Face ID is not enough. Change these settings now to better secure your iPhone

Cupertino, November 22, 2021

Securely locking your iPhone or iPad requires more than one password.

Angela Lang / CNET

from Apple Face ID or Touch ID is something that everyone should use to secure themselves iPhone or iPad. It ensures that a roommate, a thief, or someone else who wants to curate your phone can't access the treasure trove of information stored on your device.

But even when your iPhone or iPad is locked, there are still some apps and device settings that anyone with physical access to your device can access. For example, someone might be able to reply to a message on your lock screen without unlocking your phone.

Scary, isn't it? Here are three settings you should change to completely lock your iPhone or iPad right now.

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Do not display the content of notifications on the lock screen

If you have a newer iPhone that uses Face ID, you may have noticed that notifications on the lock screen are hidden until you pick up the phone and unlock it using your face.

You can take this security feature one step further by telling your Apple device to never reveal the contents of a message. Instead, you'll see that you have an alert from a specific app, and if you tap it, it will open.

By doing so, prying eyes will not see what the emails and messages they receive say. To check the settings again or make a change settings > Notifications > Show previews and choose any When Unlocked or Not. It will always, as the name suggests, always show the contents of your notifications even when the phone is locked.

Limit activities on locked iPhone or iPad

This is probably the most important part of fully securing your Apple device. Go to settings > Make ID / Touch ID and Password > enter the password and then scroll down to the tagged section Allows access when locked.

There you will find a list of different features of the device, from things like Siri and Today View to Control Center and Wallet. Each feature with the switch in on the position can be accessed directly from the lock screen, even when the device is locked.

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It's well worth the extra time to deepen the security of your iPhone.

Sarah Tew / CNET

For example, I was able to pick up my wife's phone, hold down the side button to trigger Siri, and tell her to send a message or make a call. I could also swipe right on the lock screen to see her View Today page, where she has widgets that included the agenda and other personal information - all while the phone was locked.

Browse this list and turn off all features that you don't want anyone to have access to. I suggest disabling them all if you really want to keep your phone and its information locked. Leaving something like Home Control turned on may seem innocent, but depending on how many types of HomeKits you have, someone can control your smart home. Fortunately, Apple requires authentication before it can unlock a door or open a garage door.

Just so you know, "Delete data" is an extreme option

This should be something you only do if you back up your iPhone or iPad regularly and you can recover your information without any problems.

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Brett Pearce / CNET

Go to settings > Make ID / Touch ID and Password > enter the password and then scroll right to the bottom of the page. Slide the switch next to it Delete the data to on position.

With Data Wipe enabled, the device will automatically reset to factory settings after someone incorrectly enters a password 10 times.

The process is not something that happens in just a few minutes. After a few incorrect attempts, your phone or tablet will set a time limit before someone can retry entering your password. After another failed attempt, the time between attempts will be extended. For someone to reach the mark of 10 failed attempts, it would take 1 hour and 36 minutes before the delete function was triggered.

Now that you have more control over the type of data and apps that can be accessed while your phone is locked, make sure you need a few minutes to make orders and privacy settings. It's a good idea to activate the Find me function on all your Apple devices, so you can find a lost or stolen phone (now with the peace of mind that someone can't access anything).

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