Apple takes its customers' privacy seriously, and the iPhone has several built-in security applications for just this purpose.
Safety Check, Mail Privacy Protection, Hide My Email, Find my iPhone, and Lockdown Mode are all features.
Here's a look at each.
Safety Check
Apple Safety Check was introduced in the iOS version 16.0 update. Its purpose is to enable users to turn off certain features in emergencies.
Turning it on will automatically disable location sharing and allow users to decide what information to share with others and apps.
Once enabled, it will reset the system privacy permission for all apps and sign a user out of iCloud on all other devices.
Safety check is promoted as a tool to distance the user from others in the case of an abusive relationship, for example.
Mail Privacy Protection
When a person opens an email sent from a marketer, the sender gets access to information. They'll learn the recipient's IP address and know exactly when they opened the email.
Version 15.0 of Apple's iOS introduced Mail Privacy Protection. When enabled, it hides the user's IP address and securely downloads any content remotely, independently of when or if the email is opened.
When users first downloaded iOS 15, they were prompted to switch this feature on. If they decided at the time not to, it could be easily activated at any time.
Go to Settings > Mail > Mail Privacy Protection and turn on Protect Mail Activity.
Hide My Email
Other than marketers knowing a person's activity, the other email annoyance is excessive spam.
Sometimes a person needs to provide their email address to get a promotion code or win a prize. The downside is that giving that address opens the floodgates to spam.
Apple introduced Hide My Email to allow for this action without negativity. It's a paid service available to anyone with an iCloud Plus membership.
Hide My Email allows a user to generate a random email address, and any mail sent to that address will be forwarded to the primary one. The random one can then be closed down at any time once its purpose is achieved.
It's built into Safari and Mail from iOS 15.0 and above.
To activate it, go to Settings > (Tap your name) > iCloud > Hide My Email. Then tap, Create New Address, and a random one will be generated with an @icloud.com domain.
Find My iPhone
Apple introduced its Find My iPhone app to deter people from stealing and reselling other's devices.
Prior to iOS version 13.0, it was a standalone feature but is now packaged in the 'Find My' app with Find My Friends.
The app automatically comes free with every new iPhone.
If the iPhone is lost or stolen, a user can locate it via the Find My app on a friend's phone.
Stealing an iPhone is no longer attractive because when enabled, the device cannot be unlocked unless the person has the password of the initiating iCloud account.
Lockdown Mode
The latest security feature offered by Apple is called Lockdown Mode. It's not for everyone; it's designed for users susceptible to phone cyber attacks, such as journalists and politicians.
Its purpose is to reduce entry points for attacks. Once activated, the phone will reboot and switch off several useful but easy-to-access options.
iMessage chats will be reduced to text and images only; no files can be received.
Incoming communication requests from anyone unknown to the phone will be blocked.
Browser functionality will be minimized.
When locked, the iPhone will not connect to a laptop, even with a cable.
The idea is to prevent malicious files from being received or unauthorized communication.
iOS is Packed With Security
Apple wants to do as much as possible to help protect its users' safety and privacy.
Safety Check disables specific features in the case of an emergency. Mail Privacy Protection provides a random IP address to avoid marketers knowing too much. Hide My Email offers a random email address to prevent spam.
Find my iPhone helps users locate a lost or stolen phone. Lockdown Mode disables many features to protect the owner from dangerous files or unwanted communication.
