Apple and the iPhone are always in the news, but lately it seems to be for all the wrong reasons. Over the past week, many stories have portrayed the iPhone as a security risk and Apple as sneakily limiting charging speeds. None of these things happen. Here is the truth:
iOS 16 does not slow down charging speeds
Apple introduced a new feature in iOS 16.1 called Clean Energy Charging that aims to limit your iPhone’s impact on the environment by “selectively charging when low-carbon electricity is available”. This feature has been enabled by default on all iOS 16 iPhones since October, but a few people noticed it last week and made a lot of noise about it on Twitter. People lost their minds, calling the feature “presumptuous and irritating”, and loudly complained about the “ESG [environmental, social, and governance] bull 💩.
Two things are wrong with outrage. For one thing, the feature shouldn’t affect your iPhone’s charging habits. I left Clean Energy Charging on and never had a problem with my phone having less charge than expected. When I put it on the charger at night it gets refilled in the morning, and when I need a quick refill during the day it only takes a few minutes. And since Clean Energy Charging doesn’t affect on-the-go charging, you’ll never be left behind.
Second, you can disable it very easily. Just because you didn’t know about an optional feature doesn’t mean you can get upset learning about it, especially if it’s optional. Apple enables Clean Energy Charging by default because it’s the kind of feature that should benefit everyone and not bother anyone, but apparently it doesn’t.
The iPhone passcode is suddenly public enemy #1.
Foundry
Your iPhone is not a risk of sudden theft
The Wall Street Journal published an article in late February about a “new” trend: a thief befriends someone in a bar, stares at them long enough to see them type in their iPhone passcode, memorizes the code, steals the iPhone, changes the Apple ID password, and steals personal data and, in some cases, financial accounts.
It’s an alarming story, yes, but it’s not new. Most of the cases cited by the Journal date from 2022, and the theft networks they write about have been operating for years. But that hasn’t stopped countless other publications from throwing out the “H” word and reporting the story with headlines like “iPhone passcode scam!” Attackers can steal your money this way,” “This nasty iPhone passcode scam could cost you thousands of dollars,” and “iPhone users have issued an urgent warning because thieves are using the “reset” trick on smartphones and Apple is helpless once it happens.
It all sounds very scary and serious, but it’s still extremely rare. Rather, the story highlights just how secure the iPhone actually is, as the crimes depict a sophisticated network of thieves, even if the crime itself is decidedly low-tech. Maybe Apple should stop using your password as a security method to change your Apple ID password, but if not, there are plenty of strong protections built into the iPhone.
There is no Face ID loophole
As if the fear and loathing over stolen iPhones weren’t enough, a whole other series of articles used the Wall Street Journal report to expose supposed holes in Face ID, including WRDW (“Face ID might not be as secure as you think”), Local 3 News in Tennessee (“How Thieves Can Steal Your Money Using iPhone’s Face ID”) and even the New York Office of Hate Crimes Prevention, who advised iPhone users to turn off Face ID when they go out “to protect your phone and data.”
Is it possible someone steals your phone and “scans your face without your consent and when you’re not aware” as one story has it? Of course. Is this likely to happen? No way. Could the thief then set up an alternate Face ID so they can get back into the phone whenever they want? Of course. Is this likely to happen? No way.
There’s nothing wrong with Face ID. It’s the best biometric authenticator on a smartphone and no other phone comes close. Despite trying for years to replicate the TrueDepth camera and scanning, the best Android phones still use fingerprint sensors because Face ID is so advanced. So the next time you step out with your iPhone in your pocket, the last thing you need to worry about is Face ID.
