Apple's iPhone and iPad all run under the iOS system, which is pretty secure. But hackers and cybercriminals never ignore any chance or flaw to attach an iOS device. You are the owner of your iPhone and private data on your iPhone, so it's your job to keep them safe, although iOS provides an excellent security framework.

Here we summarize some tips to maximize the iOS security features for those concerned about the safety of sensitive information, from contact lists to photos and videos.

Any software may have flaws or defects, especially in new features. Hackers are always trying to find them in iOS coding to exploit, potentially accessing user data.

As the primary security protection, Apple works hard to figure out these flaws and patch them as soon as possible. It is why you get notifications to update iOS from time to time, which is the critical way of combatting the exploits.

Therefore, you should ensure your iOS is the latest version and shouldn't miss any release, even if the minor updates. When a new iOS update is ready, you need to confirm the update before it is installed. To update to the latest version of iOS, go as follows:

Settings > General > Software Update. Here you can see that you're already running the latest version or need to install something newer.

Some iOS updates are particular to fix security flaws. For example, iOS 13.1.3 was rushed out to fix the issues and security flaws in iOS 13.0. So, for your privacy in iPhone, never miss any iOS update.

Password is the key to open your iPhone and get everything stored in it. You may know some hacker tools can crack simple iPhone and iPad passwords quickly. Typically, a four-digit password needs a couple of hours, and a six-digit one needs a few days.

You may think iOS can delay and lock the device to stop anyone from brute-forcing or guessing your password. Yes, Apple does its best against cracking user credentials. But hackers stand on the other side; they think such a thing should be possible. So, create a complicated password is a severe task to protect your iPhone:

• Choose a code longer than six digits. Hack an eight-digit pin needs months, and a ten-digit pin needs a decade;
• Use a code that includes numbers, letters, and symbols. It should make your iPhone a lot harder to break.

Even if your iPhone is secured by Face ID or fingerprint, it can still be unlocked with your password. So never set it as 1-2-3-4, which will cause big trouble for your privacy.

Steps to set the password:

1. Open Settings
2. Tap Touch/Face ID & Passcode
3. Enter your Passcode
4. Tap on Change Passcode
5. Enter your Passcode
6. Tap Passcode Options
7. Enter new code and verify it

Password plays a pivotal role in keeping personal information secure in iPhone and other computers or smart devices. A password manager can make life a great deal easier, which helps you use one password to access the manager and then takes care of all the rest.

Apple offers a password manager iCloud Keychain that is integrated with both iOS and macOS. Your iPhone can use it to up security levels. If your devices aren't only from Apple, you can also choose third parties' password managers. Your iPhone can work together will mainstream ones.

If your iPhone indeed has sensitive data, there is an option to destroy them when someone wants to crack your password. The idea is that after ten incorrect logins, the iPhone will automatically wipe all content. In case any hacker gets your iPhone, it will be useless unless he hits its password in 10 tryings.

The steps are as follows:

Settings > Touch/Face ID & Passcode, enter your passcode, scroll to the bottom and toggle on Erase Data.

This feature will wipe data from your iPhone after ten times of the wrong password. If you accidentally activate the feature, your data will be gone too. So if you enable the option, you should back up your iPhone's data if you sometimes need them to re-load. The iCloud is the right place to automatic backup.

If you install apps on your iPhone, it will bring up new security issues. If your app is from Apple Store, you can trust that the Store already did a security analysis. However, you should know what data (like contact and email) or resources (like camera and microphone) it will access and grant it permissions accordingly.

You can control if an app can access your data and use your resources by iOS. It means an app may be able to access your private information under your permission. Although Apple's privacy policy says that any apps found collecting personally identifiable information will be removed, we know hackers will take the chance.

So, if an app abuses your data, there is no matter with the iPhone. It's why you should revoke unused permissions per app and be very careful to handle every installed app.

Now Apple has made it harder for apps to gather personal data without your knowledge. Some new concerns are as follows:

• Choices to sharing your location: Allow continuous location access
• Location Reminder Alert with a map
• Use Bluetooth
• WiFi tracking: apps could track your location by looking for WiFi networks
• Get information stored in the notes section of contacts

If you feel that you've installed an app that you don't trust with full confidence, you can either delete it or go to

Settings > Privacy , select the permission to revoke and toggle the application off.



Both the iPhone and iPad run based on iOS, which is a very safe system. However, we can still see a few security risks from time to time in some use cases. For example, public Wi-Fi is a well-known security issue for mobile users. It's why some third parties are trying to offer software or service to improve iPhone/iPad users' security situations. We list some of them to help you get the right choice to enhance your iPhone or iPad's security level.

Producer	Name	Area	Free
McAfee, LLC.	Mcafee Total Protection	Antivirus Password VPN Service Internet Security File Security Parental Control
	Mcafee Mobile Security	Internet Security Privacy Security Antivirus
	Mcafee Safe Connect VPN	VPN Service
	Mcafee Safe Family	Parental Control
	Mcafee Identity Theft Protection	Privacy Security
NortonLifeLock Inc.	Norton 360 AntiVirus	Antivirus Data Backup Internet Security Password Parental Control VPN Service
	Norton Mobile Security	Internet Security VPN Service Antivirus
	Norton Secure VPN	VPN Service
	Norton Password Manager	Password
	Norton Family	Parental Control
BitDefender, LLC.	Bitdefender Security	Internet Security Password VPN Service File Security Parental Control
	Bitdefender Mobile Security	Internet Security Privacy Security
	Bitdefender Premium VPN	VPN Service
F-Secure Cyber Security Limited	F-Secure Security	Internet Security Password VPN Service Parental Control
	F-Secure Id Protection	Password Privacy Security
Nord Inc.	NordVPN	VPN Service Password
	NordPass Password Manager	Password Privacy Security
Webroot Inc.	Webroot SecureAnywhere	Antivirus Internet Security Password Data Backup
	Webroot WiFi Security	VPN Service
Kaspersky Lab	Kaspersky Anti Virus & Security	Antivirus Internet Security Password Data Backup Privacy Security Parental Control
	Kaspersky Safe Kids	Parental Control
TotalAV Software	Total Security	Antivirus Internet Security VPN Service
Avira Operations	Avira Antivirus Pro	Antivirus Internet Security VPN Service
K7 Computing Pvt Ltd.	K7 Antivirus & Secuirty	Antivirus Internet Security Parental Control
Avast Software	Avast Antivirus & Security	Antivirus Internet Security
Sophos Ltd.	Sophos Home	Antivirus Internet Security
Trend Micro Inc.	Trend Security	Internet Security Password VPN Service Parental Control
Aura	Hotspot Shield	VPN Service Password Privacy Security
CyberGhost	CyberGhost VPN	VPN Service
Express VPN International Ltd	ExpressVPN	VPN Service
Surfshark Ltd.	Surfshark VPN	VPN Service
Dashlane Inc.	Dashlane Password Manager	Password Privacy Security
AgileBits, Inc.	1Password Password Manager	Password File Security VPN Service
Keeper Security, Inc.	Keeper Password Manager	Password File Security Privacy Security
LogMeIn,Inc.	LastPass Password Manager	Password File Security Privacy Security
Bitwarden, Inc.	Bitwarden Password Manager	Password File Security
Siber Systems, Inc.	RoboForm Password Manager	Password File Security
Pervasive Group Inc.	MMGuardia Parental Control	Parental Control
Qustodio LLC.	Qustodio Family Premium	Parental Control
Content Watch Holdings, Inc.	Net Nanny Family Pass	Parental Control
Mobicip LLC.	Mobicip Family	Parental Control
Google LLC	Google Drive	Data Backup
Microsoft Corporation	Microsoft OneDrive	Data Backup
Apple Inc.	Apple iCloud Drive	Data Backup
IDrive Inc.	iDrive	Data Backup
Dropbox, Inc.	Dropbox Individual	Data Backup
Acronis International GmbH	Acronis True Image	Data Backup
Western Digital Corporation	My Cloud Home	Data Backup
Aiseesoft Studio	FoneLab iPhone Data Recovery	File Security

Comparing with your privacy and personal data, the payment to protect them isn't too much. If you are serious about them, free or not free shouldn't be a big issue. However, if you aren't familiar with third parties' iPhone/iPad security software or service, the free is an easy option to understand and evaluate how these tools or services work for your iPhone or iPad.

Here we list some popular ones to help you to learn common iPhone/iPad security software or services.