How to Check Who Has Access to Your iPhone and Apple Account
Jan. 14, 2021In yet another shot at security and privacy, Apple has releaseda 20-page guideoutlining 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.
Check Who Has Access to Your iPhone and Apple Account
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!
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 theSettings appon your iPhone or iPad -> yourprofile/avatar. Now, scroll down belowFamily Sharing.
LaunchSystem Preferenceson your Mac. (Alternately, click on the Apple menu at the top left corner of the screen and choose System Preferences.) Click onApple ID. On the next screen, you should see the list of all the linked devices in the sidebar.
Open aweb browserand head over toappleid.apple.com. Then, sign in to your account and tap/click on a specific device and remove it if you no longer want it to be associated with your Apple ID.
If you feel concerned about the security of your Apple ID, I would recommend you toenable two-factor authentication. When 2FA is turned, your account gets an additional layer of safeguard that asks for verification every time anyone tries to sign in to the account. To further enhance the safety of your account, 2FA sends the verification code only on the trusted device.
To turn it on, head over toSettings app -> Profile -> Password & Security -> Two-Factor Authentication. Now follow the instructions to enable it.
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 yourprivate photosand notes. Head over toSettings 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.
Thanks toApp Library, it has become pretty easy to access specific apps on the device. All the apps are organized in different categories like entertainment, games, and productivity so that you can find a specific type of app with ease. What’s more, you can also view them in the list view by simply tapping on the search bar to scroll through all the installed apps.
Note:
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.
To delete a profile or MDM configuration from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch: Navigate toSettings app->General->Profiles & Device Management. Now, select the profile and hitDelete Profile. After that, restart your device.
To remove a profile from your Mac: Head over toSystem Preferencesand click onProfiles. Next, click the suspicious profile and then click on theRemove button(-) below the list of profiles. After that, click onRemoveagain to confirm the deletion. After that, restart your Mac (click on the Apple menu and choose Restart).
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.
Set up alphanumeric passcode:Head over to Settings app -> Face/Touch ID -> Change Passcode -> Passcode Options -> Custom Alphanumeric Passcode.
Automatically erase your iPhone after 10 failed passcode attempts:Settings app -> Face/Touch ID -> Erase Data.
Secure Lockscreen:Settings app -> Face/Touch ID. Under Allow Access When Locked section, turn off the toggles right next to today view, notification center, control center, Siri, Replay with Message, Home Control, Wallet, Return Missed Calls tosecure the lock screen of your iPhone.
Moreover, there is also an option to force the iPhone to ask for a passcode to allow USB accessories to connect when it has been more than an hour since your iPhone was locked.
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.
You may also like to read these privacy-related iOS 14 articles:
By the way, do you have any question or feedback? Be sure to shoot it in the comments below.
An old school bibliophile who turned a tech nerd out of obsession. When he is not digging into hacks and tracking down stories that are breaking the internet, you may find him reciting poems.
