iPhone - Security

Before we go any further, a word about security. The iPhone ha a voracious appetite for information. Contacts, addresses, bookmarks, notes, text messages... you name it, it will store it, and that's an awful lot of information to fall into an identity thief's hands if you happen to lose your handset.

Add an extra layer of security by applying the iPhone's built-in locks, through Settings > General > Passcode lock (right}. Tapping this will let you enter a four-digit code that will be demanded every time you or anyone else switches on the phone. With 10,000 combinations to choose from - assuming you count 0000 in your calculations — you should not pick something too obvious such as your year of birth, your anniversary or the last four digits of your phone number. Once you have entered the number and confirmed it, you will be asked to enter it every time you turn on the phone.

You can also set it, through the Require Passcode button, to lock the iPhone after one, five, 10, 15, 30 or 60 minutes of inactivity and demand the code before it will work again, preventing anyone from browsing your data should you have the iPhone stolen.

You have not entirely disabled your phone if you forget your code: you can recover it by connecting it to iTunes and clicking Restore. This will return the iPhone to the state in which it left the factory and remove the lock, but in doing so it will erase all of your data.

However, this measure was still not sufficient reassurance to settle the minds of many businesses, which Apple is hoping to attract with the iPhone. For this reason, it has also implemented a remote wipe feature, making it possible to reset all of the information on an iPhone over the network in the event of loss or theft.  





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