Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Worried About iPhone Privacy? Do This With Control Center

MacRumors

MacRumors

macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
68,700
39,614


In iOS, the Control Center can be used to quickly take a picture, jot down a note, turn on the lights, control your Apple TV, and much more. It's useful and convenient because you don't even have to unlock your iPhone or iPad to use it.

control-center.jpg

However, with that convenience comes a potential security issue. If you use Control Center to create Instant Notes, for example, you might not want anyone to be able to get at them just by picking up your device and swiping on the Lock screen.

If you're concerned about such a possibility, don't be. Fortunately, there's an option in iOS that enables you to disable access to the Control Center from the Lock screen, it's just hidden away in your device's settings. Here's how to find it.

  1. Launch the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
  2. Tap Face ID (or Touch ID) and Passcode.
  3. Enter your passcode if prompted.
  4. Scroll down and turn off the switch next to Control Center.
settings-control-center-lock-screen.jpg


Of course, finding the right balance between convenience and security is a personal preference, but disabling Control Center on the Lock screen is less of an issue now that most new iPhones have Face ID, which makes unlocking your device as easy as picking it up. Thankfully, anyone who isn't you won't be afforded the same luxury.

Article Link: Worried About iPhone Privacy? Do This With Control Center
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/how-to/iphone-privacy-do-this-with-control-center/
  • Haha
  • Like
Reactions: arc of the universe and DeepIn2U
Doesn't work for me on the iOS 18.5 beta. Could be a beta issue.

EDIT: I originally posted that the fix wasn't working for me, but my dumb ass forgot that my Face ID was kicking in. It works fine with the phone actually locked.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: UpsideDownEclair and Graphate
Why not turning everything off? All features are enabled as soon as FaceID unlocks phone, anyway.
I only left "Return Missed Calls" on to allow somebody who finds a phone to easily call me (I know there are other options but this is the easiest for any person).
 
Last edited:
  • Like
  • Haha
Reactions: geta, CasinoOwl and DeepIn2U
Hmmh, when was that control center toggle added? Cause for me it was the only one enabled. It’s off now
 
Another clickbait article from MR.

With those enabled, you can take a picture but to access the data already on your phone, you need to unlock first. Even with CC enabled, it’s still asking me for a Face ID to create one. Zero privacy risk in those scenarios. Notification Center though, it helps a little with privacy.

This article doesn’t add anything of value, at least in the cases it was written for.
 
  • Like
  • Disagree
Reactions: tigerintank, whatgift, LordArchie and 5 others
What we really need is the option to prevent turning off the phone by a random person with face id of passcode.
 
Alex.ne said:
What we really need is the option to prevent turning off the phone by a random person with face id of passcode.
Click to expand...
Because of Find My? If so, that scenario is already covered.

When you turn off the phone, you're actually not turning it completely off. It's in a low power state, and Find My is still active.

If you want to turn the phone completely off and make it not findable, you need to tap 'iPhone Findable After Power Off' > 'Temporarily Turn Off Finding'. You are then prompted for the passcode. Without the passcode, no one would be able to turn off Find My and stop you from tracking it despite being able to power off the phone.

1744653767211.png
 
  • Like
Reactions: Agile55, arc of the universe and Alex.ne
Artemiz said:
Another clickbait article from MR.

With those enabled, you can take a picture but to access the data already on your phone, you need to unlock first. Even with CC enabled, it’s still asking me for a Face ID to create one. Zero privacy risk in those scenarios. Notification Center though, it helps a little with privacy.

This article doesn’t add anything of value, at least in the cases it was written for.
Click to expand...
Sorry you, and others were forced to read it and comment. Demand your money back🙂
 
  • Like
  • Disagree
  • Love
Reactions: tigerintank, Agile55, whatgift and 5 others
BigBlur said:
Because of Find My? If so, that scenario is already covered.

When you turn off the phone, you're actually not turning it completely off. It's in a low power state, and Find My is still active.

If you want to turn the phone completely off and make it not findable, you need to tap 'iPhone Findable After Power Off' > 'Temporarily Turn Off Finding'. You are then prompted for the passcode. Without the passcode, no one would be able to turn off Find My and stop you from tracking it despite being able to power off the phone.

View attachment 2502065
Click to expand...
Yep, I know it is working as recently my phone was stolen and turned off by a thief immediately, but the tracking was working somehow, so I could find and recover it knowing its approximate position (in the market specialising at stolen iPhones LOL). However I would've preferred the phone to be on all the time with all the benefits like cellular data, ping, real-time location.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: IJustWannaTalk
Gathomblipoob said:
Doesn't work for me on the iOS 18.5 beta. Could be a beta issue.

EDIT: I originally posted that the fix wasn't working for me, but my dumb ass forgot that my Face ID was kicking in. It works fine with the phone actually locked.
Click to expand...
This whole thing about privacy is STUPID>

1. Why is Instant Notes accessible without your PIN/Password/FaceID ?!
2. Why is Bluetooth considered a security risk for sending CalDev or Cal ID contacts - a STANDARD SINCE over 12yrs BEFORE the iPhone came out and has been at least up until 15.3.1 BUT Instant Notes CAN be accessible?! STRUPID

^ This is ALL to feed Fereighi's EGO for BUMPING contacts #1 - and #2 assinine joke of overlooking features vs the concept of privacy.

Your example and correction above explains why #1 should NOT be an issue in the first place.

ypl said:
Why not turning everything off? All features are enabled as soon as FaceID unlocks phone, anyway.
I only left "Return Missed Calls" on to allow somebody who finds a phone to easily call me (I know there are other options but this is the easiest for any person).
Click to expand...
BUT going INTO settings shows the very 1ST part of Personally Identifying information for ANYONE overlooking your shoulder or beside you:

Your NAME!!!

^ THIS IS a REAL security Issue.
 
maxoakland said:
I’m confused by this. Doesn’t it enable you to create a note but you can’t view any notes until the phone is unlocked? I don’t see the issue
Click to expand...
I have lived adjacent to the Very Paranoid side of the street, and one answer is that creating notes allows planting evidence. I’m just saying. 🤷‍♂️
 
  • Haha
Reactions: maxoakland
It's crazy to me that Control Center is accessible by default without needing the phone to be unlocked. The VERY FIRST THING every single thief does when they steal a phone is swipe down and enable Airplane Mode. Boom, all your FindMy protections are gone, and they don't even have to turn the device off.

Apple needs to make it harder to turn off a device and/or its radios. Sure, the device is still "findable" when its off but it doesn't work as well as when its fully on and transmitting real time highly-accurate location updates.

While they're at it, enabling "Lost mode" in FindMy should put the phone into a special low-power state that disables everything except for location updates to try to keep the phone on and transmitting its location as long as it possibly can before dying. This, combined with locking down Airplane Mode will mean that any potential thief would have to wait multiple days for the phone to actually die and stop sending live location updates.
 
  • Like
Reactions: maxoakland, CasinoOwl, krakenrelease and 1 other person
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back