5 safety essentials for your iPhone that you should be using

Apple has introduced a number of safety and security features over the years, many of which you may have missed if you don’t know where to look for them. If you’d rather be safe than sorry, check out the security essentials for your iPhone that can help keep you, your device and your data safe.

Need to tell someone that you’re home safe, or want to let them know you’ve arrived? Using the Check In feature means that you can automatically notify another iPhone user, who will be notified when you arrive at your destination, if you’re delayed and do not respond when prompted, or if your iPhone goes offline. If it doesn’t look like you’re moving towards your destination, your iPhone will prompt you to respond to confirm that you’re ok. 

You can set a time-based Check In, so that a trusted contact is notified after a certain amount of time has passed. Or, you can also set a travel-based Check In, where you add a destination to notify a trusted contact that you’ve arrived.

You can also choose the data that you’d like to share with your trusted contact; Limited data includes your current location, details about your battery and network signal for iPhone and your Apple Watch. Full data includes the above, and also your routes travelled and the location of the last time you unlocked your iPhone.

Find My is an essential safety feature; it helps you keep track of your device, where it is and its battery level regardless of where you are. You can also use the Find My app to set up Lost Mode, where you can add a contact number for someone to call if they find your device, and receive email updates about your lost device. If your device is really gone, you can also Erase it by signing into your iCloud, and wipe your phone remotely.

When your device gets stolen, one of the first things that thieves do is to set your phone to Airplane mode. This means that they can access your device, bypass the Find My lost mode, and any Check In features. However, you can lock down your Control Centre, so that you can’t access Airplane mode without unlocking your device. 

To do this, head to Settings, then either Touch ID and Passcode, or Face ID and Passcode, depending on your device. Scroll down to Allow Access When Locked, and turn off Control Centre. This means that when your device is locked, you’re not able to turn on Airplane mode.

If you’re concerned about your phone being snatched whilst it’s unlocked, you can set up an automation to run when your device is set to Airplane mode. First, add this Shortcut. Then head to Shortcuts, then Automation, hit the ‘+’ in the corner, and search for Airplane mode. Select it, and choose ‘When Airplane Mode is turned on’ and ‘Run immediately’. You can then select the Shortcut you just added. If someone attempts to turn Airplane Mode on when your device is unlocked, the device will lock, turn on your Wifi, Data and Bluetooth, and take a photo with the front and back camera.

The Safety Check feature is a way of reviewing who, and what, has access to your data.

To access it, go to Settings, and then to Safety Check. Here you can Emergency Reset access for all people and apps, and review your account security; perfect if you’re concerned about someone having access to your devices. You can also Manage Sharing and Access from here, to see who you’re sharing information with across your apps, and which apps have permission to access your location, data, camera and photos.