Recently an emerging threat seems to be growing: when out at a bar, pub, or other public space, you enter your iPhone passcode to unlock your phone and unknowingly someone has seen you enter your passcode from over your shoulder or from a couple tables/seats away. Without warning, your iPhone is quickly snatched out of your hands, and the theif runs off. You never see your phone again, and within 24 hours, money is drained from your bank accounts. You try to reset your passcode from another Apple device but quickly realize the theif has already changed your passcode and you are now locked out of your Apple account completely, and unable to reset your passcode. Apple will not help. You also find out that you can no longer track your iPhone as Find My iPhone has been switched off on the stolen device. Your worst nightmare has begun.
How To Prevent This
You can prevent all the above from happening by enabling screen time, and turning on the setting that prevents account changes. This setting can even be protected by a different PIN, so that even if your main passcode is known, a theif will be unable to change your passcode and you will be able to put the phone in Lost Mode, preventing all the nasty stuff in the scenario above. To do this, follow these steps:
- Settings
- Screentime
- Turn On Screentime
- Is this iPhone for yourself or child: This is My iPhone
- Content & Privacy Restrictions
- Turn on “Content & Privacy Restrictions”
- Scroll down to “Allow Changes”, and select “Account Changes” and disallow
- hit “Back”
- Go back to main “Screen Time” settings screen and hit “Use Screen Time Passcode”
- Set a Screen Time Passcode that is DIFFERENT from your main passcode
- After entering a new screen time passcode, enter your apple ID if prompted
- Hit “OK”
- Enter your Apple ID Password
- Make sure “Share Across Devices” is turned on, to protect your other Apple devices
Close the setting screen – a theif stealing your phone is now unable to change your password and you have a better chance of stopping/limiting the damage they can do.
