iPhone Privacy for the Paranoid: What You Can Do

Concerned about your privacy on the web? You should be. There is an entire industry dedicated to tracking people, collecting data about them, and selling it to the highest bidder. Fortunately, Apple is fairly respectful of customer privacy, and you can easily lock down your iPhone to make it private. Here are some iPhone privacy tips to keep you safe.

iPhone Privacy Settings

1. Don’t Use Touch ID if Your Concerned about Being Forced to Unlock Your iPhone. The laws aren’t fully clear yet, but right now law enforcement can force you to unlock your iPhone with your fingerprint. This is because fingerprints can be collected and used as evidence. But if you have a passcode you memorize, some courts protect that information under the Fifth Amendment. Turn it off by going to Settings > Touch ID & Passcode, and toggle the switch off.


2. Erase Data: While you’re in Touch ID & Passcode settings, scroll down to the bottom and toggle Erase Data on. This erases your iPhone after 10 failed passcode attempts in the event your device gets stolen.


3. Remove Certain Widgets: You’ll want to remove any widgets from the lock screen that display personal information. If you have iOS 10 or higher, swipe right on your home screen to enter the widgets section. Scroll to the bottom until you see the Edit button. There you can choose the widgets to display or not.


4. Turn off Notification Previews: Another lock screen precaution is turning off notification previews from apps. This prevents messages and other information from being displayed to anyone. Go to Settings > Notifications > Show Previews. You can select Never or When Unlocked. That way, your iPhone will need your fingerprint or Face ID to display previews.


5. Disable Tracking: Apple can track different data about you to improve its services. This includes location data for Apple Maps and iPhone Analytics. In our collective opinion at TMO, Apple can most likely be trusted with this information. However, this guide is for the paranoid, so you might not be comfortable with that. There are multiple toggles to switch off in Settings > Privacy > Location Services > System Services. Or, you can turn off Location Services altogether.


6. Turn off iCloud Backups: iCloud Backups are extremely convenient, so only the most paranoid should disable it. If your data is stored on someone else’s server, it’s out of your control. So you can disable it by going to Settings > Your Name > iCloud > iCloud Backup. Instead, back up to iTunes on your computer, and make sure the backups are encrypted.


7. Lock Down Safari: Apple lets you control some of the information that websites get when you browse. You can go to Settings > Safari to control cross-site scripting (turn that setting on), block cookies, ask websites not to track you (turn that setting on), receive fraudulent website warnings (turn that setting on), and control camera & microphone access (turn that setting off).

Next: iPhone Privacy Apps for the Paranoid

Page 2 – iPhone Privacy Apps for the Paranoid

Apps to Improve Your Privacy

Now that we’ve controlled iPhone settings, we can go further by using privacy-centric apps. Here are just a few:

• Email: Apps like Protonmail and Canary Mail encrypt your email. If you’re an advanced user, you can also configure S/MIME on iOS and send/receive encrypted email using Apple Mail. App Store: Protonmail | Canary Mail


• Notes: If Apple Notes isn’t private enough for you, an alternative called Standard Notes is available. It features end-to-end encryption, open source data, and a commitment to longevity. App Store: Standard Notes


• Phone: Many services and websites ask for a phone number to use. If you don’t want to give out your number, use a disposable (burner) number. Apps like Burner and TextNow give you a secondary number to use. App Store: Burner | TextNow


• Messaging: Although iMessage is encrypted, you might be more comfortable with an open source alternative. Signal is a messaging app that is free, open source, encrypted, and also lets you send private phone calls. App Store: Signal


• Internet: For privacy when browsing the web, use a VPN. This provides an alternative to ISPs, which are dedicated to tracking and selling information about you. Most VPN providers protect your privacy, and keep your data out of the government’s hands. A VPN that we use is Private Internet Access. App Store: PIA

Hopefully this guide will give you peace of mind as you use your iPhone. Whether you’re absolutely paranoid, or just a little concerned, iPhone privacy benefits everyone.

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