apple The latest version of the iPhone operating system, iOS 18, was released on Monday and includes several new security and privacy features. A week ago, Apple released new versions of iPhone, AirPods and Apple Watch. Pre-orders for the new iPhones began on Friday and will be widely available on September 20.
Some consumer tech experts say new iPhone hardware is best judged as incremental, and early data suggests demand may be weak, so neither the phone nor the new artificial intelligence features will necessarily lead to an upgrade supercycle. But for iPhone users, it pays to familiarize yourself with the new operating system’s password manager apps and other options for how and where your data is accessed. These include controls related to your personal and business contacts, as well as new ways to protect sensitive applications and related information on devices that may be shared.
Privacy professionals say updates to the public beta of iOS 18, which has been available since July, should make it easier for consumers to understand and use what’s available. Privacy protection.
“Apple has been working hard to build privacy protections for users, and it generally works to make it easier for people to understand,” said Jodi Daniels, CEO and privacy consultant at Red Clover Advisors.
Here’s an overview of some of the new security and privacy features and how to access them.
Improved new password app for iCloud Keychain
Apple created a separate application to store user passwords. Previously, passwords could be stored in iCloud Keychain, a password management system integrated into Apple devices, but a separate app would make access easier, privacy professionals said.
The new app also has additional features to promote good privacy practices. For example, the system can alert users if passwords or account credentials may be part of a data breach, which can help prevent fraud. Additionally, users with weak or previously used passwords will be alerted so they can update their credentials.
“The broader goal is to get more people to use unique passwords and have more general online security,” said Thorin K., a security and privacy activist at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a nonprofit focused on privacy issues. Thorin Klosowski said.
As in the past, Apple cannot access these passwords, but users can access them using the iCloud for Windows app on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Vision Pro, and Windows. The user’s password for the autofill feature will be automatically added to the password application.
Users can also quickly access various credentials, including verification codes, keys and Wi-Fi passwords. Passwords can also be categorized into shared groups, such as work groups or family groups.
A way to lock and hide apps
With limited exceptions, apps on the phone can be locked, or hidden for extra privacy if the user chooses. An Apple spokesperson said that basic functionality apps cannot be hidden, but generally speaking, if they are apps on the App Store, they can be hidden.
This is a useful tool because people sometimes give their phones to friends to show them photos, messages, or emails, or parents may give their phones to their children temporarily to play games. In all of these cases, users may not want others to have unrestricted access to their phones.
When an app is in locked or hidden mode, content such as messages or emails within the app are not searchable, and notifications will not pop up. Apps can be locked and unlocked using Face ID, Touch ID (if available), or device passcode.
Apple has also taken steps to help ensure that young children don’t use these features to hinder parent observation. An Apple spokesperson said account holders under 13 cannot lock or hide apps. Users aged 13 to 18 can use these features, but parents can still see which apps have been downloaded and how many are used in Screen Time. Apple warns older children that when they lock or hide an app, parents retain the ability to view that information.
More control over contact sharing
In iOS 18, consumers can choose to more precisely determine how they want to share contact information with apps. They can choose to share all, none, or specific contacts. So, for example, if a person only uses an app for work, he might decide to share only work-related contacts with the app. Access permissions can be updated as needed.
After updating to iOS 18, users can change the settings of apps they are using. “This will actually provide a little bit of a buffer for people to think about whether they really need an app to access their contacts,” Kloski said.
Learn more about the data your application is accessing
Apple users can now see at a glance how many apps have access to data such as location services, tracking, calendars, files and folders, contacts and health information. When a user clicks on a specific category, the user will see a list of which apps have what access level, such as limited or full.
Artificial Intelligence Privacy Protection
Additionally, Apple will soon launch Apple Intelligence, an artificial intelligence platform developed by Apple. Features include on-device processing so it can learn about your personal data but doesn’t require Apple to collect or store it, and a new sophisticated system designed to leverage a larger server-based model to handle more complex requests. while still protecting user privacy.
These privacy protections may be important for users who want to access artificial intelligence but are concerned about the privacy consequences, including having their private data used to train models, which is an issue even for many artificial intelligence enthusiasts .
“Putting it local to the device reduces that risk,” Daniels said.
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