Are you concerned with maintaining your security and privacy on your Apple device? If you aren’t you should be! Apple does a really good job with keeping your security and privacy intact. With every new update or iOS release, Apple adds new features that secure and protect your privacy on the iPhone and iPad. There are several new features that made downloading this update, well worth it.
In this guide I’ll highlight the features I’ve found most useful and easy to check. I’ll be demonstrating on an iPhone but these settings will apply to iPads as well.
Recording Indicator
If you’re using an app that has access to the camera or microphone, a small dot will appear in the status bar above the WiFi signal indicator. The dot will be green when the app is using the camera and orange when it is using the microphone. So on a FaceTime call you’ll see the green dot and on a phone call you’ll see the orange dot.
If you close the app when finished and then open the Control Center, you’ll see the name of the app that was being accessed by the camera or microphone. The recording indicator prevents your microphone and camera from being used without your permission.
App Tracking Controls
Apps that want to track you across various websites and other apps need to have permission to do so in iOS 14.
Apps that use these features will have a pop up menu asking you to enable Tracking. Most people won’t want to allow any app to track them.
Apple states, apps granted permission to track you can collect data that includes device ID, name, email and more. This data is used most often for ad targeting or shared with data brokers, linking it to publicly available information about you and your device. So if you don’t want Apps to be able to track you do the following.
To turn this off entirely:
- Open Settings
- Scroll to Privacy
- Tap Tracking
- Toggle off Allow Apps to Request to Track
Privacy Report
Safari expands on Apple’s Intelligent Tracking Prevention by providing a Privacy Report feature that’s designed to prevent websites from tracking your internet usage.
To access the Privacy Report:
- Open Safari
- Tap on the “Aa” icon in the URL bar
- Choose the Privacy Report option
Cross tracking needs to be enabled in Settings for Privacy, but it’s on by default so you shouldn’t have to fool around with it. If you want to check it.
- Open Settings
- Scroll and tap Safari
- Scroll and Toggle on or check Prevent Cross-Site Tracking
Approximate Locations Security
There are many apps that require your location for them to properly function. In iOS 14 Apple has introduced a new feature that lets you share your location data in a more secure fashion and less targeted way.
Apps that require location access give you the option of choosing the Precise Location or just using an approximate location. Making it harder to keep track of where you’re going and better protecting your location privacy and security. You may want to go through your apps and determine which ones you want to give access to Precise Location.
To check this:
- Open Settings
- Scroll to Privacy
- Tap on Location Services
- Now tap on any app that provides your location, such as Weather
- Here you can toggle off Precise Location and now you’re device will only use an approximate location in this app
Network Access Security and Privacy
I’m not sure if you noticed but I sure did. It seemed as if every time I opened an app it was making this request.
There are some apps that have a valid reason for accessing devices on your local network, such as those that are Wi-Fi based or use Bluetooth. Most apps have no business accessing your local network.
To revoke this access or check to see what apps you’ve given permission to access your Local Network:
- Go to Settings
- Scroll to Privacy and tap
- Find Local Network
Go through each app to see whether or not you need to give it access. Facebook certainly doesn’t need to access your local network!
These are just a few of the Security and Privacy features in iOS 14. Apple’s commitment to Privacy and Security will probably keep me a lifetime customer.
I’ve created a guide that has my Top 5 Tips For iPhone and iPad that impact Security, Performance and Battery Life. Click on the image below to receive a copy.
If you have any questions or comments feel free to post them in the comments section.
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