app on another of your iOS devices. It is to be noted that Lost Mode will only work if your missing iPhone still has wireless access. Find My iPhone will be useless is the lost device is kept on Airplane Mode.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uJNMf8RWxw&feature=youtu.be
Password Protect Your iPhoneÂ
Only locking the screen of the iPhone is not enough since anyone can unlock the iPhone using the slider lock that doesn’t come with any encryption. Setting a password to protect the iPhone, therefore, means you can enable hardware-level encryption to protect all your data. Thus this will leave your device’s protection practically breakproof since no one would be able to access your private messages, photos, financial and health information without entering the series of numbers and characters that only you know. Before we get on to discuss the steps of how to set up, change and turn off the password, here are some instances where your device requires a password.
Your device will require your passcode when you do the following:
- Turn on or restart your device
- Press the Home button or swipe up to unlock your device (you can change this)
- Update your software
- Erase your device
- View or change passcode settings
- Install iOS Configuration profiles
How To Set Up A PasswordÂ
Your device will ask you to set a passcode as part of the setup process whenever you first turn on or restore an iPhone. However, if you opted to skip that step, or you subsequently turned it off, you can still set a password to protect your iPhone at any time in Settings. Here are the steps to do the following
Step 1– Launch Settings from the Home screen
Step 2– Tap Touch ID & Passcode
Step 3– Tap Turn Passcode On
Step 4– Optionally tap Passcode Options to choose an alphanumeric or 4-digit passcode. Or skip to step 5
Step 5– Enter a 6-digit password
Step 6– Re-enter the password and you are set with your passcode encryption.
How To Change Your Passcode
Now that you have your password-protected iPhone, you can still take the protection level a notch up by making it a habit of changing your passcode every now and then. Here are the steps to change and update your password for protecting your iPhone.
Step 1– Launch Settings from the Home screen.
Step 2– Tap Touch ID & Passcode.
Step 3– Enter your existing 4- or 6-digit digit passcode.
Step 4– Tap Change Passcode
Step 5– Re-enter your existing passcode.
Step 6– Enter your new, 6-digit passcode.
Step 7– Re-enter your new, 6-digit passcode
How To Switch To A Longer Numeric Passcode
You might think that a 6-digit numeric passcode is not secure enough, however, you might not want to invest your effort in using an alphanumeric password to protect your iPhone. In such cases, you can simply set a custom numeric passcode, which means more than 6-digits. Here is how you can set a numeric password.
Step 1- Launch Settings from the Home screen.
Step 2 -Tap Touch ID & Passcode.
Step 3- Enter your existing passcode.
Step 4- Tap Change Passcode
Step 5- Re-enter your existing passcode.
Step 6- Tap Passcode Options.
Step 7- Tap Custom Numeric Passcode.
Step 8- Enter your new passcode numbers, as many as you can remember for daily usage.
Step 9- Re-enter your passcode numbers.
How to change to a Stronger Alphanumeric Passcode Â
Choosing a passcode honestly nowadays is more about convenience than it is about security. Therefore, choosing a password that is easy to remember is much of a popular option than choosing a password that is strong in terms of security. Nevertheless, if you are all about security then these are the steps you should follow to set a tight and secure password.
Step 1– Launch Settings from the Home screen.
Step 2-Tap Touch ID & Passcode.
Step 3-Enter your existing passcode.
Step 4-Tap Change Passcode
Step 5– Re-enter your existing passcode
Step 6-Tap Passcode Options.
Step 7-Tap Custom Alphanumeric Code.
Step 8-Enter your new long, strong alphanumeric password.
Step 9–Â Re-enter your new long, strong alphanumeric password.
Using a Passcode is undisputedly more secure than even the modern renditions of security, the Apple Touch ID for instance, since even if the someone manages to replicate your fingerprint ID they won’t be able to unlock the device without the correct password.
How To Change Password Time RequirementÂ
If you use the Touch ID feature then the phone will lockdown immediately once the screen turns off. Even if you don’t use Touch ID and use a password in order to protect your iPhone you can still set the screen locking time to be immediately after the screen light goes off. However, if you want the screen locking time to be set at a longer period then this is how you can change the setting.
Step 1– Launch Settings from the Home screen.
Step 2– Tap Touch ID & Passcode.
Step 3– Enter your passcode.
Step 4– Tap Require Passcode.
Step 5– Choose your new interval:
-
- Immediately
- After 1 minute.
- After 5 minutes.
- After 15 minutes.
- After 1 hour.
- After 4 hours.
How To Turn Off Your Passcode
Even if setting up a password is all about means locking your iPhone to give it the maximum security, some times you might want to opt out of it. It is generally not recommended to turn off a password setting since it will expose all your data but you can when you absolutely have to. So here are the ways to turn off the password of your iPhone.
Step 1– Launch Settings from the Home screen.
Step 2-Tap Touch ID & Passcode.
Step 3-Enter your passcode.
Step 4-Tap Turn Passcode Off.
Step 5-Tap Turn Off to confirm.
Step 6-Enter your passcode
Setting up a Password to lock and protect your iPhone is indeed an excellent way to ensure maximum security for your device. Nonetheless, your privacy can still be in threat if you don’t lock your iPhone lock screen notifications that shows your important information even when your screen is locked. So here are few ways by which you can shut the lock screen notifications of your iOS device.
How To Block your Lock Screen Notifications
Notifications come all the time and hence your risk of exposing your private information happens all the time. Any passerby can look at the screen and read your message when a notification lights up the display. Although notifications are meant to give you updates and make your life easier by not having to unlock your phone to read a message, it indeed means anyone can read your notifications. This is especially problematic since notifications range from news, weather updates, important schedules to even emails and text messages that one can reply without even unlocking the iPhone. Fortunately, Apple has equipped its iOS devices with exceptional security features for blocking the lock screen notifications of various apps and controls.
Turn off lock screen notifications (Emails & Notifications)
Your messages and emails are your personal property that you need not fall into the hands of a stranger as it can expose your personal information to them thus endangering your physical security. However, by enabling the lock screen notifications your iphone will show your personal texts and messages on screen that although will be handy to you but will pose a danger to your security since anyone can reply to your texts posing as you without even unlocking your device. Luckily for us, Apple has modified some features in its settings to lock the iPhone lock screen notifications which you can change by following the steps given below.
Step 1– Tap the iPhone Settings icon on the home screen.
Step 2-Tap Notifications. You will see a list of apps that offer notifications for display in the Notification Center available from the lock screen.
Step 3-Tap the app for which you want to set notifications.
Step 4-In the Alerts section, use the slider next to Show on Lock Screen slider to turn on the feature. (If you want to turn the notification off instead, be sure the slider is set to the Off)
Step 5-Return to the Notifications screen by tapping Notifications in the upper left corner of the screen.
Step 6-Repeat the process with every app in the list to either turn on or off its ability to display on the locked home screen.
Block access to Today widgets and Notifications
Our phone is not just our talking device but is also our scheduler and calendar. So we often use our devices to remind us of the tasks that we need to do and places where we need to be. The iPhone Today widget is one such handy widget that helps our daily life keep smooth paced. However, these widgets show notifications on the iPhone lock screen every now and then which means anyone else who has got your device can see your Today Widget notifications, thereby learning about your calendar and speed dial your contacts. Also, if you scroll down from the top of the Today view, you’ll see a running tally of all your lock screen notifications, neatly organized by date. Fortunately, this can be disabled by blocking the lock screen notifications from the iPhone widgets using the following steps.
- Tap the iPhone Settings icon on the home screen
- Tap on the option that says Touch ID & Passcode
- Next, scroll down and find the option that says ‘Allow Access When Locked section’
-
Here uncheck the ‘Today View and Notifications View settings‘.
Block Access to Siri
Siri can do an amazing number of activities even with your iPhone being locked. For instance, she can rattle off your agenda, schedule new meetings, create reminders, and even send text messages to contacts. While she won’t perform sensitive tasks without your authentication, you can still choose to completely lock Siri from accessing all your functions in your iPhone by following the steps I would lay down below this paragraph.
Step 1– Launch Settings from the Home screen.
Step 2-Tap Siri & Search.
Step 3-Slide Allow Siri When Locked to the Off position
If you decide to turn Siri back on, just follow those steps and select the On position instead.
Turn off access to Control Center Including Home Control
When you whisk up the bottom of your iPhone’s lock screen, you can find a ‘Control Center’. The iPhone’s Control center is a panel of settings and controls that do everything from toggling your airplane and Do Not Disturb modes to setting timers and turning your iPhone’s LED flash into a flashlight. Therefore, leaving Control Center enabled on your lock screen could allow an iPhone thief to put your stolen device into airplane mode, rendering your lost handset untraceable via Find My iPhone. Moreover, this control also has a Home Control that lets you control various devices present at your home. So restricting access to it should be taken in all seriousness. You can change the access to Control Center by following these steps.
Step 1– Tap the Settings option
Step 2– Find the option that says Control Center
Step 3– Lastly, turn off the Access on Lock Screen setting
Turn off Wallet access
If you use an iPhone, then your iOS will let you quickly access your stored credit cards from your iPhone lock screen by double-tapping the Home button. While you can’t actually make a purchase without authenticating with Touch ID or passcode, you may not want your Apple Pay cards so visible from the lock screen. To lock your iPhone lock screen access to your iOS Wallet follow these steps.
Step 1- Tap Settings
Step 2– Choose Wallet & Apple Pay
Step 3– Here uncheck the Double-Click Home Button setting.
Your iPhone is a sensitive device having all the information about your personal life that if left exposed can endanger your security. It is, therefore, important to lock your iPhone and its features at all occasions using the correct measures discussed above.
