Choosing a more secure iPhone password than 1234

1234 is the most common of the 204,508 possible iPhone or iPad passwords, accord to MacTrast. It’s probably not surprising. And I wouldn’t mind guessing that the vast majority of passwords start with 19, leaving only the last two digits for a thief or hacker to guess. A four-digit password is definitely not secure, although it probably deters most opportunistic thieves who are simply interesting in zapping a phone and selling it at cut price over the nearest bar. 

One additional safeguard is to swap the four-digit pass for six digits or more. This is easily done, but my experience shows that very few iPhone users know about it.  These instructions apply to both iPhone and iPad:

1. Go to Settings, General, Passcode Lock
2. Enter your current password (if one is set)
3. Turn “Simple Passcode” to OFF (a simple password is the defalt four-digit code)
4. Enter a new password of choice. I normally use six digits 

That’s all there is to it. Now you have additional security which could make it impossible for all but the most determined hackers to get into your phone. This gives you time to remotely wipe the data or rely on the laziness of most thieves in simply resetting the phone to lose all your data. 

If you do not use a password, think again. If the phone is left open a thief could have access to all your contacts and any data you’ve stored. He would also have password-free access to all your services, including Dropbox, which are opened with preset details. These days you can’t afford to take such risks.