Do you browse a lot on the road and do you regularly connect to (public) WiFi? You have to be extra careful, especially with sensitive matters such as telebanking. But don’t worry! With these handy tips you will know how to surf safely on your iPhone in no time.
Safe internet on your iPhone: follow these 6 tips!
Checking a website, watching a video and posting a message on your social media: you do a lot online on your iPhone. Usually it’s pretty safe to surf the web using your own mobile internet connection, but on a public Wi-Fi you need to be a little more careful. It is also smart to err on the side of caution when it comes to sensitive matters, such as purchasing from a web shop. Therefore, take some precautions to surf safely on your iPhone.
1. Always keep your iPhone up to date
Perhaps unnecessarily, but always make sure you have the latest version of iOS installed. This also applies to updating the apps: check this regularly.
The updates for iOS not only add new features, they also fix errors and problems. That is why it is important to always download the latest version as soon as possible. Your iPhone automatically notifies you when an update is ready, but you can always check yourself.
- Tap ‘Settings’;
- Go to ‘General > Software Update’;
- You will be notified immediately when an update is available.
2. Safe surfing: check these settings on your iPhone
An antivirus app is pretty much useless on iOS, but there are a handful of essential settings in Safari and iOS that you should check. To do this, first open the Safari settings (‘Settings > Safari’) and scroll down until you reach the heading ‘Privacy and security’. Here you will find several options that you should check.
At least enable the options ‘Prevent tracking’, ‘Report fraudulent websites’ and ‘Protect privacy in advertising’. It is better to leave the option ‘Block all cookies’ unchecked, otherwise you will have problems viewing them on many websites. Don’t you also use Apple Pay? Then you also turn off the ‘Check for Apple Pay’ option.
3. Forget-me-well: private surfing with Safari
Safari has a built-in private mode. This mode protects your private information and prevents some websites from tracking your search behavior. Furthermore, Safari will not keep track of pages you have visited. In addition, no search history or autofill data is stored.
To use private mode, launch Safari on your iPhone. Then tap the ‘New page’ button (this is the icon at the bottom right). Tap “Private” on the left, then “Done.” When Private Mode is turned on, Safari’s colors are black or dark instead of white or gray.
To turn private mode off again, repeat the previous steps one more time. Safari turns white or gray again.
Also interesting: Advertisers angry at Apple’s strict privacy measures in Safari
4. Block Ads with Content Blocking
Do you also find them so annoying? Advertising, pop-ups and intrusive banners. Sometimes they are also dangerous, because before you know it you accidentally click on them and you are subscribed to a spam calendar. There is something you can do about it by installing an app. This app then helps Safari block cookies, advertising, resources, pop-ups, and other material.
There are several apps that are suitable for this. An example is the BlockBear application. The app is free and clear. After installing, you still have to set up the app.
Open ‘Settings’, scroll to the bottom and tap ‘Blockbear’. Then turn on the ‘Background refresh’ and ‘Mobile data’ functions. After that, you need to set BlockBear as the content blocking app. Go to ‘Settings > Safari’. Scroll to the bottom and tap Content Blocks. Set the slider at BlockBear to on.
BlockBear is not the ultimate panacea for ad-free surfing on your iPhone. You will still see commercial breaks on some websites. Also on YouTube, advertisements still appear while watching videos. But you do block a large part of the culprits with BlockBear.
5. Use a VPN to surf safely on your iPhone
You can also use a VPN (Virtual Private Network) connection to surf the internet extra securely. This connection is extra secure against, for example, snoopers who want to steal your passwords or access other data. When you are on a public Wi-Fi connection, such security is of course extra useful. In addition, your data is not kept online.
Most VPNs are paid services and you pay a fixed amount per month. If the VPN is not used too often, the free providers (with a limited amount of data) are good enough. Just be aware that some providers analyze your surfing behavior.
Tunnelbear does not retrieve personal user data (in their own words). That makes the app a great, free VPN. You get 500 MB per month and you can switch the service on and off whenever you want. There are even a few ways to get more data for free. For example, by installing the program on your Mac or by tweeting about TunnelBear.
After installing, you must first turn on the VPN connection. This can be done in two ways, via the app or via the settings on your iPhone. The easiest way to do this is through the app.
Open TunnelBear and on the world map you will see tunnels coming from countries. If you tap on that, you will be asked if you want to use a tunnel through the land. If you tap yes, you will connect. TunnelBear is now ready for use.
Do you need more data? Or do you want to know more about VPN? Then read our guide to using a VPN on the iPhone and iPad. There we show alternatives and we go deeper into the matter.
6. Hide your email address with ‘Sign in with Apple’
Many websites or apps require you to create an account. You often get the option to use your Google or Facebook account, for example. “Sign in with Apple” is usually mentioned here as well. In that case, choose this last option.
The advantage of ‘Sign in with Apple’ is that you have the choice to hide your email address. A unique, random e-mail address is then created, so that your personal e-mail address remains private. Messages sent to this address by the developer of the app or website are automatically forwarded to your personal email address.
Before using Sign in with Apple, you must be signed in to your iPhone with your Apple ID (‘Settings > [je naam]’). In addition, two-factor authentication are enabled. Once you’ve checked (or done so), follow the steps below to log in to a website or app that supports it.
Log in with ‘Sign in with Apple’:
- Tap the ‘Sign in with Apple’ button of the app or website;
- Enter your Apple ID and password;
- The first time you will be asked for a verification code, confirm this code;
- Sign in with Apple automatically fills in your Apple ID information;
- Choose ‘Hide my email’;
- Tap ‘Continue’ to complete the login.
More tips to surf safely on your iPhone
These were the most important tips for safe surfing on your iPhone. There are of course a few small(er) tricks to surf the internet just a little more safely. Set a different search engine for Safari or use a different browser, such as DuckDuckGo. Also read our ways to prevent hacking. In addition, always applies: use common sense and do not just click on everything.
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