Although the mobile operating systems of Apple – iOS and iPadOS – are already considered to be the safest in the field of (mobile) OSes, you should of course also pay attention to a few things yourself. We therefore dive into the world of privacy and security-related settings and common sense.
Viruses don’t exist for iOS and iPadOS. That is, as long as you use the official Apple version of the mobile operating systems. If you have performed a so-called jailbreak on your device, you can also install apps from all kinds of other sources. Sounds very nice, but with that you are 100% responsible for safety. At that moment, malware can very easily end up on your device.
In short: if you want to work safely with your mobile Apple devices, it is important to simply stay within the Apple ecosystem.
You can then ‘only’ download apps from the equally official app store, but they are extremely closely monitored. The moment anything suspicious is found, an app is removed (if done on purpose) or a programmer is expected to provide a solution very quickly (in case of accident).
Watch for permissions
It also applies that even if an app contains malware, this can do little harm. Each program runs in its own completely isolated container and cannot break out there. Not even direct interaction with other apps is possible. This in turn sometimes leads to crazy disadvantages in terms of exchanging data between apps, but those disadvantages do not outweigh the major advantages.
In short: iOS and iPadOS are pretty good when it comes to security. Usually also with regard to privacy, but there you are just a bit more dependent on app makers. In which case, after installing a new app and starting it for the first time, you must pay close attention to what permissions are requested. It goes without saying that a camera app would like to have access to the camera. You can seriously wonder whether the same app should have access to your contacts. You also prefer not to give social media apps such as Facebook access to contacts; even with location data you can have all your doubts.
Making location data inaccurate
With regard to the latter – location data – iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 have something nice on board. You can have the approximate location provided instead of your exact location. If a (social media) app necessarily needs location data to be able to work, you cannot be followed from door to door. Yes, the app will know that you are somewhere in Amsterdam, but not exactly where.
To do that, you start the app Settings then tap Privacy and then Location services. Tap on any of the apps mentioned in the list and you’ll firstly see three options for access. Many weather apps require continuous access to location data to provide weather updates and warnings through notifications. But if you only want to make the location data available when you use an app, then tap Ask next time. If you then start the app (again), you can indicate exactly when the app may have access.
Apps that use location data in the background are regularly asked whether this is still allowed. The switch behind Exact location when switched on, ensures that an app receives exactly accurate GPS data from your phone. Indispensable for navigation apps, for example. It is best to disable the button for social media apps. The approximate option is more than accurate enough. Be sure to try the option Never once, although we bet that many of these apps simply use your IP address to track the location.
Fine-tune privacy
below Privacy divided over categories you will find all apps in a row that have access to, for example, camera, microphone, Health and more. From time to time, take a critical look at which apps get access to what. You prevent app makers from receiving privacy-sensitive data. Incidentally, Apple also sees the danger of data collectors. In iOS / iPadOS 14, much to the dissatisfaction of Facebook, among others, more and more blocking options are being added step by step. Make use of this without further ado, even if you are threatened with possibly ‘less’ functionality. Too bad, we would say. But Facebook & friends really doesn’t need to know everything about you.
Privacy info in app store
Apple has recently made it mandatory to have privacy information listed by app makers in the app store. Just think of it as the side effects on a package insert. Not all apps have an overview yet, only the recently updated ones. So keep a close eye when you install a new app, you can even prevent a data-hungry app from ending up on your device at all. And also applies: apps that have not been provided with updates for a long time: leave it behind.
Phishing
No OS offers protection against phishing. You really need your own common sense for that. Never click on links or images in emails, especially not from unknown senders. Also keep in mind that most banks never send e-mails to customers, and certainly do not provide them with links. If that is the case, the chances are that it is fake mail, which you redirect to a fake page that looks just like that of your bank.
Also, never answer calls from totally unknown WhatsAppers, foreign phone numbers you don’t recognize, don’t add strangers as friends on Facebook (often with profiles with some photos of bling and attractive ladies / gentlemen). Focus on friends you really know. Immediately makes it all a lot clearer. Listen to that gut, if they don’t think something is okay, it is often not right either. And if you make a mistake and it was real, you will hear it automatically.
