10 tips on how to make your iPhone safe

Making the iPhone secure and strengthening iPhone security is a good idea, as even Apple's relatively secure iOS operating system faces online dangers. iPhones aren't immune to phishing attacks, malware, and hackers. That's why we have 10 tips for you to make your smartphone more secure.

10 Tips to Make Your iPhone Safe

To help you stay safer with your iPhone and prevent your iPhone from being hacked, follow these tips to improve your iPhone security.

Tip 1: Enable two-factor authentication on iPhone

Two-factor authentication on iPhone offers users the opportunity to create another layer of security. By using two-factor authentication when authorizing logins on the Apple ID account or in iCloud, users can ensure, for example, that no strangers can access them. Because it is no longer enough for an unauthorized person to only know the username and password. We'll show you how to use two-factor authentication for iCloud:

Go to Settings on iPhone.

Activate iPhone 2FA

Click your name at the top of the screen.
Select "Password and Security".

Activate iPhone 2FA

Enable "Two-Factor Authentication."

Activate iPhone 2FA

Tip 2: Use Touch ID, Face ID, and security codes

In addition to numerical codes, the newer iPhone operating systems offer users even better ways to unlock and encrypt the iPhone: Touch ID and facial recognition (Face ID). Both systems are based on the use of biometric data. Of course, fingerprints and facial features cannot be easily forged and thus secure Apple devices well against interference by unauthorized persons. If you haven't set up this feature yet, you should do so now:

Go to Settings on iPhone.
Click Face ID & Passcode.

Set Face ID iphone

Enter your PIN to authorize access to the space.

Set Face ID iphone

Set up Face ID and choose what you want it to be used for, such as Unlock iPhone or open certain apps.

Set Face ID iphone

Tip 3: Use password manager on iPhone

A password manager ensures that you store your login information securely and within reach on your iPhone. It can also help create unique and complex passwords so you have an individual one for each account. So, this tool helps you concretely improve your cybersecurity.

There are handy apps for iPhone from providers like NordPass that offer additional features that further strengthen password security. For example, you can use this password manager to securely autofill passwords and even store credit card details and notes in a secure encrypted vault and share them with trusted contacts. The tool also checks whether your current passwords are too old, weak or frequently used.

Tip 4: Delete location information from images and videos

When you take pictures and videos with iPhone and share them, the media files also contain data such as where they were taken. To avoid this, you can adjust settings on your iPhone to better protect your privacy. For example, when you share an image from the iPhone Photos app, you can:

„Optionen“ auswählen.

Delete location info

Restrict All Photo Data from being shared.

Delete location info

Tip 5: Enable "Clear Data" on iPhone

If you enable this feature, your phone will automatically erase everything if the passcode is entered incorrectly ten times in a row. This is a good way to avoid losing data to the attackers in a brute force attack. There's always a risk that you'll accidentally enter the wrong code ten times, so it's understandable if you're hesitant to use this feature. Therefore, you should activate the automatic data backup at the same time. If you store all your data safely in iCloud, you can easily set up a new iPhone without losing a single byte of data.

Here's how to turn on the Clear Data feature:

Go to "Settings".
Scroll down and tap Touch ID & Passcode (or Face ID & Passcode).
Enter your passcode and scroll down to "Wipe Data" and turn it on.

Confirm with "Activate".

Tip 6: Don't automatically connect to Wi-Fi networks

Especially free unsecured Wi-Fi networks are a risk that your phone can be hacked. These Wi-Fi networks can easily be monitored by third parties who could use them to steal your data. Therefore, you should never be automatically connected to a network. It is best to disable this feature to avoid threats:

Go to "Settings."

Go to "Wi-Fi" and scroll down to "Autom. connect to hotspot".

Select Never.

Tip 7: Configure iPhone location services securely

Unlike Android devices, apps are usually installed on Apple devices with the default settings set by the app. In concrete terms, this means that in some cases much more powers are granted than is actually necessary for effective use of the app. For example, some games want access to the stored contacts on a smartphone – even though this access is not necessary at all to be able to play the game properly. iPhone users should therefore go through the permissions of each newly installed app individually to ensure that they do not have more access than absolutely necessary.

Go to "Privacy & Security" in Settings.

Klicke auf „Ortungsdienste“.

Select an app you want to configure.

Click Never or Ask Next Time or When Sharing to restrict permission.

Apple Airtags are also used to locate certain items. Unfortunately, the tools have already been used to track people in the past. To protect yourself from this, you can take a few measures for your Apple AirTag security via your iPhone.

Tip 8: Use VPN for iPhone

A VPN for iPhone protects your device's internet connection. You connect to a remote server – and all your traffic is encrypted instantly. No one can see what you're doing online, including your ISP, governments, advertisers, or cybercriminals. This means you can connect to a public Wi-Fi network without fear of falling victim to a man-in-the-middle attack. Some VPN providers, like NordVPN, can be found on the App Store. It even offers additional security features to protect against malicious websites. For example, Threat Protection Pro prevents you from landing on phishing websites. If you click on a phishing link that takes you to a known malicious site, Threat Protection will automatically block your access to that page.

Get a VPN for your iPhone and protect yourself from cyber threats with just one click.

Get NordVPN

Tip 9: Limit what can be done from the lock screen

You can decide which actions are accessible from the lock screen without unlocking the device first. Users should make sure that not too many applications are possible without prior login via Face ID or PIN. To prevent anyone who gets their hands on the phone from gaining access to the Wallet, Control Center, or Notification Center, you should do the following:

Go to "Settings" and select "Face ID & Passcode" (or Touch ID & Passcode).
Enter your PIN to unlock the space.
Scroll to Allow access when locked, then turn off access to features like Wallet, Notification Center, and others.

Tipp 10: iPhone-App-Berechtigungen einzeln prüfen

Gehe für deine Datensicherheit zu den Datenschutzeinstellungen auf deinem iPhone und überprüfe die Berechtigungen jeder App. Du kannst festlegen, welche Apps auf deinen Standort zugreifen, dich über WLAN-Hotspots und Bluetooth-Verbindungen verfolgen und auf deine Kontakte zugreifen dürfen.

Und wenn du schon dabei bist – lösche die Apps, die du nicht mehr benutzt. Je weniger Apps du verwendest, desto geringer ist die Wahrscheinlichkeit, dass dich jemand über eine dieser Apps angreift. Apps können Schwachstellen haben (die selbst den Entwicklern unbekannt sind), die es Cyberkriminellen ermöglichen, in die Geräte der Nutzer einzudringen, Schadsoftware zu installieren oder ihre Daten zu stehlen.