YOUR iPhone is the gateway to your entire online life – so you need to make sure it’s protected.
There are some settings that can massively boost your safety and privacy, so make sure they’re on today.
1
Emergency SOS
Setting up Emergency Contacts on your iPhone is a must.
The iPhone has an Emergency SOS feature that lets you quickly call emergency services.
But you can also add Emergency Contacts.
Once an emergency call has ended, your iPhone will then alert these emergency contacts with a text message – although this can be cancelled if you prefer.
The iPhone will send your current location to your Emergency Contacts.
And the contacts will also receive updates if your location changes.
To set Emergency Contacts up, go to the Health app, then tap your profile picture.
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Tap Medical ID and then hit Edit, then scroll to Emergency Contacts.
You can then activate Emergency SOS using the “five click” trick.
And fill in your Medical ID so emergency responders can find out about your medical history quickly.
How to activate Emergency SOS
There are two ways to activate the Emergency SOS features.
Either press the side or top button five times to pull up the Emergency SOS slider.
Alternatively on an iPhone 8 or later, press and hold the side button and one volume button until the slider appears.
Then drag the emergency slider to begin the call.
Face ID attention
If you’ve got a newer iPhone model, it almost certainly has Face ID.
This uses lasers to scan your face, verifying your identity and allowing access to your iPhone.
Apple has previously said that it has a one-in-a-million chance of failing.
But you need to make sure a key setting is turned on.
Go into Settings > Face ID & Passcode, and then scroll down.
Now make sure that Require Attention for Face ID is toggled to the green “on” position.
This means your iPhone will make sure that you’re awake and looking at the screen before unlocking.
It’s designed so that someone can’t just hold your iPhone up to your face – maybe while you’re nodding off – to unlock it.
“TrueDepth camera provides an additional level of security by verifying that you’re looking at iPhone before authenticating,” Apple explains.
“Attention detection may not work with some sunglasses.
“Face ID will always require attention when you’re wearing a mask.”
Find My iPhone
Your iPhone has a hidden secret that allows it to be found even if it’s switched off.
The Find My Phone app – default on your device – makes it easy to track the device on a map.
This even works if the device is off.
That’s because Apple has built Ultra Wideband tech into some recent iPhone models.
So other iPhones or Apple devices that have been nearby the handset will “ping” it to Apple’s Find My network.
All you need is someone with an Apple device to have moved near the iPhone, and it will appear on the map – even if it’s off.
However, your iPhone will only be trackable through this method if it’s got UWB tech inside.
The supported models include:
- iPhone 11
- iPhone 11 Pro
- iPhone 11 Pro Max
- iPhone 12 Mini
- iPhone 12
- iPhone 12 Pro
- iPhone 12 Pro Max
- iPhone 13
- iPhone 13 Mini
- iPhone 13 Pro
- iPhone 13 Pro Max
To enable this, you need to go into Settings, then tap your name, then choose Find My.
Now tap Find My iPhone and turn Find My iPhone on.
But a map is no good if your handset is buried under a pile of clothes, or found its way into your kitchen bin.
Fortunately, iCloud lets you “ping” your handset, forcing it to emit a quick alarm – helping you track it down.
anyone with another Apple gadget – like another iPhone, an iPad, or an iPod Touch – can download the Find My Phone app.
Once you’ve got the app installed, tap on the iPhone you’re missing and then press the ‘Play Sound’ button.
This will force the iPhone to make a noise, even if it’s on silent.
If you have no other Apple devices then your next best option is to log onto iCloud.com.
From there, you can access the Find My iPhone feature and play a sound on the iPhone.
You can use Find My iPhone to locate your device on a map, and even remotely wipe the handset.
This is a great defence against thieves.
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This post first appeared on Thesun.co.uk
