Privacy & Security

You want your Mac to be in great shape before you sell it or give it away, so you'll need to know how to restore a Mac to factory settings (including how to reinstall macOS afterward), plus a few other important skills. Follow these simple steps to help you get top dollar for your old device and ensure your private data isn’t accessible to the new owner.  

We all know the convenience of all our passwords being stored in Apple Keychain. However, many of us also know the frustration of using our non-Apple devices and no longer having access to those passwords. Fortunately, there is now an extension for Chrome that lets you link your iCloud keychain to your Google browser, so you can keep all your passwords securely in one place. Let's learn how to do it.

Apple has written the word Privacy on a flag, tied its brand to that flag, and charged with it into new territory. The June 7 keynote address at Apple’s 2021 developers conference wove privacy and security updates into every app and service, but there are a few stand-out features. Here are the most exciting privacy features coming soon with iOS 15 and the rest of Apple's new operating systems.

Have you signed up for any websites or apps using Sign up with Apple? It can be a safe way to make signing into many different accounts quick and easy. But what happens when you decide you’d rather divorce those accounts from your Apple ID and manage them separately? Or maybe you’ve simply changed email addresses and no longer want to use the email associated with your Apple ID to sign into your accounts. How can you keep the accounts and content you’ve been using but sign in with a different email? Well, it's not entirely straightfoward, but you do have a couple of options, depending on what you want to accomplish. We’ll go over these options below.

When you allow Siri to be accessed from your Lock screen, you may want to consider what Siri is capable of doing without unlocking your device. For example, let’s say you’re in a room with multiple other people. If one of them were to activate Siri when you have Voice Dial turned on, they could tell Siri to call someone without needing your passcode. But if you have Voice Dial turned off, Siri won’t make the call until you enter your iPhone’s passcode. This may or may not be important to you, but it’s good to know what can and cannot be accessed from Lock screen. Here’s how to turn Voice Dial off on iPhone.

Have you noticed a warning in Safari that the website you are browsing is not secure? What does secure mean in this context? In short, Safari is warning you that the website is using Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) instead of Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS). Websites using HTTPS have encrypted their data, making browsing their site and especially entering any sensitive information, such as login credentials or payment information, much safer for you. Here is what to do if you see this warning while browsing Safari on your iPhone.

If you've set up Screen Time on an iPhone or iPad for your child and have blocked or limited social media and other apps, those apps' services may still be accessible via their URL websites, providing kids with a way to get around your parental controls. Here's how to block a website on Safari, Chrome, or any browser on an iPhone or iPad. Whether it's Facebook, YouTube, or any other website that's too mature for your kids, you'll be able to fully block an app's website and not worry about kids finding a way to use them. This tip can also be used by adults who are trying to limit their own social media use, or don't want adult content unexpectedly popping up on their devices.

If you forgot your Notes password, then you’ll need to reset your password in order to lock and unlock your notes. To reset your Notes password, you’ll need to navigate to the Notes section of the Settings app and log in with your Apple ID. This is also how to reset your password if you already know it. Read on to learn how to reset a password for the Notes app.

This article will tell you about the new security updates iOS 14 brings to your iPhone. While a lot of the flashier features of iOS 14 have been getting the most attention—App Clips! Translate app! The new App Library!—one of the most important parts of this update is what it means for your security. The security updates include always being able to tell if your camera or microphone is recording, even if you don't have it pulled up on your screen; being able to choose which photos you share with an app, instead of always sharing your whole camera roll; controlling whether or not an app can see your approximate or precise location; more transparency in the app store; privacy reports on pages you visit; and joining Wi-Fi from a private network. This sounds like a lot, and it is, but it's important to know all the privacy features your iPhone has to offer, and to learn how to take full advantage of them. So let's take a look at each feature and what it means for you. For more great ways to get the most out of iOS 14, check out our Tip of the Day!

Location Services on your iPhone lets Apple apps (like the Camera app) and third-party apps (like your banking app) figure out where you're located while using your phone. When iPhone Photo Location Services is turned on and you take a photo, it'll tag your photo with your current location. This way, you can search through the photos that you took on your vacation to Bora Bora or in your own hometown. Location Services uses Wi-Fi or cellular data plus GPS services to find your location. If you're connected to data or Wi-Fi but your photos aren't being tagged, we have a few simple fixes for you to try. Here's how to get Photos Location Services working again.

People often wonder how to save battery life on their iPhone or iPad. Lots of tips and tricks to extend iPad and iPhone battery life stay the same for several iOS and iPadOS versions and Apple device generations. But, Apple is always working to develop its operating systems to include new features, and sometimes these new software features are responsible for draining battery life, and require new solutions. One useful new feature of iOS 14 and iPadOS are widgets, but unfortunately, widgets can also shorten your iPad or iPhone battery life. If you find yourself asking, "why is my iPhone battery draining so fast?" your iPadOS or iOS widgets might be causing the problem, and we have a solution for you! We've already gone over how to add widgets to your iPhone and iPad; now, read on to learn how one easy tip can act as a major battery saver and extend iPad and iPhone battery life. 

If your recent iOS 14 update came with orange or green dots at the top of your screen, you’re not alone. But don’t worry, these indicators on the iPhone status bar are there to safeguard your security and privacy. They let you know when apps use your microphone or camera, and are especially helpful when you’re not aware that your microphone or camera is in use. Let’s take a look at what each dot means and how you can monitor which apps accessed your iPhone microphone or camera recently.

Customizing which photos individual apps can access is a great security feature. Now, you do not have to allow every app to access all of your photos. You can grant access to a few photos or even just one depending on what you are using the app for. In this article, you will learn how to customize the photos an app can access on your iPhone. This is a feature new to iOS 14. You must have iOS 14 on your iPhone in order to utilize this setting.

Learn how to protect your data and limit your iPhone's Lightning port to charging only with USB restricted mode. If you lose your iPhone, or even lose sight of your phone in a public place, like plugged into the wall of the coffee shop, your data is susceptible to USB hacking tools such as keyloggers, even if it's locked. USB Restricted Mode is an iPad and iPhone security setting that can help secure your data by disabling access to the Lightning port after your device has been locked for an hour. After USB Restricted Mode turns on, your iPhone's USB/Lightning port is disabled, and you'll have to use Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode to unlock your iPhone so you can use USB accessories. Let's go over how to enable restricted mode, and how to turn off or disable restricted mode.

Everyone uses webcams for video conferencing these days. But sometimes you want privacy and to be certain that those cameras are off. The folks at Eyebloc have a solution that is different from traditional webcam covers. Eyebloc sent me a review sample of their Nanobloc Webcam Covers ($8.99). Instead of adding something plastic with moving parts that can break or prevent your laptop from closing completely, Eyeblocs are a peelable, reusable sticker that you place directly on top of the camera lens. 

We all want our kids to avoid screen addiction and be safe online, but that can be hard to accomplish when children have open access to the internet via their iPhone or iPad. Fortunately, Apple's Screen Time parental controls are easy and free to use. In the past you might have had to pay for iPad or iPhone parental control apps to make sure inappropriate content wasn't getting through on your kids' devices, but not anymore. Learn how to set up Screen Time settings on your child's iPhone and iPad, and how to lock those settings so your curious kids can't access the content you've blocked.

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