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Your iPhone comes equipped with a number of default settings that you might be making use of, but are likely ignoring in many cases. When you’ve owned your device for several years you may notice little things that make you feel like it’s time to run to the Apple store. Maybe your iPhone isn’t loading website pages as fast as it should be. Or perhaps your battery is dwindling by your evening commute, even though you charged it that morning. Tech Expert Aleksander Hougen, writer and editor at Cloudwards, sets the record straight for SHEFinds.com and suggests ways you can’t actually make your phone improve (before you pay for another app, read on) as well as the default setting every apple store employee loves because it makes your iPhone run like brand new.
Let’s debunk a few tech myths. There is really no app that will make your iPhone any faster, according to Hougen. “Any software that markets itself as ‘speeding up’ your hardware should be viewed with a lot of skepticism, and for iOS devices in particular it's just not something that apps can really do,” Hougen says. “On platforms like Windows or Android there are some minor performance improvements that can be done by software, but still the vast majority of these kinds of applications are ineffectual at best and filled with malware at worst.”
So, the question now becomes: what CAN you actually do to improve the quality of your phone?
First of all, Apple has already thought of so many potential disasters that can occur as you’re using your device.
“iPhones have pretty strong security (as evidenced by multiple instances where law enforcement has tried to force Apple to provide them with a backdoor so that they could investigate the phones of suspects), and the default settings pretty much max out the security,” Hougen says. “Beyond the basics like setting up a passcode or password, you should avoid setting up face ID or fingerprint access if you're concerned about someone searching your phone.”
When it comes to default settings, there’s one that Hougen recommends never, ever turning off for the sake of your privacy, data, and safety.
“One setting that you definitely shouldn't turn off is requiring a passcode entry USB Accessories, as even if someone steals your phone, their options are severely limited if they can't connect via USB,” Hougen says. “You can also set the phone to automatically erase all data after 10 unsuccessful attempts. All these measures put together would make it incredibly difficult, if not virtually impossible, for someone to access your data, even if they have physical possession of the phone.”
Saving your money when it comes to apps that make grand claims about battery life and speed is a much better idea than spending and downloading wildly (and being disappointed in the end). Sometimes the best outcome for your phone can come about by simply making use of default settings your phone already comes equipped with.
