It’s almost as if having your iPhone stolen is worse than having your house robbed. It’s not just about losing an expensive device – your iPhone contains so much of your privacy that criminals don’t even have to search your home for cash, jewelry, credit cards and electronics. .
Recent reports have detailed how criminals can use your iPhone to break into your iCloud and bank accounts to quickly drain your finances and steal your identity by permanently excluding you from your Apple account. This is in addition to deleting contacts, notes, emails, and photos. How? As long as a thief has your phone unlocked (either by snatching it from your hand while you’re using it, or surreptitiously watching you type in your password), they can immediately change your passcode and passcode. Apple ID, and from there, even the iPhone Recovery Key – the only information Apple currently recognizes as proof of your identity.
Forget everything you know about Find My iPhone and iCloud backup. Once thieves change your phone’s basic information, which can take a few minutes, Find My won’t help you, and neither will Apple. But it turns out there is a way to prevent all of this from happening. You might not know this, but your iPhone’s Screen Time feature hides a pretty surefire way to stop thieves from locking you out of your handset (and all your other Apple devices) even if they manage to steal your phone.
Screen time for extra protection
If you don’t have kids and aren’t concerned about how much you use your phone, chances are you’ve never used the Screen Time feature in iOS. But Screen Time has another feature that can prevent anyone from changing your most important passwords. Here’s how it works:
- Time to complete: 3 minutes
- Tools required: iOS 16 or later
Enable the Screen Time Passcode setting
Foundry
Go to Settings, launch screen timeand activate it Use screen passcode. We recommend using a different passcode than the one you use to unlock your iPhone for obvious reasons.
Set content and privacy restrictions
Foundry
Then go to Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions and enable it if you haven’t already. Then scroll down to the Allow changes section, touch Account changes and then Not to allow. This will prevent anyone else with your phone from accessing or changing the passwords, as they will first need to enter the unique Screen Time password which they will not have.
This simple Screen Time setup can stop thieves from draining your bank account, setting up credit cards in your name, and stealing your identity, as you struggle to recover your lost possessions, privacy, and sanity. Of course, you can do more, but it’s a good place to start.
Today I Learned is a igamesnews column that highlights lesser-known but useful tips and tricks for Apple users. If you have ideas for future topics, email [email protected].
