Privacy & Security

You control how Apple delivers advertising. Ads delivered by Apple may appear in the App Store, Apple News, and Stocks, and these ads don’t access data from any other apps.

In the App Store and Apple News, your search and download history may be used to serve you relevant search ads. In Apple News and Stocks, ads are served based partly on what you read or follow, including publishers you’ve enabled notifications for and the type of publishing subscription you have. The articles you read are not used to serve targeted ads to you outside these apps, and information collected about what you read is linked to a random identifier rather than to your Apple Account.

Here’s how to control how Apple delivers advertising to you on iPhone.

Review the information Apple uses to deliver ads

Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Apple Advertising > View Ad Targeting Information.

The information is used by Apple to deliver more relevant ads in the App Store, Apple News, and Stocks. Your personal data, Apple says, isn’t provided to other parties.

Turn personalized ads on or off

Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Apple Advertising, then turn Personalized Ads on or off.

Note: Turning off personalized ads limits Apple’s ability to deliver relevant ads to you. It may not reduce the number of ads you receive.

Learn more about privacy and Apple’s advertising platform

Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Apple Advertising > About Advertising & Privacy.

Background Security Improvements provides additional protection to your iPhone in between software updates. With Automatic Install on, these security improvements install on your iPhone on their own. In rare instances of compatibility issues, they may be temporarily removed, then installed in a future software update.

Important: In rare instances of compatibility issues, these security improvements may be temporarily removed and then installed in a future software update.

Turn on Automatic Install for Background Security Improvements

Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Background Security Improvements, then turn on Automatically Install.

Learn more about Background Security Improvements

Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Background Security Improvements, then tap Learn More.

You can use Stolen Device Protection to protect against the rare instance when someone has stolen your iPhone and knows your passcode. It prevents the person from performing critical device and Apple Account operations, like changing your device passcode or Apple Account password, by requiring biometric authentication with Face ID or Touch ID. There is no passcode to fall back on, either.

More sensitive operations require a Security Delay: a successful Face ID or Touch ID, a one-hour wait, then an additional successful biometric authentication. Security Delay helps prevent someone from making changes to settings that can lock you out of your iPhone or Apple Account.

These measures give you more time to turn on Lost Mode for your iPhone using the Find My app or find devices on iCloud.com.

Turn on Stolen Device Protection

1. Open Settings and then do one of the following:
   • On an iPhone with Face ID: Tap Face ID & Passcode, then enter your passcode.
   • On an iPhone with a Home button: Tap Touch ID & Passcode and enter your passcode.
2. Scroll down and tap Stolen Device Protection.

   Note: If you don’t see Stolen Device Protection, you may need to set up Face ID or Touch ID first.

3. Turn on Stolen Device Protection.
4. Do one of the following:
   • Use Stolen Device Protection when you’re away from home or work: Tap Away from Familiar Locations.
   • Use Stolen Device Protection everywhere: Tap Always.

Turn off Stolen Device Protection

1. Open Settings and then do one of the following:
   • On an iPhone with Face ID: Tap Face ID & Passcode, then enter your passcode.
   • On an iPhone with a Home button: Tap Touch ID & Passcode, then enter your passcode.
2. Scroll down and tap Stolen Device Protection.
3. Turn off Stolen Device Protection.

If you have Stolen Device Protection set to Away from Familiar Locations and you’re not at home or work, or you have Stolen Device Protection set to Always, a Security Delay is required to turn off Stolen Device Protection. Tap Start Security Delay, then follow the onscreen instructions.

If you want to show someone something on your iPhone but want peace of mind that they can’t get into certain apps, you can lock or hide those apps.

Locking an app requires Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode to open it, and information inside a locked app won’t appear in other places, like CarPlay, notification previews, search, Siri suggestions, or your call history. Hiding an app goes further. It removes the app from the Home Screen, App Library, and search results, and moves it to a Hidden folder in App Library that requires authentication to open.

But it only applies to that iPhone. The locked or hidden status of an app doesn’t sync with iCloud.

Note: Children under 13 in a Family Sharing group can’t lock or hide apps. Anyone aged 13 to 17 in a Family Sharing group can lock or hide an app, but a parent or guardian in the family group can see that the app was downloaded and how much time it’s used, and restrict access to it using Screen Time. (These ages vary by country or region.)

Lock or hide an app

1. Go to the Home Screen.
2. Touch and hold the app you want to lock until the Quick Actions menu opens.
3. Tap Require Face ID (or Touch ID or Passcode), then do one of the following:
   • Lock the app: Tap Require Face ID (or Touch ID or Passcode).
   • Lock and hide the app: Tap Hide and Require Face ID (or Touch ID or Passcode), authenticate, and tap Hide App. A hidden app disappears from your Home Screen and moves to the Hidden folder at the bottom of App Library.

You can’t hide apps that come installed, or an app set as the default web browser or app marketplace (available only in the EU). Hiding works only for apps you download separately from the App Store.

Open a locked app

Opening a locked app doesn’t unlock it for good. Once you quit the app, it locks again automatically.

1. Go to the Home Screen.
2. Tap the app and then authenticate using Face ID (or Touch ID or a passcode).

Once you quit the app, it relocks, and you need to reauthenticate with Face ID, Touch ID, or a passcode to reopen it.

Unlock an app

1. Go to the Home Screen.
2. Touch and hold the app icon until the Quick Actions menu opens.
3. Tap Don’t Require Face ID (or Touch ID or Passcode) and then authenticate using Face ID (or Touch ID or a passcode).

Open a hidden app

1. Go to the Home Screen.
2. Swipe left past all your Home Screen pages to go to App Library.
3. Tap the Hidden folder at the bottom of App Library. Authenticate using Face ID (or Touch ID or a passcode).

   The app appears in the Hidden folder.

4. Tap the app and then authenticate using Face ID (or Touch ID or a passcode).

Quick tip: Your hidden apps have their own list. Go to the Settings app, tap Apps, and then tap Hidden Apps.

Stop hiding an app

Stop hiding an app, and you can see it.

1. Go to the Home Screen.
2. Swipe left past all your Home Screen pages to go to App Library.
3. Tap the Hidden folder at the bottom of App Library. Authenticate using Face ID (or Touch ID or a passcode).
4. Touch and hold the app and tap Don’t Require Face ID (or Touch ID or Passcode). Then authenticate using Face ID (or Touch ID or a passcode).

The app shows up near the top of App Library.

Impersonation Risk Detection can help protect you from scams by detecting suspicious activity in real time. When it’s on and suspicious activity is detected in a third-party app, you may see a warning message, or be asked to verify your identity before you continue. It’s only available in third-party apps that support it.

Note: This feature is only available in third-party apps that support Impersonation Risk Detection.

Turn Impersonation Risk Detection on or off

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
2. Tap Privacy & Security, then tap Impersonation Risk Detection. (You may need to scroll down.)
3. Turn Share with App Developers on or off.

For better security, set a passcode that needs to be entered to unlock iPhone when you turn it on or wake it. Setting a passcode also turns on data protection, which encrypts your iPhone data with 256-bit AES encryption, though some apps may opt out of using data protection.

You can also change when iPhone automatically locks, and even have it erase data after 10 failed passcodes. You can also reset the passcode, or turn it off.

Set or change the passcode

1. Open Settings and then depending on your model, do one of the following:
   • On an iPhone with Face ID: Tap Face ID & Passcode.
   • On an iPhone with a Home button: Tap Touch ID & Passcode.
2. Tap Turn Passcode On or Change Passcode.

To view options for creating a passcode, tap Passcode Options. The most secure options are Custom Alphanumeric Code and Custom Numeric Code.

After you set a passcode, on supported models you can use Face ID or Touch ID to unlock iPhone (depending on your model). For additional security, however, you must always enter your passcode to unlock your iPhone under the following conditions:

• You turn on or restart your iPhone.
• You haven’t unlocked your iPhone for more than 48 hours.
• You haven’t unlocked your iPhone with the passcode in the last 6.5 days, and you haven’t unlocked it with Face ID or Touch ID in the last 4 hours.
• Your iPhone receives a remote lock command.
• There are five unsuccessful attempts to unlock your iPhone with Face ID or Touch ID.
• An attempt to use Emergency SOS is initiated.
• An attempt to view your Medical ID is initiated.

Change when iPhone automatically locks

Go to Settings > Display & Brightness > Auto-Lock, then set a length of time.

Note: Your Auto-Lock time is cut in half if you leave your iPhone on the Home Screen without taking any action.

Erase data after 10 failed passcodes

Set iPhone to erase all information, media, and personal settings after 10 consecutive failed passcode attempts.

1. Open Settings and then do one of the following:
   • On an iPhone with Face ID: Tap Face ID & Passcode.
   • On an iPhone with a Home button: Tap Touch ID & Passcode.
2. Scroll to the bottom and turn on Erase Data.

After all data is erased, you must restore your device from a backup. If you didn’t back up your iPhone, you need to set it up again as new.

Turn off the passcode

1. Open Settings and then do one of the following:
   • On an iPhone with Face ID: Tap Face ID & Passcode.
   • On an iPhone with a Home button: Tap Touch ID & Passcode.
2. Tap Turn Passcode Off.

Reset the passcode

If you enter the wrong passcode four times in a row, you’ll be locked out of your device, and you’ll receive a message that says iPhone is disabled. If you can’t remember your passcode, you can erase your iPhone with a computer or with recovery mode, then set a new passcode.

Note: An iCloud or computer backup made before you forgot your passcode can restore your data and settings.

You can have your iPhone, or your family member’s iPhone, check for sensitive images and warn you before you view them. Once Sensitive Content Warning is on, a warning appears before sensitive images are received or sent. It’s in Privacy & Security settings.

Turn on Sensitive Content Warning

1. Open Settings and then tap Privacy & Security.
2. Scroll down and tap Sensitive Content Warning and then turn on Sensitive Content Warning.

Before sending or receiving sensitive images, you or your family member will get a warning.

Note: Sensitive Content Warning is turned on automatically if you set up Screen Time and turn on Communication Safety.

Screen Time is also where you can block inappropriate content and set restrictions on purchases.