This Saturday is the ‘European Data Protection Day’a date that seeks to make users aware of the importance of having good practices both on the Internet and with the electronic device with which they navigate, to reduce the risks involved in the use of these technologies.
In the case of iPhone, Manzana It brings together a rich set of functions and features that allow you to manage permissions granted to applications and private browsing in Safari, but also others perhaps lesser-known, such as login with access key instead of password.
To improve the security of this mobile device, you can start by making sure that the ‘smartphone‘ always have the most recent update, because in addition to introducing new features that improve usability, they also incorporate fixes to identified problems and vulnerabilities.
Automatic update can be activated from the ‘General’ settings in the ‘Settings’ menu. The corrections are installed when they are available and in the background, so as not to interrupt the use of the mobile.
If keeping your iPhone up to date is important, checking your privacy settings is no less. Apple has implemented a specific section in ‘Settings’ that allows you to see what data and what access the user has given to the applications on your phone. The list includes items such as contacts, calendar, location, camera, and microphone.
On the other hand, in case of loss, the ‘Search’ application allows you to track and locate an iPhone or an iPad tablet, as well as remotely wipe the device if it falls into the wrong hands. This function can also be activated from ‘Settings’, simply by clicking on the user’s name and then accessing the ‘Search’ section.
Another way to protect activity on the iPhone is by making use of private web browsing in the Safari browser. Some websites allow hundreds of data collection companies to monitor user activity, create a profile of you, and serve you ads as you browse the web.
‘Smart Tracking Prevention’ in Safari uses on-device machine learning to help block those trackers. It also shows a snapshot of all the cross-site trackers that Safari is blocking, which is available in the ‘Privacy Report’ in the browser’s toolbar.
Five lesser known tricks
Apart from the more general recommendations to keep an iPhone secure and private, there are also five settings that allow you to increase these values, but that not everyone knows about.
One of these configurations refers to the location, since the user can control when and how the ‘apps’ can access their location. This option is available in the ‘Privacy and security’ settings, in ‘Location services’, where you can limit access to this data, either Never, Ask next time or when sharing, When used.
Just as companies can track users’ Internet activity, they can also track users’ activity through email, often for advertising purposes. Mail’s ‘Privacy Protection’ allows you to hide your IP address as well as your exact location, preventing senders from seeing if an email has been opened.
Some apps track activity on other companies’ apps and websites. Apple also allows you to choose whether the user wants to allow it or not, or require them to ask for permission, for which they have to activate or deactivate the tracking of specific applications from the ‘Tracking’ section in the ‘Privacy and security’ settings.
If, in addition, the user needs to quickly stop sharing their information or review and update what they share with specific people and apps, Apple’s new security check can help.
This novelty, which is also found in the ‘Privacy and security’ settings, allows changes to be made discreetly, without people or applications receiving a notification.
Finally, and to reinforce security when accessing a website or digital service, Apple allows you to log in with an access key instead of a password. It’s an easier and more secure login method, with a unique digital key created that only works from the site or app it was created for.
Access keys work with a biometric authentication system, either with Touch ID or Face ID, and are saved to both iPhone and iCloud Keychain when you create a new account. It is also possible to configure them for an existing one from the management of said account. (Portaltic/EP)