Use a six-digit passcode or an alphanumeric password, not just a simple four-digit PIN.
The Front Door of Your Digital Home
Imagine your phone is your house. A four-digit PIN is like having a simple latch on your screen door. Anyone with a bit of determination could probably jiggle it open. It keeps out honest people, but not a determined thief. Now, think of a six-digit passcode as a solid oak door with a sturdy deadbolt. It’s a real barrier. An alphanumeric password? That’s the deadbolt plus a home security system. It creates a fortress for your most personal information, making it incredibly difficult for unwanted guests to break in and steal your digital belongings.
Stop using the same password for multiple sites. Do use the built-in iCloud Keychain to generate and save unique passwords instead.
The One Key That Unlocks Everything
Think about your house key. Now imagine if that same key also unlocked your car, your office, your gym locker, and your safety deposit box. If a thief stole that one key, they would have access to your entire life in an instant. Using the same password everywhere is exactly like that. iCloud Keychain is like a master key ring carried by a security guard you trust. It creates a different, impossibly complex key for every single door and remembers them all for you. You just need to prove who you are to the guard, and they’ll open any door you need.
Stop granting apps access to your entire photo library. Do select specific photos instead with the new privacy features.
Don’t Hand Over Your Whole Family Album
Imagine you’re at a park and a friendly stranger asks to see a picture of your dog. Instead of just pulling out the one photo, you hand them your entire family photo album, filled with pictures of your kids, your home, and your last vacation. It feels like a massive overshare, right? Granting an app full access to your photos is the digital version of this. Instead, the “Select Photos” option lets you be the person who carefully picks out just the one picture of your dog, sharing exactly what’s needed and keeping your private memories safe.
The #1 secret for protecting your data is enabling “Erase Data” after 10 failed passcode attempts.
The Self-Destruct Button for Your Secret Diary
Picture your most private thoughts written in a diary and secured with a small combination lock. Now, imagine a thief steals it and starts trying to guess the code. With the “Erase Data” feature enabled, it’s like your diary has a secret defense mechanism. After the thief tries and fails ten times, a special ink is released that dissolves every single word on the pages, leaving them completely blank. The physical diary is still there, but every secret it held has vanished forever, protecting your privacy even after it’s been stolen.
I’m just going to say it: Face ID is more convenient, but a strong, unique passcode is more secure.
The Quick Glance vs. The Secret Handshake
Using Face ID is like walking into a private club where the bouncer recognizes your face and immediately lets you in. It’s incredibly fast and convenient. A strong, unique passcode, however, is like a secret handshake you have with the bouncer. It’s something only you know, a complex series of moves that can’t be easily copied or faked with a picture. While the quick glance is great for everyday ease, the secret handshake is the ultimate proof of identity, offering a much higher level of security against a clever imposter trying to get in.
The reason you’re getting so much spam is because you’re using your real email address to sign up for everything.
Your Digital Home Address
Think of your personal email as your home address. You give it to your close friends, your family, your bank, and your doctor. Now, imagine you also wrote your home address on every contest entry form, every store loyalty card application, and every newsletter sign-up sheet you came across. Very quickly, your physical mailbox would be overflowing with junk mail, flyers, and catalogs you don’t want. Using your main email for everything does the same thing to your inbox. It’s like inviting every marketer in the world to send you clutter, burying the important letters you actually want to see.
If you’re still letting apps track you across other apps and websites, you’re losing your privacy for targeted ads.
A Salesman Tailing You at the Mall
Imagine you’re at a shopping mall. You walk into a shoe store and look at a pair of running shoes. Now, picture the shoe store salesman following you out of the store. He follows you into the bookstore, the food court, and the electronics shop, constantly tapping you on the shoulder and whispering, “Hey, remember those running shoes? They’d look great on you. We have a sale.” It would be creepy and invasive. Allowing apps to track you is the digital equivalent of this, letting advertisers follow your every move online just to sell you more stuff.
The biggest lie you’ve been told about iPhone security is that it can’t get viruses. It can.
The Unsinkable Ship
People used to say the Titanic was unsinkable. It was built with the strongest steel and the most advanced technology of its time, designed to be an impenetrable fortress against the sea. We all know how that story ended. Thinking your iPhone can’t get a virus is like believing in that unsinkable ship. While it has incredibly strong walls and watertight compartments (powerful built-in security), a clever and determined attacker can still find a way to breach its defenses, especially if you visit risky websites or download unofficial apps. No ship is truly unsinkable.
I wish I knew about the “Sign in with Apple” feature to hide my email address when I was creating new accounts.
A Mask for a Masquerade Ball
Imagine you’re going to a huge party where you have to give your name at the door to get in. But you don’t know everyone inside and don’t want strangers calling you later. The “Sign in with Apple” feature is like being handed a mask and a temporary name tag at the door. You can enjoy the party, but the host doesn’t know your real identity. They are given a special, random email address that forwards to you. If they start sending you junk or you no longer trust them, you can simply discard the mask, and they have no way of contacting you again.
99% of iPhone users make this one mistake when connecting to public Wi-Fi: not using a VPN.
An Unsealed Postcard in the Mail
Sending information over public Wi-Fi without a VPN is like mailing a postcard. Anyone who handles it along the way—the mailman, the postal sorter, a nosy neighbor—can read your entire message written on the back. A VPN, or Virtual Private Network, is like taking that same message, sealing it inside a thick, tamper-proof security envelope, and then mailing it. Even if someone intercepts your mail, all they see is the envelope. They have no idea what’s inside, who sent it, or where it’s ultimately going. Your private message remains for your eyes only.
This one small action of reviewing your app permissions regularly will change the way you control your data.
Checking Who Has Keys to Your House
Imagine every time an app needs something, it’s like a plumber, an electrician, or a babysitter asking for a key to your house. When you first install them, you might hand out keys to your camera, microphone, and location. But over time, do you remember who has which key? Reviewing your app permissions is like doing a “key audit.” You’re checking which keys are still out there, who is using them, and taking back the ones that are no longer needed. It ensures only the people you currently trust have access to your home.
Use Safari’s private browsing mode, not just clearing your history, to prevent websites from tracking you.
Walking Through Sand vs. Pavement
Browsing the web normally is like walking on a sandy beach. You leave footprints everywhere you go, and anyone can see the path you took. Clearing your history is like trying to wipe away those footprints after the fact, but some impressions might remain. Private browsing, on the other hand, is like walking on a solid stone pavement. From the moment you step onto it, you leave no tracks behind. Each session is like a fresh walk, with no record of where you’ve been, making it much harder for websites to follow your path.
Stop letting your iPhone automatically connect to known Wi-Fi networks. Do choose manually instead to avoid insecure connections.
Your Car Door Unlocking Automatically
Imagine if your car was programmed to automatically unlock its doors whenever it detected your house keys nearby. It sounds convenient, but what if a thief made a fake set of keys that looked just like yours? Your car might mistakenly unlock for them. Letting your phone auto-connect to Wi-Fi is similar. A hacker can create a fake network with a common name like “CoffeeShop_WiFi.” Your phone, thinking it recognizes a trusted “key,” will connect automatically, giving the hacker a direct line to your data. Manually choosing the network is like checking the key yourself before unlocking the door.
Stop ignoring two-factor authentication prompts. Do enable it for your Apple ID and all important accounts instead.
The Secret Knock After the Key
Imagine your front door has a lock and key. A thief steals your key (your password). They think they can just walk right in. But when they turn the key, nothing happens. Instead, a small slot opens, and a voice asks for the “secret knock.” This is two-factor authentication (2FA). Even with your stolen key, the thief can’t get in because they don’t know the second, secret piece of information—the code sent to your phone. It’s a simple but powerful second layer of defense that stops thieves right at the door.
The #1 hack for seeing what data an app collects is checking the App Privacy Report in Settings.
The Nutrition Label on Your Apps
When you buy food at the grocery store, you can look at the nutrition label on the back to see all the ingredients inside—the calories, the sugar, the fat. The App Privacy Report is just like that, but for your apps. It’s a simple, clear label that shows you exactly what “ingredients” the app has been using. You can see how many times it accessed your location, your contacts, or your microphone. It’s an honest, eye-opening look at what your apps are consuming, helping you make healthier choices about what you keep on your phone.
I’m just going to say it: Your lock screen notifications are a major privacy risk.
Whispers Through Your Front Door
Your lock screen is your front door. It’s locked and secure. However, leaving your notification previews on is like having a mail slot that anyone can peek through or shout messages into. A coworker could see a confidential work email, a stranger could read a personal text from your partner, or someone could see a password reset code pop up. It exposes your private conversations and data to anyone who can glance at your phone. Turning off previews is like closing that mail slot, ensuring your private messages stay inside your home until you decide to open the door.
The reason you’re a target for phishing scams is because you’re not checking the sender’s email address carefully.
A Wolf in Your Mailman’s Uniform
Imagine you get a letter in the mail from your bank, asking for your account details for a “security check.” The envelope looks official. But if you looked closely, you’d see the mailman delivering it isn’t your regular guy; he’s wearing a cheap, poorly-made costume. Phishing emails are the same. They pretend to be your bank, Apple, or Amazon. The email looks real, but the sender’s address is the poorly-made costume. It might say “App1e” or “AmazonSupport.xyz.” Checking that one detail is how you spot the imposter before you hand over the keys to your financial life.
If you’re still using SMS for two-factor authentication, you’re losing security to SIM-swapping attacks.
Forwarding Your Mail to a Thief
Using an SMS text for your two-factor code is like having the post office verify your identity by sending a secret code to your mailbox. It usually works. But what if a clever thief goes to the post office, pretends to be you, and fills out a change-of-address form? Suddenly, all your mail—including that secret code—is being forwarded directly to their house. This is a SIM-swapping attack. Criminals trick your phone carrier into switching your number to their phone, giving them control of your codes. It’s why authenticator apps are much safer.
The biggest lie you’ve been told is that “Find My iPhone” is only for lost devices; it’s also for theft.
The LoJack for Your iPhone
Many people think of “Find My” as a tool for locating their phone when it’s slipped between the sofa cushions. That’s like thinking a car alarm is only for when you forget where you parked. In reality, “Find My” is a powerful anti-theft system, like LoJack for your car. If a thief steals your phone, you can immediately track its location on a map, lock it down with a message (“This phone is stolen, please call…”), and if all else fails, erase all your personal data remotely. It turns your lost device into a useless brick for the thief.
I wish I knew to disable lock screen access to Control Center to prevent thieves from putting my phone in Airplane Mode.
The Thief Cutting Your Phone Line
Imagine a burglar breaks into your house. The first thing they do is run to the wall and cut the phone line so you can’t call the police. That’s exactly what a phone thief does when they access your Control Center from the lock screen. Before you even realize it’s gone, they’ve swiped up and tapped the Airplane Mode button. This instantly cuts off its connection to Wi-Fi and cellular networks, making it impossible for you to track it with “Find My.” Disabling this feature is like putting your phone lines inside a locked steel box.
99% of people make this mistake with their passwords: using personal information that can be easily guessed.
Leaving Your Key Under the Doormat
Creating a password using your birthday, your pet’s name, or your anniversary is the digital equivalent of hiding your house key under the front doormat. It’s the very first place any intruder is going to look. You might feel clever, but it’s an obvious and predictable hiding spot. A good password should be like a key hidden in a random, faraway location that only you know about. It shouldn’t have any personal connection to your life, making it nearly impossible for someone who knows you to simply guess their way into your digital home.
This one small habit of using a screen protector with a privacy filter will protect you from prying eyes.
Windows with Tinted Blinds
Using your phone in public without a privacy screen is like living in a house with big, clear glass windows right next to a busy sidewalk. Anyone walking by can easily peer inside and see everything you’re doing—reading your private messages, looking at your bank account, or seeing who you’re video-chatting with. A privacy screen protector is like installing special blinds that only let you see through them when you’re looking straight on. To anyone trying to peek from the side, the window just looks black, keeping your personal life completely private.
Use the Medical ID feature to provide information to first responders, not just keeping an ICE contact.
The Emergency Bracelet on Your Wrist
If you had a serious medical condition, you might wear a bracelet that lists your allergies, blood type, or emergency contacts. This lets paramedics help you even if you’re unable to speak. Your iPhone’s Medical ID is a digital version of that bracelet. First responders are trained to look for it on your lock screen. They can see your vital health information and who to call without needing your passcode. Setting it up takes two minutes, but it could be the most important information on your phone in a crisis, providing a voice for you when you need it most.
Stop letting your message previews show on the lock screen. Do set them to show previews only when unlocked instead.
The Mailman Shouting Your Postcards
Imagine if instead of putting letters in your mailbox, your mailman stood on your lawn and shouted the contents of every postcard you received. Your neighbors, people walking by, and anyone within earshot would hear your private messages. That’s what happens when message previews appear on your locked phone screen. Setting them to “When Unlocked” is like telling the mailman to hold onto your mail until you personally open the door. The notification that you have a message is still there, but the private content remains hidden until you’re ready to see it.
Stop giving apps precise location access. Do use the approximate location setting instead for apps that don’t need it.
Your GPS Pin vs. Your Neighborhood
Imagine you order a pizza. The delivery driver needs your precise address—your exact GPS pin—to bring it to your door. But does your weather app need to know which house you’re in? Or does it just need to know your general neighborhood to tell you if it’s going to rain? Giving every app your precise location is like handing out your exact home address to strangers. Using the “Approximate Location” setting is like telling them you live in the “Maplewood” neighborhood. They get the information they need to function without knowing exactly where you are.
The #1 secret for avoiding scams is never clicking links in unexpected text messages.
The Stranger with a “Free” Package
Imagine a stranger knocks on your door holding a package and says, “This is for you, it’s a free gift! Just come with me down this dark alley to sign for it.” Your instincts would scream “No!” You have no idea who they are or what their real intentions are. An unexpected link in a text message is that stranger at your door. The message might promise a prize, a refund, or a warning about your account. The link is the invitation into the dark alley, a place where malicious websites wait to steal your information.
I’m just going to say it: Third-party antivirus apps for iPhone are completely useless.
Hiring a Bouncer for a Fortress
Your iPhone is built like a fortress. Each app is kept in its own separate, stone-walled room, unable to interact with or infect other apps. This is a core part of its design, a system called “sandboxing.” Downloading a third-party antivirus app is like hiring an extra bouncer to stand outside the fortress walls. He can’t get inside the walls, and he can’t go into the individual rooms to check for trouble. He just stands there looking official. Apple’s built-in security already does the job from the inside, making the external bouncer completely redundant.
The reason your data might be at risk is because you haven’t updated to the latest version of iOS.
Not Fixing a Broken Lock on Your Door
Imagine a security expert discovers a new type of lock-pick that can open the deadbolt on your front door. The lock company immediately designs a new, stronger tumbler to fix the vulnerability and offers a free replacement to all its customers. Refusing to update your iOS is like hearing this news and saying, “I’m too busy, I’ll just keep the old, vulnerable lock.” Every day you wait, you’re leaving your door open for burglars who know about that specific weakness. Software updates are free, crucial fixes that patch those holes before criminals can exploit them.
If you’re still allowing your iPhone to be discoverable via AirDrop to “Everyone,” you’re opening yourself up to unwanted files.
A Mail Slot Open to the World
Setting your AirDrop to “Everyone” is like having a mail slot in your front door that is wide open to the entire street. Anyone walking by—a stranger, a prankster, a marketer—can shove anything they want through it, and it will pop up right in your living room. You could get unwanted photos, weird memes, or even malicious files without ever asking for them. Changing your AirDrop setting to “Contacts Only” is like putting a cover on that mail slot that only opens for letters sent by people you actually know and trust.
The biggest lie you’ve been told is that you are anonymous when using a VPN.
Wearing a Disguise in a Familiar Car
Using a VPN is like putting on a very effective disguise—a hat, sunglasses, and a trench coat—before you go out. The websites you visit won’t recognize your face (your IP address). However, you then get into your own bright red sports car with custom license plates (your Google or Facebook account). Even with the disguise, everyone knows it’s you because you’re still using the same unique vehicle. A VPN hides your location and encrypts your data, but if you stay logged into your personal accounts, companies can still connect the dots and track your activity.
I wish I knew about the Safety Check feature to quickly revoke access for people and apps.
The Emergency Master Locksmith
Imagine you’ve given out spare keys to your home over the years—to a partner, a roommate, a dog walker. If you suddenly feel unsafe and need to secure your home immediately, you’d have to track down each person and ask for your key back. Safety Check is like an emergency master locksmith on speed dial. With one call, it instantly changes every single lock on your house, signs out every shared device, and revokes all spare keys at once. It’s a powerful, one-tap solution to quickly restore your privacy and ensure you are the only one with access.
99% of users don’t regularly check which apps have access to their microphone and camera.
Leaving Open Mics in Every Room
Giving an app access to your microphone or camera is like placing a live, voice-activated microphone in a room of your house. It’s necessary for things like video calls in your office. But many people leave those microphones active in every single room, all the time. They are in the kitchen, the living room, and even the bedroom, long after the meeting is over. Regularly checking these permissions is like walking through your house and unplugging all the mics you aren’t actively using, ensuring your private conversations remain just that—private.
This one small action of enabling “Limit Ad Tracking” will reduce the amount of data advertisers have on you.
Making Your House Number Fuzzy
Normally, advertisers track you online using a unique ID, like a crystal-clear house number on your mailbox. They can see that “House #42” visited a car website, then a baby-supply store, and then searched for vacation spots. “Limit Ad Tracking” (now managed by “Ask App Not to Track”) makes that number fuzzy and hard to read. It’s like replacing your clear number with a generic symbol shared by many other houses. Advertisers can see that someone was interested in cars, but they can no longer be sure it was you, making it much harder to build a detailed profile of your life.
Use a password manager like 1Password or LastPass, not just iCloud Keychain, for cross-platform security.
A Universal Key That Works on Any Lock
iCloud Keychain is fantastic, but it’s like a set of keys that was exclusively designed by Apple to work on Apple-made locks. It works seamlessly between your iPhone, iPad, and Mac. But what if you also have a Windows PC at work or an Android tablet? Those doors have different kinds of locks. A third-party password manager like 1Password or LastPass is like a universal master key. It’s designed to work everywhere, securely managing your passwords and unlocking doors for you whether you’re in the Apple world, the Windows world, or the Android world.
Stop saying “yes” to every permission an app asks for upon installation. Do think about whether it really needs that access.
The Overly Eager Handyman
Imagine you hire a handyman just to fix a leaky faucet in your kitchen. But when he arrives, he says, “Okay, before I start, I’ll also need a key to your bedroom, the password to your Wi-Fi, and a copy of your phone contacts.” You would instantly be suspicious and ask, “Why do you need all that just to fix a pipe?” Yet, we let apps do this all the time. Always question their requests. Does that photo-editing app really need access to your location? Does that simple game really need to see your contacts? Be the skeptical homeowner.
Stop using public USB charging ports. Do use your own power adapter or a portable charger instead to prevent “juice jacking.”
Drinking from a Stranger’s Cup
Plugging your phone into a public USB port at an airport or coffee shop is like being incredibly thirsty and accepting a drink from a complete stranger. You don’t know what’s in the cup. That USB port might just provide power, but it could also be secretly rigged to “suck” all the data from your phone or “inject” a virus into it while it’s charging. This is called “juice jacking.” Always use your own power adapter and plug it into a traditional wall outlet. It’s like drinking from your own trusted water bottle, ensuring you only get what you need: clean power.
The #1 hack for securing your notes is locking individual notes with a password or Face ID.
A Safe Within Your Home Office
Your Notes app is like a file cabinet in your home office. Most of the files might be harmless grocery lists or brainstorming ideas. But some files might contain incredibly sensitive information: financial details, passwords, or private journal entries. Leaving all your notes unlocked is like leaving the entire cabinet open. Anyone who gets into your office can read everything. Locking an individual note is like taking that one sensitive file and putting it inside a small, heavy-duty safe within the cabinet. Even if the main cabinet is open, your most valuable secrets remain protected.
I’m just going to say it: The most secure iPhone is one with the fewest third-party apps installed.
The Fewer Doors, The Fewer Risks
Think of your phone as a secure building. The apps you install are like adding new doors and windows. Each one is a potential entry point that needs to be secured. A minimalist home with just a few, heavily reinforced doors is incredibly secure. A mansion with hundreds of windows, balconies, and side doors, however, offers many more opportunities for a burglar to find a weak spot. While each app from the App Store has its own security, reducing the number of apps you install simply reduces the number of potential entry points for an attack.
The reason you might get hacked is because you’ve jailbroken your iPhone, compromising its built-in security.
Tearing Down the Walls of Your Fortress
Your iPhone’s operating system is designed like a high-security fortress with tall walls and armed guards (Apple’s security features). These walls prevent apps from escaping their designated areas and causing chaos. Jailbreaking is like deliberately tearing down all those internal walls and firing the guards because you want to redecorate. It gives you more freedom to customize things, but it also means a single bad app can now roam freely through the entire fortress, stealing data from other apps, accessing the core system, and leaving you completely exposed to attack.
If you’re still using your friend’s computer to log into your iCloud, you’re risking your entire digital life.
Leaving Your Diary Open in a Public Library
Imagine you need to write in your secret diary, but you don’t have it with you. So you go to a public library computer, write down all your most private thoughts, and then just walk away. The next person who sits down can see everything you wrote. Worse, the library might have hidden cameras or software that records every keystroke. Logging into your iCloud on a public or friend’s computer is exactly this risky. You have no idea if their machine is secure or if it’s saving your password, potentially handing them the keys to your entire digital world.
The biggest lie you’ve been told is that iMessage is completely private; Apple can still see metadata.
The Sealed Letter with a Public Postmark
Using iMessage is like sending a letter in a perfectly sealed, unreadable envelope. The contents of your message are end-to-end encrypted, so no one can read them. This is true. However, the outside of the envelope still has information that can be seen by the post office (Apple). It has the “to” and “from” addresses, the timestamp, and the postmark. This is metadata. So while Apple can’t read your conversation, it does know who you talked to and when you talked to them. The letter’s contents are private, but the record of the correspondence is not.
I wish I knew how to use the “Hide My Email” feature for temporary sign-ups.
The Burner Phone for Your Inbox
If you needed to make a call without revealing your real number, you might use a cheap, disposable “burner phone.” You use it once, and then you can get rid of it. Apple’s “Hide My Email” feature is the exact same concept, but for your email address. When a sketchy website or a new service asks for your email, it generates a unique, random address for you. It’s a temporary, disposable inbox that forwards to your real one. If they start spamming you or sell your address, you can just “burn” it, and they can never contact you again.
99% of people make this mistake when selling their old iPhone: not signing out of iCloud and erasing it properly.
Selling Your House and Leaving the Furniture
When you sell your house, you don’t just hand over the keys and walk away. You pack up all your personal belongings, your furniture, your photos, and your documents first. Forgetting to sign out of iCloud and erase your iPhone is like selling your house but leaving everything inside. The new owner could walk in and find your photo albums on the coffee table, your financial statements in the desk, and your clothes in the closet. It gives them complete access to your personal history and digital identity.
This one small habit of questioning QR codes before you scan them will protect you from malicious websites.
The Mysterious Door in the Middle of a Park
Imagine you’re walking in a park and you see a random, unmarked door standing all by itself. There’s a sign on it that says “Free Ice Cream!” Your curiosity might be piqued, but your common sense would tell you to be cautious. Who put this door here? Where does it lead? Is it safe? A QR code is a digital doorway. It looks innocent, but you have no idea where it leads until you step through it. A bad QR code can take you directly to a malicious website designed to steal your data. Always question the source before you scan.
Use Lockdown Mode, not just regular settings, if you believe you are a target of a sophisticated cyberattack.
A Panic Room for Your Digital Life
Your iPhone already has strong security, like a house with good locks and a sturdy door. But if you know a highly skilled team of burglars is specifically targeting you, you need more. Lockdown Mode is the digital equivalent of a steel-reinforced panic room. When you activate it, your phone goes into an extreme security state. It seals off most message attachments, blocks complex web technologies, and disables features that could be exploited. It makes your phone less convenient to use, but it creates an incredibly hardened target that is exceptionally difficult for even the most sophisticated attackers to breach.
Stop letting apps access your contacts. Do manually enter contact information instead when needed.
Photocopying Your Entire Rolodex
Imagine a new acquaintance asks for your friend Bob’s phone number. Instead of just giving them Bob’s number, you take your entire personal address book, full of the names and numbers of all your friends, family, and colleagues, and hand it over for them to photocopy. It’s an unnecessary and massive invasion of privacy for both you and everyone in your book. This is what happens when you grant an app access to your contacts. Manually typing in the one number you need is a small effort that protects your entire social network.
Stop sharing your location permanently with friends. Do share it for a limited time instead.
A Permanent Leash vs. a Quick Update
Sharing your location permanently with someone is like wearing a GPS tracker that broadcasts your every move to them, 24/7. They can see when you’re at home, at work, at the doctor’s office, or out late at night. It can be a huge privacy risk. Sharing your location for a limited time—like one hour—is the sensible alternative. It’s like sending a quick text that says, “Hey, I’m at the corner of 5th and Main, see you in a minute.” It gives them the information they need in that moment without giving them a permanent window into your life.
The #1 secret for protecting your Apple ID is having a strong, unique password and two-factor authentication.
The Vault Door and the Two-Key System
Think of your Apple ID as the master key to a massive bank vault that holds your photos, messages, contacts, and payment information. A strong, unique password is like a thick, heavy, steel vault door with a complex combination lock. It’s the first and most important line of defense. But for ultimate security, banks require two keys, held by two different people, to be turned at the same time. Two-factor authentication is your second key. Even if a thief steals your combination (password), they can’t open the vault door without your second key (the code from your trusted device).
I’m just going to say it: Siri is always listening, no matter what Apple’s privacy policy says.
The Butler Waiting in the Hallway
Think of Siri as a butler standing just outside the door of your room, waiting for you to call their name. The butler isn’t actively recording your entire conversation inside the room, but they are constantly listening for that one specific trigger word: “Siri.” For the system to work, the microphone has to be on, actively listening to snippets of sound to determine if you are summoning it. While full conversations aren’t being processed and stored, the device is, by necessity, always paying attention, waiting for its cue to jump into action and respond to your command.
The reason your accounts get compromised is because you’re reusing passwords across multiple services.
The Domino Effect of a Single Key
Imagine you have a single key that opens your house, your neighbor’s house, and every other house on your block. You keep your key secure. But one day, your neighbor leaves their door unlocked, and a thief gets inside and finds their key. Because it’s identical to yours, that thief can now walk down the street and open every single house, one by one. This is what happens when you reuse passwords. A breach at one minor, insecure website you signed up for years ago can lead to criminals getting the “key” that unlocks your email, your bank, and more.
If you’re still using a predictable passcode (like 1234 or your birthday), you’re losing all security.
A Combination Lock Set to “0-0-0”
Using a passcode like “1234” or your birth year is like buying a strong, expensive combination lock for your bike and then setting the code to “0-0-0.” You have the illusion of security, but you’ve chosen the most obvious and easily guessable combination possible. Any thief, even an amateur, will try that combination first. A predictable passcode offers virtually no protection against someone who finds your lost phone or a thief who knows the slightest thing about you. It turns your digital deadbolt into a purely decorative piece of hardware.
The biggest lie you’ve been told is that you can’t be tracked if your location services are off.
The Trail of Crumbs You Leave Behind
Turning off your phone’s main GPS is like turning off your car’s navigation system. You think you’re moving anonymously. However, your car is still connecting to cell towers as you drive, and every time it does, it tells the network, “I’m here!” This is how your phone makes calls. Additionally, when you get home and your phone connects to your home Wi-Fi, it’s another signal of your location. Even with Location Services disabled, your phone leaves a trail of these digital “crumbs,” allowing carriers and others to paint a surprisingly accurate picture of your movements.
I wish I knew that the green and orange dots in the status bar indicate when my camera or microphone is in use.
The “On Air” Sign Outside a Recording Studio
Imagine a recording studio. Outside the door, there’s a bright red light that illuminates whenever someone inside is actively recording. This “On Air” sign is a clear, unmissable signal to everyone outside that a microphone is live. The small green and orange dots on your iPhone are that exact same sign. A green dot means an app is using your camera, and an orange dot means an app is using your microphone. It’s a simple, brilliant warning light that ensures no app can ever spy on you without you knowing about it in real-time.
99% of users don’t know they can see which apps have accessed their location, microphone, or camera recently.
The Security Logbook at the Front Desk
Think of a secure building with a front desk. Every time someone needs to access a sensitive room (like the camera or microphone), they have to sign a logbook, noting their name, what they accessed, and the exact time. Your iPhone’s Privacy & Security settings contain this exact logbook. You can scroll through it and see a clear, timestamped record of which apps have been using your camera, your microphone, and your location. It’s a powerful tool that lets you act as your own security auditor, ensuring no one has been accessing things they shouldn’t have.
This one small action of disabling autofill for contact and credit card information will make your browsing more secure.
A Wallet That Jumps Onto the Counter
Imagine every time you walked up to a cash register, your wallet magically leaped out of your pocket and opened itself on the counter, displaying your ID and all your credit cards. It’s convenient, but it also exposes your sensitive information every single time, even when you don’t intend to buy anything. Browser autofill does exactly this. It’s constantly ready to offer up your most personal data. Disabling it means your wallet stays securely in your pocket until you make the conscious decision to pull it out and provide your information yourself.
Use encrypted backups in iTunes/Finder, not just standard backups, to protect your saved passwords and health data.
A Regular Suitcase vs. a Locked Briefcase
Backing up your iPhone is like packing a suitcase for a trip. A standard, unencrypted backup is like a regular suitcase. It holds all your stuff, but anyone who gets their hands on it can simply unzip it and see everything inside. An encrypted backup, however, is like a high-security, locked briefcase. It not only holds all your most sensitive items—like your passwords and health data—but it’s also protected by a combination lock (your password). Without that code, the briefcase is just a useless box, keeping your most valuable data safe from prying eyes.
Stop clicking “Allow” on pop-ups without reading them. Do take a second to understand what you’re agreeing to.
Signing a Contract Without Reading It
Imagine a salesman puts a piece of paper in front of you and says, “Just sign this.” You ask what it is, and he says, “Oh, it’s just a standard form.” So you sign it. Later, you find out you’ve agreed to a five-year contract, monthly fees, and a non-disclosure agreement. You’d feel cheated, but you signed the document. Every pop-up asking for permission is a contract. Clicking “Allow” without reading is you signing on the dotted line. You could be agreeing to share your contacts, location, or data. Taking two seconds to read is like reviewing the terms before you commit.
Stop keeping sensitive photos in your main library. Do move them to the “Hidden” and “Recently Deleted” folders instead.
The Shoebox Under Your Bed
Think of your main photo library as the family photo album you leave out on the coffee table for everyone to see. It’s for sharing and easy access. But what about old, private letters or embarrassing photos? You wouldn’t put those in the main album. You’d tuck them away in a shoebox under your bed. The “Hidden” album is that shoebox. It takes those sensitive images out of your main library, so you don’t accidentally swipe to them when showing photos to a friend. It’s a simple way to keep your private moments private.
The #1 hack for securing your phone from physical theft is enabling “Find My” and “Activation Lock.”
The Unbreakable Chain on Your Bike
Imagine you have a great bike. You can put a lock on the wheel, but a thief could still pick it up and carry it away. Activation Lock, which is enabled by “Find My,” is like attaching that bike to a metal post with an unbreakable chain. Even if a thief steals the phone, they can never use it. The moment they try to reset it, it will demand your Apple ID and password. Without it, the phone is a permanent, useless brick. This makes it a much less attractive target for theft in the first place.
I’m just going to say it: A VPN doesn’t make you invincible online.
The Invisibility Cloak That Doesn’t Hide Your Footprints
Using a VPN is like wearing an invisibility cloak. It hides your identity and location from the websites you visit. However, if you walk through a puddle of mud, you will still track muddy footprints everywhere you go. Similarly, if you log into your Google account or click on a phishing link while using a VPN, you are still leaving “footprints” that can identify you. The cloak hides your body, but it doesn’t stop you from making mistakes or interacting with the world. It’s a powerful tool for privacy, not a shield against all online dangers.
The reason you need to be careful on public Wi-Fi is the risk of “man-in-the-middle” attacks.
A Postman Who Reads and Changes Your Mail
Imagine you send a letter to your bank. On its way, a crooked postman intercepts it, opens it, reads your information, and then seals it back up and sends it on its way. This is a “man-in-the-middle” attack on public Wi-Fi. A hacker sets up a network that your phone connects to, thinking it’s the coffee shop. Now, all your information—your passwords, your emails, your credit card numbers—passes through the hacker’s computer first. They can read, copy, or even change the information before it reaches its destination, and you’d never know.
If you’re still letting your iPhone remember your passwords without a passcode, you’re leaving your digital life wide open.
The Bank Vault with an Unlocked Door
Your iPhone’s keychain is like a high-tech bank vault. It securely stores the keys (passwords) to your entire digital life: your email, your social media, your shopping accounts. It’s an incredibly strong and safe place. However, not having a passcode on your phone is like leaving the main door to that bank vault wide open with a “Welcome” sign on it. Anyone who picks up your phone can just walk right into the vault and take any key they want. A passcode is the simplest, most essential step to securing that vault door.
The biggest lie you’ve been told is that closing apps improves security.
Locking Your Bedroom Door During a Break-In
Imagine a burglar is already inside your house. You’re hiding in your bedroom. Would you feel safer if you spent your time tidying up and closing the closet doors in your room? Of course not. The threat is already inside the house. Closing apps from the multitasking view is like that. If your phone’s security has already been breached, swiping an app closed does absolutely nothing to stop the intruder. True security comes from preventing the break-in in the first place with strong passcodes, updated software, and cautious browsing, not from tidying up after the fact.
I wish I knew to regularly clear my Safari history and website data to remove tracking cookies.
Wiping Your Fingerprints from a Room
Every time you visit a website, it’s like entering a room. You leave behind tiny, invisible traces of your visit—like fingerprints. These are called “cookies,” and websites use them to remember you and track where you go next. Over time, you leave a trail of fingerprints all over the internet, allowing advertisers to build a detailed picture of your life. Regularly clearing your website data is like taking a cloth and carefully wiping down every surface you’ve touched. It erases your trail, making it much harder for trackers to follow you from room to room.
99% of people don’t turn off Bluetooth when they’re not using it, leaving a potential vector for attack.
Leaving Your Back Door Unlocked
You are diligent about locking your front door and windows. But you often forget about the small back door leading to the garden. You don’t use it much, so you just leave it unlocked. This is what it’s like to leave your Bluetooth on all the time. While modern Bluetooth is much more secure than it used to be, it is still a potential “doorway” into your device. A determined hacker could exploit a vulnerability in that open connection. Turning it off when you’re not using it is like making one final check to ensure every single door to your home is securely locked.
This one small habit of being skeptical of “free” apps will protect your privacy in the long run.
The Free Lunch with a Hidden Price Tag
Imagine a restaurant offers you a delicious, completely free lunch. It sounds great. But as you eat, you notice they are taking notes on your conversation, photographing your ID, and asking for a list of your friends’ phone numbers. The lunch was free, but the price was your privacy. Many “free” apps work the same way. They don’t charge you money, but they make money by collecting and selling your personal data—your location, your browsing habits, your contacts. If you are not paying for the product, you are often the product being sold.
Use an ad-blocker in Safari, not just for a cleaner browsing experience, but to block malicious ads and trackers.
The Mail Screener Who Filters Out Bombs
Imagine you had a personal mail screener who read all your mail before it got to you. They would throw away all the junk mail and flyers, which is nice. But more importantly, they would be trained to spot and dispose of dangerous packages, like letter bombs or scams. An ad-blocker does both of these things. It gets rid of the annoying visual clutter of ads, giving you a cleaner experience. But crucially, it also blocks “malvertising”—malicious ads that can contain trackers or links to viruses—preventing these digital threats from ever reaching your screen.
Stop letting your keyboard have “Full Access” unless you completely trust the developer.
The Stenographer Who Hears Everything
A third-party keyboard is like hiring a personal stenographer to follow you around and type everything you say. For them to do their job, they need to listen to you. But “Full Access” is like giving that stenographer a key to your filing cabinet and permission to send copies of everything you say back to their head office. They could be recording your private messages, your passwords, and your credit card numbers. Unless you trust their company’s reputation completely, it’s a massive privacy risk, turning a helpful tool into a potential spy.
Stop using your phone number for account recovery. Do use an authenticator app instead.
The Spare Key Hidden Under Your Doormat
Using your phone number for account recovery is like hiding the spare key to your house under the front doormat. It’s a well-known, convenient, but ultimately insecure spot. A clever thief can trick your phone company into giving them control of your number (a “SIM swap”), and then they have your spare key. An authenticator app, however, is like a high-tech digital safe inside your house that generates a new, unique spare key every 30 seconds. Even if a thief is standing on your porch, they can’t get the key because it’s securely generated inside.
The #1 secret for protecting your conversations is using an end-to-end encrypted messaging app like Signal.
A Pneumatic Tube Directly to Your Friend
Sending a regular text message is like handing a postcard to the post office. Many people can read it along its journey. Using a service like Signal is like having a private, sealed pneumatic tube that runs directly from your house to your friend’s house. You put your message in a capsule, and it travels through a secure, private tunnel where no one can intercept or read it. The message only becomes readable when your friend opens the capsule on their end. This is true end-to-end encryption—a direct, unbreachable line of communication.
I’m just going to say it: Your carrier has access to a lot more of your data than you think.
The Phone Company’s Switchboard Operator
Imagine it’s the 1950s and all your calls go through a town switchboard operator. She knows who you call, when you call them, and how long you talk. She also knows roughly where you are based on which phone line you’re using. Your cell phone carrier (like AT&T, Verizon, or T-Mobile) is the modern version of that operator. They might not hear the contents of your encrypted calls, but they see all the “metadata”—your location, the numbers you text, the websites you visit, and the amount of data you use. They have the logbook of your entire digital social life.
The reason you should be wary of third-party keyboards is that they can log everything you type.
The Self-Typing Typewriter That Phones Home
Imagine you install a fancy new typewriter that can predict your next word. It’s fun and makes you write faster. But you discover it has a hidden feature: it makes a carbon copy of every single letter you type—every password, every bank account number, every private message—and secretly mails that copy back to the company that made it. That is the risk of third-party keyboards. To provide their features, they must process your keystrokes, and a malicious one could easily record and transmit everything you write, turning a helpful tool into a perfect spy.
If you’re still sharing your iCloud password with family members, you’re compromising everyone’s security.
The Shared Key to a Duplex Apartment
Imagine you and your family member live in a duplex apartment with a single front door that uses one key. You share the key to make things easy. But this also means you share everything else. They can read your mail, look through your closets, and see your bank statements. Sharing an iCloud account is the same. It merges your digital lives, giving them access to your private messages, photos, location, and contacts. It destroys any sense of personal privacy and creates a single weak point; if one of you gets phished, everyone’s data is compromised.
The biggest lie you’ve been told is that the App Store is 100% free of malicious apps.
The Guarded Gate to a Walled City
The App Store is like a walled city with a single, heavily guarded gate. Apple’s review process acts as the guards, doing an excellent job of checking everyone who tries to enter, turning away most of the criminals and troublemakers. This makes the city incredibly safe compared to the wild lands outside. However, a clever spy can sometimes disguise themselves, hide their true intentions, and slip past even the most diligent guards. While the App Store is one of the safest places to get software, it’s not impossible for a bad app to occasionally find its way inside.
I wish I knew to check my password security recommendations in the Settings app.
The Security Guard Who Checks Your Doors
Imagine you have a personal security guard who, every night, walks around your property and checks for weaknesses. He’ll jiggle your door handles and check your window latches. Then he’ll give you a report: “The front door lock is strong, but the back window latch is weak and you’re using the same simple key for the garage and the shed.” Your iPhone does this for your passwords. It automatically checks if your passwords are weak, if you’ve reused them on multiple sites, or if they’ve appeared in a known data breach, giving you a clear report on which “doors” you need to reinforce.
99% of users don’t realize that their phone’s name (e.g., “John’s iPhone”) is broadcast to nearby devices.
The Name Tag You Wear at a Crowded Party
When you use features like Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, your phone’s name is like a name tag you’re wearing at a huge party. It constantly broadcasts “Hello, my name is John’s iPhone” to every other device in the room. This can be used to track your movements through a mall or identify you in a crowd. Changing your phone’s name to something generic, like “My iPhone” or “Blue Phone,” is like replacing your specific name tag with a generic one that just says “Guest.” It makes you much less identifiable in a sea of other devices.
This one small action of disabling automatic software updates will give you time to vet them for security issues.
Letting the Food Taster Go First
In ancient times, a king might employ a food taster to eat a bite of every meal first. If the taster fell ill, the king knew the food was poisoned and wouldn’t eat it. Disabling automatic updates and waiting a few days allows you to do the same thing for software. You are letting the most eager “early adopters” be the food tasters. If a new update has a major bug or security flaw, you’ll hear about their “illness” on news sites and forums, and you can safely avoid the “poisoned” meal until a fix is released.
Use a YubiKey for physical two-factor authentication, not just SMS or app-based codes, for ultimate security.
The Bank Vault Key That Cannot Be Copied
An SMS or app-based 2FA code is like a secret password whispered to you by a bank teller. A clever spy could potentially intercept that whispered message. A YubiKey, however, is a physical, un-copyable key that you plug into your device. It’s like a special key for a bank vault that must be physically present and turned in the lock. A hacker from across the world could steal your password, but they cannot reach through the internet and turn the physical key that is on your keychain. It’s the ultimate defense against remote attacks.
Stop taking photos of your credit card or ID. Do use a secure password manager to store that information instead.
Leaving Your Wallet on a Park Bench
Taking a photo of your driver’s license or credit card is like taking your actual wallet, placing it on a park bench, and walking away. Even if you come back and put it in your pocket, a hidden camera might have recorded everything. That photo now lives in your photo stream, gets included in backups, and could sync to the cloud, creating dozens of copies in places you don’t control. A secure password manager is like a locked, encrypted safe. It’s a purpose-built vault designed to store this exact kind of sensitive information, keeping it safe from prying eyes.
Stop sharing sensitive information over iMessage. Do use a more secure platform if privacy is a top concern.
The Secure Letter with a Trackable Envelope
Sharing secrets over iMessage is like sending them in a sealed, encrypted envelope. The contents are safe. However, the post office (Apple) keeps a record of the envelope itself—who you sent it to and when. They also have a copy of the key to your iCloud backups, which may contain your message history. A more secure platform like Signal is like a private courier who doesn’t keep records and uses a special envelope that self-destructs after reading. For the highest level of privacy, you want to make sure even the record of the conversation disappears.
The #1 hack for preventing shoulder surfing is using a privacy screen protector.
The Blinders on a Horse
A horse in a busy parade wears blinders to prevent it from getting distracted or spooked by things happening to its left or right. It keeps the horse focused only on what’s directly in front of it. A privacy screen protector for your phone works exactly the same way. It acts as a set of digital blinders. For you, looking straight on, the screen is bright and clear. But for the nosy person sitting next to you on the bus or plane, their side view is completely blacked out, preventing their prying eyes from seeing your private information.
I’m just going to say it: The iPhone’s security is only as strong as its weakest link – you, the user.
The Fortress with an Unguarded Front Gate
An iPhone is built like a modern fortress with high walls, advanced surveillance, and automated defenses. It’s designed to be nearly impenetrable from the outside. However, all of that technology is useless if you, the owner, decide to leave the front gate wide open. Using a weak password like “1234,” falling for a phishing scam, or giving an app too many permissions is like personally escorting an enemy soldier through the main entrance. The world’s best fortress can’t protect itself from a mistake made by the person holding the keys.
The reason you receive targeted ads right after talking about something is due to the vast network of data brokers, not just your mic.
The Town Gossip Network
You mention to your neighbor over the fence that you’re thinking of buying a new lawnmower. Your neighbor tells the mailman, who tells the cashier at the grocery store. Suddenly, everywhere you go, people are handing you flyers for lawnmowers. It wasn’t because the lawnmower company had a microphone in your yard. It was because your data (your interest) traveled through a network of “gossips.” Data brokers work the same way. Your search history, store purchases, and location data are all connected, creating a detailed profile that makes it seem like they’re listening when they’re really just connecting the dots.
If you’re still using a simple pattern lock (if it were an option), you’d be less secure than with a 4-digit PIN.
The Smudge Trail on the Window
Imagine a keypad made of glass. Every time you type your 4-digit code, you leave four distinct smudges. But if you use a pattern, you draw a clear, continuous line on the glass. A thief can often see the greasy smudge trail left by your finger and easily replicate the pattern you drew. A simple pattern is one of the least secure ways to lock a device because it leaves behind an obvious physical clue. A 4-digit PIN is better because it’s much harder to guess the order in which the four smudged numbers were pressed.
The biggest lie you’ve been told is that erasing your iPhone deletes all your data permanently.
Shredding a Document vs. Burning It to Ash
When you “erase” your iPhone, it’s like running a document through a paper shredder. The data is cut into tiny, unreadable pieces, and the map that tells you how to put them back together is thrown away. For 99.9% of people, this is perfectly secure—no one is going to painstakingly reassemble those digital shreds. However, a highly sophisticated forensics lab with special equipment could potentially recover fragments. True permanent deletion would be like burning that document to ash. It’s a level of destruction that is rarely necessary but highlights that “deleted” doesn’t always mean “gone forever.”
I wish I knew that every photo I take contains GPS metadata unless I disable it.
A Postcard with a Map on the Back
Taking a photo is like sending a postcard. The image on the front shows what you saw. But unless you change the settings, every photo also has hidden information on the back, like a tiny map with a pin marking exactly where you were standing when you took it. This is called metadata. When you post that photo online, you might be accidentally sharing the exact location of your home, your child’s school, or your favorite private spot. Disabling location for your camera is like choosing to send postcards with a completely blank back.
99% of people don’t have an emergency contact set up in their Medical ID.
The Locked “In Case of Emergency” File
Imagine you have a file in your desk drawer labeled “IN CASE OF EMERGENCY” that lists the one person who should be called if something happens to you. Now imagine that drawer is locked, and no one can find the key. That file is useless. Your iPhone has a place for this exact information in its Medical ID, and first responders know how to access it without unlocking your phone. Not setting it up is like having that locked file. Taking 30 seconds to add a contact ensures that if you can’t speak for yourself, your phone can.
This one small habit of updating your apps regularly will protect you from known security vulnerabilities.
Replacing the Recalled Tires on Your Car
Imagine your car manufacturer sends you a notice: “The tires on your model have a defect and could blow out at high speeds. Please come in for a free replacement.” Continuing to use an outdated app is like ignoring that notice and driving on the highway with faulty tires. The app developer has found a dangerous security hole and has released a “patch” (the update) to fix it. Hackers, who also read these notices, will specifically target people who haven’t updated, knowing they are driving on vulnerable “tires.”
Use the “Ask App Not to Track” feature, not just accepting the default, to take control of your data.
The “No Soliciting” Sign on Your Digital Door
When an app asks if it can track you, it’s like a door-to-door salesperson asking if they can follow you around town and keep a record of every store you visit. For years, the default answer was a quiet “yes.” The “Ask App Not to Track” feature is a big, clear “NO SOLICITING” sign you can place on your digital front door. It’s a powerful and direct way to tell advertisers that you do not consent to being followed across the internet. It puts the control back in your hands, forcing them to respect your privacy.
Stop keeping your phone unlocked when you’re at your desk. Do lock it every time you walk away.
Leaving Your Diary Open on the Kitchen Table
Leaving your phone unlocked on your desk at work or at home is like leaving your personal diary wide open on the kitchen table while guests are over. Even if you only step away for a minute to get a coffee, anyone—a coworker, a visitor, a roommate—can walk by and read your most private thoughts. It only takes a few seconds for someone to glance at your messages or open an app. Locking your phone every single time you walk away is a simple reflex, like closing your diary, that ensures your private life remains private.
Stop using predictable answers for your security questions. Do use random, generated answers and store them in a password manager.
The Secret Question Everyone Knows the Answer To
Imagine the secret question to access your bank account is “What color is the sky?” It’s a terrible question because everyone knows the answer. Using real, factual answers for your security questions—like your mother’s maiden name or the street you grew up on—is just as bad. This information can often be found online or guessed by someone who knows you. The solution is to lie. Generate a random, fake answer like “purple elephant” for your mother’s maiden name and save that “lie” in your password manager. It makes the question impossible to guess.
The #1 secret for knowing if your password has been compromised is using the built-in password monitoring feature.
The Alarm System That Calls You
Imagine you have a security system for your house, but it only sets off an alarm at the house itself. If you’re away on vacation, you’ll never know you’ve been robbed. Apple’s password monitoring is like an alarm system that is connected to your phone. It constantly scans the dark web for news of data breaches. The moment the “key” to one of your online accounts is found scattered among the wreckage of a hacked website, your iPhone sends you an immediate, personal notification, telling you exactly which key has been compromised so you can change the lock immediately.
I’m just going to say it: You should be more worried about physical theft than a remote hacker.
A Burglar vs. a Ghost
We spend a lot of time worrying about a “ghost”—a mysterious, invisible hacker from another country trying to get through our digital walls. And while that’s possible, we often forget about the much more real and common threat: the physical burglar. The person who snatches your phone from your hand or breaks into your car is a far more likely danger. Securing your phone with a strong passcode, Face ID, and “Find My” is like locking your doors and windows. It’s the first and most important defense against the most probable threat.
The reason you need to be careful with configuration profiles is that they can grant broad access to your device.
Handing Over the Master Key to Your Building
Imagine your apartment building has a new manager. He asks you to sign a document. You do, and later you realize it gives him the master key to every apartment, the ability to monitor the security cameras, and permission to change the locks. A configuration profile, often used by schools or employers, is like that document. When you install one, you are giving an administrator immense control over your device—they can install apps, monitor your traffic, and change security settings. Only install profiles from organizations you absolutely trust with the master key to your digital life.
If you’re still using an old, unsupported iPhone, you’re not receiving critical security updates.
Living in a House with Outdated Locks
Imagine living in a house built 10 years ago. The locks on the doors were strong at the time. But since then, locksmiths have discovered new vulnerabilities, and burglars have invented new tools to defeat those specific locks. The lock company has released newer, stronger models, but you haven’t upgraded. Using an old, unsupported iPhone is exactly like this. Apple is no longer creating new “locks” (security patches) for it. Hackers know this and specifically target these older devices, armed with modern tools that can easily break through the outdated defenses.
The biggest lie you’ve been told is that private browsing mode makes you completely anonymous.
Wearing a Disguise to Your Favorite Coffee Shop
Using private browsing is like wearing a disguise—a hat and sunglasses. Your browser won’t remember where you’ve been, and the websites you visit won’t recognize you by your “face” (cookies). However, you still go to the same coffee shop (your internet provider) and the baristas there can see you walk in and out. Furthermore, the websites you log into (like Google or Facebook) will recognize you as soon as you give them your name. The disguise hides your tracks from your own computer, but it doesn’t make you invisible to the outside world.
I wish I knew to disable Wi-Fi Assist to prevent my phone from switching to a potentially insecure network.
The Helpful Friend Who Unlocks Your Door
Imagine you have a helpful friend. When they see you struggling with your house keys because your hands are full, they rush over and unlock your door for you. But what if one day, a person who looks like your friend but is actually a stranger offers to help? Your friend, Wi-Fi Assist, is designed to be helpful. If your home Wi-Fi signal is weak, it will automatically switch you to the stronger cellular signal. But it could also potentially switch you to an unsecured, malicious Wi-Fi network if it deems that connection “stronger,” inadvertently opening your door to danger.
99% of users have never looked at their iPhone’s privacy settings.
The Control Panel to Your Smart Home
Imagine your house is a smart home with cameras, microphones, and sensors in every room. In your basement, there is a master control panel with switches that control what each sensor can do and when. It gives you complete command over your home’s privacy. But what if you never went down to the basement to even look at it? Your iPhone’s Privacy & Security settings menu is that control panel. It holds all the switches for your camera, microphone, location, and more. It’s the most powerful room in your digital house, yet most people have never even opened the door.
This one small action of turning off personalized ads from Apple will limit how they use your data.
Telling the Mall Manager to Stop Taking Notes
Imagine the manager of a shopping mall follows you around, taking notes on every store you enter and every item you look at. Later, they use this information to place specific ads in your path. Turning off Personalized Ads from Apple is like walking up to that manager and saying, “Please stop keeping a personal file on me.” They might still see general foot traffic patterns in the mall, but they will no longer be connecting that activity specifically to your name, reducing the amount of direct, personal profiling they conduct based on your actions.
Use a separate, secure browser like DuckDuckGo, not just Safari’s private mode, for maximum privacy.
A Rented Car vs. Your Own Car in Disguise
Using Safari’s private mode is like putting a temporary disguise on your own car—you throw a cover over the license plate and wear a fake mustache. Your car itself doesn’t remember the trip. But it’s still your car, and it connects to the world in familiar ways. Using a privacy-focused browser like DuckDuckGo is like leaving your car at home and renting an anonymous one for cash. The rented car is specifically designed to leave no trace. It has no connection to your identity, providing a much higher level of anonymity for your journey.