🛑 Stop Using Simple iPhone Passcodes

6 Digits to Access Your Life

Whenever I help a certain relative with their iPhone, I cringe at the fact that they don’t have any passcode setup on their device. You just swipe up and have access to everything on that iPhone.

But not just what’s on that phone, hackers can access any website passwords you have saved to your device, like bank accounts and credit cards, your entire photo library, and thieves can lock you out of all your Apple devices in just a few minutes.

This article from Joanna Stern at the Wall Street Journal really encapsulates how quickly hackers can lock you out of all your Apple devices, take thousands of dollars, and remove access to your Photo library in the process.

The bottom line is this: You must have a passcode protecting your device, and the longer, and more complicated your passcode is, the better. I have seen countless iPhone users enter their passcode in plain view of the people around them, and often it’s a single digit (777777).

Don’t do that.

As Joanna explains, once someone has memorized or guessed your passcode, it’s a 30-second process to go to your Settings > iCloud Account > change password, and you are now locked out of all iCloud services. The only piece of information a thief needs to change your iCloud password on-device is…guess what, your passcode.

Once your Apple ID password is changed, they can turn off Find My iPhone seconds later, remove your other Apple devices from the account (like iPads and Macs), and you’ve now lost all hope of gaining access to your Photos, website logins, or any data locked in your iCloud account.

From there, if you have saved bank account logins on your device with iCloud Keychain, they can access your money, move it around, and send it via Zelle or other services to their own accounts.

How can you be sure this doesn’t happen to you?

Make a Stronger Passcode

Well, step 1 is really to make sure you know where your iPhone is at all times. Many of the stories covered in the video are about people at bars who put their phone down for just a few seconds and then it’s gone.

Thieves are working in pairs, one to catch you putting in your passcode, and the other will swipe the phone at the first opportunity. Try to keep an eye on your devices in public places.

Second, use Face ID or Touch ID whenever possible. When you unlock using those methods, there’s no chance someone can see you inputting a passcode. On the flip side, also be sure to lock your screen often when in public. Or at least set your iPhone to lock after 30 seconds rather than 5 minutes 😬

If you must put in your passcode and you’re in a crowded area, be discreet. Make sure no one can see over your shoulder or glance at your screen as you enter the passcode. You may look paranoid in those few moments, but the alternative is losing thousands of dollars and all your iCloud data.

I’ll take looking a little paranoid.

Third, don’t use simple passcodes. Single digits repeating or patterns like 1-2-3-4-5-6 are easily guessed. Don’t risk it! And don’t use the 4-digit option either. Go full 6-digit passcode or alphanumeric (more on that in a sec). If you have trouble remembering 6-digits, write it down on a piece of paper and keep it safely at home.

The Strongest Passcode

You also have the option on iPhone to go with a full alphanumeric passcode, meaning letters, numbers, and/or special characters. Go to Settings > Face ID and Passcode and you’ll see the option there.

This is what I do. Not only are the chances of my passcode being guessed exponentially smaller, but getting a full keyboard on the screen means it’s more discreet visually. When your passcode is all numbers, those big round circles are easily seen by others.

Even if you still use all numbers for your passcode, having the full keyboard for entry rather than big numbers will make it harder to steal.

And parents, it’s not worth the risk of your kids knowing your passcode for ease of handing them a device. They will be even less careful when inputting the passcode and can also wreak havoc on your device accidentally. Use Guided Access whenever possible:

Hopefully, all this has encouraged you to take some precautions when it comes to passcodes and access to your devices. While the iPhone has made it exponentially easier to create secure website logins, save our entire history of Photos, and even pay for stuff with a tap, the trade-off is…our entire lives are on that device. You don’t need to worry, just use a strong passcode and be discreet when entering it in public.

This may be worth an entire video soon, so stay tuned.

On a Lighter Note

All that being said, I had a fun video go up on the channel showing how I organize my iPhone Home Screens and Focus Modes! You can check it out here: