iPhone users have just discovered the ‘powerful’ security hidden in Apple’s iOS.
It’s called ‘Lockdown Mode,’ ‘it helps to protect the device from the worst possible conditions as well serious cyber issues,’ according to the tech giant’s website.
Apple says the feature is “designed for a very limited audience” because most people aren’t targeted by this feature.
However, users who feel affected by this issue can activate Lockdown Mode if their iPhone is running iOS 16 or later.
Users go to Settings and scroll down to Privacy & Security where there is Lockdown Mode.
Turn on settings, restart your device and enter your passcode.
Apple has warned that using Lockdown Mode will cause other apps and features, including Messages, web browsing and FaceTime, to work differently.
“To reduce attacks that can be used by highly targeted spyware, some software, websites, and features have limited security features and some may not be available,” its website reads.
Lockdown Mode is an optional feature that helps protect iOS devices from the most common and sophisticated online threats.
When you activate Lockdown Mode, users will be shown a warning message about reduced performance,
For example, most types of Message attachments will be blocked, except for some images, videos, and audio. Some of the Messages, such as links and link previews, are not available.
You won’t be able to receive FaceTime calls from people you’ve never called before, but voice calls and text messages will continue to work.
Emergency situations, such as SOS emergency calls, will also be unaffected.
When you share or post photos, location information will be removed.
Shared albums will be removed from the Photos app, and any new sharing invitations will be blocked.
When it comes to web browsing, you will find that some websites load slowly or do not work properly.
Fonts may not appear, and some images may be replaced with a ‘missing image’ image.
To turn this on, open Settings and scroll down to Privacy & Security, then scroll down to enable Lockdown Mode. It will be the last tab on the screen
Once you click on ‘Turn on Lockdown Mode’ you will see a screen that explains everything that will happen to your application.
Once you’ve reviewed this, scroll down and click ‘Turn on Locking Mode’
And that’s not all. The Lockdown process will also affect Apple services, device connections, wireless connections and transfer history.
Other features that will disappear include SharePlay, FaceTime Live Photos and FaceTime Continuity Handoff.
Once you’ve reviewed all of these, go to the bottom and click ‘Turn on Locking Mode.’
You will then see a pop-up that gives you the option to ‘Turn on & Restart’ or ‘Cancel.’ To continue, click on the first option.
Your iPhone reboots, this will enable security features to be activated and you will see a significant improvement in the performance of your device.
But anyone with iOS 16 or later can access and enable Lockdown Mode through the Settings app
But there are ways to remove certain apps and websites from Lockdown mode restrictions.
To uninstall an app, open the Settings app, tap ‘Privacy & Security,’ tap ‘Lockdown Mode,’ then tap ‘Change Internet Browsing.’
Find the app you want to exclude and disable it using the toggle button. Only apps you’ve opened since you turned on Lockdown Mode and those that don’t have limited functionality will appear in this list.
To remove a website, click the ‘Page Menu’ button (the box with two lines below it), then click the ‘More’ button (three dots) to open the Page Menu, then turn off Lockdown Mode for that page.
You can view and edit all of your blocked sites, open Settings, click ‘Safari Blocked Sites,’ then click ‘Change.’
