- Apple data privacy is the subject of a new resource guide the company has released, walking users through various ways they can make sure their data stays secure across Apple products like iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches, and Macs.
- The guide is especially meant for Apple device owners who want to know what actions to take if they feel that their data and security are ever at risk.
- This new Apple guide is 20 pages long and walks Apple customers through such tasks as updating to the latest operating software, how to protect your Apple ID, and much more.
The way Apple handles its users’ data and privacy has been caught up lately in a high-profile spat with Facebook, which has dominated tech industry news headlines in recent days — and brought into stark relief how well (or not) each company serves its users’ needs from a data and privacy standpoint.
To wit: It is the height of irony that Facebook, of all companies, has been taking out full-page ads in major newspapers in recent days which blast Apple, a privacy-centric company if ever there was one, as being out to wreck small businesses and squeeze new profits out of myriad corners of the Internet. All of this, Facebook continues, stems from forthcoming privacy controls the iPhone maker decided to add to iOS 14. Apple very much wants users to know how other companies handle their data. And, along these same lines, just a few days ago Apple also published a new kind of support manual that walks users through various ways to manage their data across Apple devices like Macs, iPhones, iPads, and Apple Watches. The goal of this new documentation, Apple explains, is for it to “help you identify risks, and walk you through the steps to help make the technology you rely on as private and secure as you want it to be.” You know, the kind of thing most people tend not to associate with Facebook.
This new data privacy manual from Apple, which you can check out here, is meant for people who think their data and safety may be at risk from a malicious person of some kind. The guide is 20 pages long and is comprised of sections that walk users through things like how to get the most out of the Find My app, which can help you pinpoint the location of a lost or stolen Apple device, as well as how to manage location sharing, how to keep your Apple ID safe and secure, and much more.
As another example of what the guide contains, right at the top it instructs users how to make sure their device is running the latest version of the operating software from Apple. “Updating your software is one of the most important things you can do to protect your device and your information,” the guide explains.
It continues:
- On iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, you can see the software version you are running by going to Settings > General > Software Update.
- On your Mac, go to System Preferences > Software Update.
- If there is a software update available for your device, download and install it.
- If you have iOS 12 or later, you can also enable automatic updates from the Software Updates menu.
