Privacy and Security

For an extra layer of protection when using the Notes app, Apple now allows you to create a unique password for each of your Notes accounts, whether that's iCloud, On iPhone or On iPad, or an email-associated account. Before iOS 13, when you locked a note with a passcword for the first time, that password became the password for locking notes in all your Notes app accounts. You can now create a unique password for a Notes account by going to Notes in the Settings app and selecting Password. 

I go to a lot of trade shows, not just technology ones like the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas but also the NY Toy Fair, hoping to find smartphone-related gadgets that would be of interest to iPhone Life readers. That's how I discovered BLOCKERZ Camera Covers ($13.99) from Zorbitz. They are a wholesaler but you can find their products at Amazon, Urban Outfitters, and other retailers. They gave me a sample to try and it turns out, it's not just for iPhones.

Security and privacy is in the news, as it should be based on recent breaches, so SecureData has a way to help you keep your private stuff private. The company sells a variety of hard drives in capacities from 1 TB using a mechanical hard disk drive (HDD) all the way up to an 8 TB solid state disk (SSD) although they get expensive at that size. SecureData sent me their SecureDrive BT (starting at $285) to try.

I've been researching and reviewing a wide variety of security cameras but the common thread seems to be that you have to pay a lot to protect your valuables. However, the folks at Wyze sent me their Wyze Cam Pan ($29.99). For around $30, you get a remarkably full-featured indoor camera that has capabilities beyond cameras costing twice as much. For example, the Pan in the name stands for Panorama. The camera actually rotates on its own, covering 360 degrees, at 110 degrees per second, sensing motion and recording in 12-second increments. You can even mount it on an industry-standard tripod mount. This makes it ideal as a security camera in a centralized, wide open area of your house. While it is for inside use only, it incorporates night vision thanks to 6 infrared LEDs, for 18 shades of gray.

I reviewed the Reolink Go a while back, and while I liked it, I don't have a remote property that requires a cellular plan for transmitting videos. So I was interested in the more affordable Wi-Fi-based model, and the folks at Reolink asked me to try their Argus Eco ($74.99). It's a lot more affordable, and there's no ongoing plan required. You can provide your own microSD card, up to 64 GB, for storage or leverage Reolink's cloud service. The company has a free plan and reasonably priced offerings if you want to store recordings beyond seven days. The same companion app works with all of the company's cameras, so you could mix and match.

There are two ways to approach indoor security cameras. You can have a really obvious one that acts as a deterrent but is also often ugly. Or you can have a tiny hidden camera, perhaps embedded into a teddy bear or wall charger. The folks at Momentum sent me their new Robbi Wi-Fi Camera ($99.99) and it breaks the mold. It's beautiful and obviously takes its design cues from the Eve robot in the movie Wall-E. You won't mind displaying this security camera in plain site. It comes with an extra long microUSB cable, about ten feet long, and adapters to wall mount the device either via a couple of screws (not included) or adhesive tape (included.)

If you’ve forgotten your Notes password, then you’ll need to reset your password in order to lock 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 you change a Notes app password that you already know. Read on to learn how to reset a forgotten Notes password.

If you've set up Screen Time for your child's iOS devices and have blocked or limited social media and other apps, those apps's services may still be accessible via their URL websites, providing kids with a way get around your restrictions. Here's how to limit access to those websites on any browser on an iPhone or iPad so 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.

Over the years, I've reviewed a number of smart locks from Igloo Home and the company now has something for just about every customer and need, from door locks to lock boxes and now the Smart Padlock ($109). Igloo Home sent me the padlock to test; and just in time, as I was setting up a storage locker for my daughter to use at college.

As someone who gets a lot of packages, not just from Amazon, but also shipments that I wasn't expecting (as a gadget reviewer), I am very interested in ways to secure said packages. One such package that arrived was the BoxLock ($129) and its purpose is to help with just such concerns.

The Worldwide Developers Conference 2019 keynote event has come and gone, leaving us with an array of updates, reorganizations, additions, and hardware to assimilate into our mental map of Apple products and services. Rumors were flying about the death of iTunes, new iOS, watchOS, and Mac features; now let’s go over what really happened, and what it means for both Apple developers and customers.

While I have a Ring video doorbell, it has some drawbacks. First, I had to physically hardwire it into my house. If I lived in an apartment, that would not be an option. The other issue is that I have to find and open my phone to see who is there. If I'm at the door, a peephole makes more sense. The folks at Brinno have a solution, with the Brinno DUO Smart Peephole DoorCam ($199.95). Brinno sent me the peephole camera and, sure enough, no heavy duty tools were required to install it.

One of my favorite things to look for at the Consumer Electronics Show are items that may not actually be electronic, but help make our use of electronic items better. In this case, the Smartē Mute+ ($24.99) from My Smartē Life does indeed have electronics, but it's designed to give you privacy from the now ubiquitous Amazon Echo Dot and other Echo devices. It's like a cone of silence. You just slip it on top of your Echo device. It fits all versions of Amazon Echo, Echo Plus, and Echo Dot. You turn it on and it creates its own white noise that effectively mutes the microphones. It works like noise-canceling headphones. It's not just a plastic cap!

When your phone is locked, you can glance at the notification previews to see if you need to respond to something. But that means other people can too. Fortunately you don't have to turn off notification previews altogether to ensure your privacy. Instead you can set your notification previews to only be visible when your iPhone is unlocked. For iPhone X and later, Face ID works to keep your information secure. But if you have an older phone and have at least iOS 11 or later, this tip also works by using Touch ID.

We use the internet for just about everything; shopping, banking, communicating with friends and family, and storing music, photos, and videos. It's vital to safeguard all the personal data associated with these services with a different, strong password for each account. A password manager can help you generate and keep each password safe. There are lots of reputable, free password keepers to choose from, including 1Password, True Key, and LastPass. We'll go over the features of these apps so you can choose the best option for your needs. We'll also cover how to install a password app, and how to use it once you have. Let's get started.  

If you lose sight of your phone in a public place, like leaving it plugged into the wall of the coffee shop while you do some remote work, your data is susceptible to USB hacking tools such as keyloggers. USB Restricted Mode can help secure your data by preventing access to the Lightning port after your device has been locked for an hour. 

Apple has offered biometric locking features since it introduced Touch ID with the iPhone 5s. With the iPhone X, biometric authentication took the leap to Face ID, and that feature is also included in Apple's newest iPhones, the iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR. There's a convenient new feature with the latest operating system, iOS 12, that allows facial recognition for not just one, but two people. Now if you'd like to share your iPhone with a partner, friend, or child, you don't have to give them your passcode or open the phone yourself before handing it to them. Let's get started setting your iPhone X and later to recognize a second face. 

If you're worried about reusing the same password for multiple accounts, Apple's iCloud Keychain password manager now has a tool to strengthen your password security. In the Settings app, you can now check your passwords for any exclamation point icons. The exclamation points indicate accounts that have a shared password. Here's how to get rid of the old weak passwords and use Apple's password suggestions to create a unique and secure password instead.

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. iOS 12 features Screen Time controls that make parental control not only easy, but also free, whereas in the past you might have to pay for parental control apps to make sure inappropriate content wasn't getting through on your kids' devices. Let's get started learning 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.