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60 seconds is all it takes to protect your iPhone with encryption – here’s how

Published May 28th, 2015 3:40PM EDT
How To Encrypt iPhone
Image: Zach Epstein, BGR

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Apple’s iOS platform is relatively secure out of the box thanks to Apple’s continued efforts to protect users’ data. There are a number of important security features baked into the operating system, some of which you’re likely aware of and some that operate behind the scenes. But there’s one security feature in particular that is painfully simple to enable, and yet there are still a huge number of iPhone users who ignore it.

Now, we’ll tell you about yet another reason to take 60 seconds out of your day and enable this crucial security feature.

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If you’re not used to it, setting a PIN code on your smartphone can indeed be annoying. This simple security feature is hugely important, however, and the logic is obvious: If your phone is protected by a PIN, you’ll be the only person who can access its contents.

There’s another reason to enable PIN protection on your iPhone though, and ZDNet reminded us about it in a recent post.

By enabling a PIN code or password on an iPhone, you’re not just protecting your apps and data from prying eyes. You’re also enabling encryption that prevents hackers from being able to access your private data. The entire procedure will take you less than 60 seconds, and it will give you peace of mind knowing that you’re safe from thieves, hackers and anyone else who might want access to your phone.

ZDNet has an illustrated guide that explains how to set a PIN code, and you can check it out by following the link below. It’s painfully easy, though: open the Settings app, scroll to Touch ID & Passcode (or just Passcode on older phones), and tap Turn Passcode On. Then follow the on-screen prompts and you’re done.

Zach Epstein
Zach Epstein Executive Editor

Zach Epstein has been the Executive Editor at BGR for more than 15 years. He manages BGR’s editorial team and ensures that best practices are adhered to. He also oversees the Ecommerce team and directs the daily flow of all content. Zach first joined BGR in 2007 as a Staff Writer covering business, technology, and entertainment.

His work has been quoted by countless top news organizations, and he was recently named one of the world's top 10 “power mobile influencers” by Forbes. Prior to BGR, Zach worked as an executive in marketing and business development with two private telcos.