In yet another shot at security and privacy, Apple has released a 20-page guide outlining the measures you should take to secure your iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Whether you are concerned about the security of your iDevice including personal data or want to further enhance the safeguard against unauthorized access, the guide is worth taking a close look at. Among several security measures what has caught my eyes is the checklist that talks about how to check if anyone else has access to your iPhone, iPad, and Apple account. Follow along to put your device for a quick security check and also take prompt action to block unauthorized access.

Apple offers several ways to enhance the security and privacy of your iDevice. At any time you sense a threat, you can run a security check to nab the culprit. To be more precise, it’s all about spotting the usual suspects like malicious profiles, custom apps, and making sure that the additional layers of safeguards are enabled. With that said, let’s get started!

  • View What Devices are Associated with Your Apple ID on iPhone and iPad
  • Check If There is an Unexpected Alternate Face/Touch ID Set Up on Your Device
  • Review All the Installed Apps and Delete the Ones You Don’t Recognize
  • Delete Unknown Configuration Profiles
  • More Tips to Secure Your iPhone and iPad from Unauthorized Access

View What Devices are Associated with Your Apple ID on iPhone, iPad, and Mac

The very first thing that we are going to do is to check what devices are associated with the Apple ID. By linking a device to the iCloud account, anyone can have access to the synced data. Therefore, make sure there is no device synced with your iCloud account.

Launch System Preferences on your Mac. (Alternately, click on the Apple menu at the top left corner of the screen and choose System Preferences.) Click on Apple ID. On the next screen, you should see the list of all the linked devices in the sidebar.

Another security setting that you must check is the alternate Face or Touch ID setup. Maybe someone got access to your iPhone and set up the facial/fingerprint unlock to access your device and pry into your private photos and notes. Head over to Settings app -> Face/Touch ID. If there is an alternate facial unlock or fingerprint setup, remove it.

From a security perspective, it’s always better to keep a track of all the apps that have been installed on your iPhone. Knowing the fact that custom apps can be manipulated to access sensitive data, you should always guard against them, making sure they do not exist on your iOS device.

Delete Unknown Configuration Profiles

Companies and educational institutions use mobile device management tools and device profiles to manage devices and even access data. Though no one can argue the usability of MDM and device profiles, there have been numerous instances where they have been used to access data and location information on the device. Therefore, you need to ensure that there are no unknown configuration profiles installed on your iPhone or iPad.

iOS offers several ways to secure your iOS device from unauthorized access. There are three notable security features that I would want you to take note of.

Automatically erase your iPhone after 10 failed passcode attempts: Settings app -> Face/Touch ID -> Erase Data.

Take Control of Your Device Access to Ward off Foul Play

There you go! So, that’s how you can bolster the security of your iDevice to block unauthorized access. It’s just about checking off the basics and making sure all the security measures designed are active. Now that you know how to shield your device, make the most of the tips to keep your private information safe.