Earlier this week, I had the heart-wrenching experience of losing my iPhone for a few hours. Okay, it was actually just a few minutes, but it felt like hours. I soon found it under a pile of mail that had been dropped off at my desk. What a relief.
In the past, if you lost your cellphone you probably also lost any new contacts or other information entered in it. One of the big advantages of using a smartphone (such as iPhone) is that it’s designed to sync with your computer, keeping your information backed up. If I lost my iPhone, I wouldn’t worry about losing the data on it since it’s backed on my computer. And while I don’t really want to buy a replacement iPhone at this time, at least I’d have justification to upgrade to an iPhone 3GS.
My major concern about losing my iPhone (or having it stolen) is the risk of someone accessing the data on it. Most people keep a lot of personal information on their iPhone. I have contacts, business emails, financial information, and more that I’d rather not expose to the world. Fortunately, the iPhone has many security features built in. I use all of them to keep my iPhone locked down.
First, every iPhone should have a passcode assigned to it. By default, iPhone doesn’t require you to enter a passcode to unlock it. I highly recommend you assign a passcode to your iPhone and require that passcode for access.
To set a passcode: Choose General > Passcode Lock and enter a 4-digit passcode, then enter the passcode again to verify it. iPhone then requires you to enter the passcode to unlock it or to display the passcode lock settings.
It’s important to note that you can configure your iPhone so you don’t need to enter the passcode every single time you access it, but only after it’s been idle for a set period of time. I have mine set so I only have to enter my passcode once per hour.
To set how long before your passcode is required: Choose General > Passcode Lock and enter your passcode. Tap Require Passcode, then select how long iPhone can be idle before you need to enter a passcode to unlock it.
Erase data after ten failed passcode attempts: This is another essential security setting. If someone obtains your iPhone and enters the wrong password ten times, all data on it will be erased and the iPhone will be locked. This deprives thieves from an unlimited amount of password guesses to access your data.
To do this, choose Settings > General > Passcode Lock, enter your passcode, and tap Erase Data to turn it on.
How to prevent Voice Dialing when iPhone is locked: In Settings, choose General > Passcode Lock and turn Voice Dial off. Unlock iPhone to use voice dialing.
To change the passcode: Choose General > Passcode Lock, enter your passcode, and tap Change Passcode. Enter your passcode again, then enter and reenter your new passcode.
To turn passcode lock off: Choose General > Passcode Lock, enter your passcode, and tap Turn Passcode Off, then enter your passcode again.
If you forget your passcode, you must restore the iPhone software. See Updating and Restoring iPhone Software.
MobileMe Adds Additional Remote Security Features to iPhone
You can get additional (very cool) remote security features for your iPhone if you have a MobileMe account. MobileMe is an online service, available by subscription. Go to Smalldog.com/mobileme for more information.
Find My iPhone: The Find My iPhone feature helps you locate iPhone if it’s been lost or misplaced, and display a message on your iPhone to help someone return it to you. It includes Remote Wipe, which lets you erase all your information on iPhone in case you don’t recover it. The Remote Passcode Lock feature lets you remotely lock your iPhone and create a new or replacement 4-digit passcode.
To enable this feature, turn on Find My iPhone in your MobileMe account settings.
To Find your iPhone: Log in to your MobileMe account at www.me.com and go to the Find My iPhone pane. Follow the onscreen instructions to locate your device on a map and display a message on its screen along with an optional sound to help you find it.
Remotely wipe information on your iPhone: Log in to your MobileMe account at www.me.com, then go to the Find My iPhone pane. Click “Remote Wipe…,” and follow the onscreen instructions.
A remote wipe is equivalent to the “Erase all content and settings” feature in Settings. It resets all settings to their defaults and erases all your information and media.
Remotely Lock Your iPhone: Log in to your MobileMe account at www.me.com, then go to the Find My iPhone pane. Click Remote Passcode Lock, and follow the onscreen instructions
Go to Smalldog.com/mobileme for more information.