In this post, I will show you how to improve the security of your Apple device by enforcing the need to enter its password immediately after the device has been locked.
Having a login password/passcode is a must, since it prevents anybody who manages to get their hands on your device:
from accessing sensitive information (like messages or files)
and from impersonating you via e-mail or on social media.
To strengthen the security further, the password/passcode should be required as soon as you stop (even temporarily) using the device.
Otherwise, there is a window of opportunity during which someone with physical access to your device could start using it without needing to enter the password.
So how can we insure that this does not happen?
This requires two components:
properly configuring your iPhone
a new habit
To configure your iPhone, you need to:
Open the Settings app
Navigate to “Passcode" or "Touch ID & Passcode” or "Face ID & passcode"
Enter your passcode
Scroll down and make sure that “Require Passcode” is set to “Immediately”
Then make sure that the auto-lock option is not set to “Never” or develop the habit to press the on/off button to manually lock your device when you don’t need to use it anymore.
To check the Auto-lock setting, you need to:
Open the Settings app
iOS 10 and up: open "Display & Brightness"
iOS 9 and earlier: open "General"
Scroll down to “Auto-Lock”
If it’s set to “Never”, update the setting
iPhone: between 30 seconds and 5 minutes
iPad: between 2 minutes and 15 minutes
The shorter, the more secure, but also the less convenient:
And you, how did you set the time before your iPhone gets properly locked?
Please let me know in the comments below!
