Apple Watch tells the time in a highly sophisticated way.
But that’s not everything this smart piece of tech does.
This gadget from Apple pairs with your iPhone effortlessly, allowing you to take phone calls, receive notifications, create reminders, and much more. Your Apple Watch is essentially an extension of your phone that takes mobile convenience to a whole other level.
However, having another device connected to your iPhone, unfortunately, adds another entry point that hackers and other criminals can use for stealing or manipulating your data. The security threat to your smart Apple kit is especially dire if your watch gets stolen.
Here’s how you can avoid Apple Watch security threats.
Enable the Longer Passcode for Your Apple Watch
The default security measure on Apple Watch is a four-digit passcode. The smart device enables you to turn off this option, but this isn’t a good idea unless you replace it with a longer passcode. Using your iPhone app, you can create a longer Apple Watch passcode.
A passcode will keep your Apple Watch protected whenever it’s off your wrist – the moment you take it off, the device will automatically lock itself. You’ll use the passcode for unlocking the watch from the connected phone. That way, nobody else will be able to access it.
Allow Your Apple Watch to Automatically Erase Data
In addition to the longer passcode, you can also enable the self-destruction feature that erases all data from your Apple Watch after 10 failed passcode attempts. This security option would come in handy if your watch fell into the wrong hands.
Keep Your Apple Watch Activation Lock Turned On
As part of Apple’s sophisticated Find My iPhone service, the Activation Lock keeps your Apple devices safe when somebody steals them and tries to access their data. This useful feature is available for your Apple Watch as well, and you can turn it on via the app.
What Activation Lock does is keep the Apple Watch locked to a matching Apple ID. When someone tries to restore the watch, the Activation Lock turns the device into a dead brick. Noone will be able to restore it without disconnecting it from your Apple ID first.
Get Familiar With Find My Apple Watch Service
You can access the aforementioned Find My Apple Watch feature on your iPhone Apple Watch app or by going to iCloud. This feature uses geolocation tracking to find the device when it gets stolen or lost. You can also use it to activate Lost Mode or erase data.
The Lost Mode will help you track any changes to the location of the device. It also allows you to display a custom message on the Apple Watch screen, indicating that the device is lost. Most importantly, it disables Apple Pay and turns off display alerts.
Turn On Notification Privacy for Apple Watch
When turned on, this feature allows you to receive notifications on your Apple Watch but it doesn’t show you the details until you tap on the display alert. Notification Privacy is a convenient option for those who want to keep their alerts hidden from prying eyes.
Adjust Data Privacy Settings for Your Watch
Your Apple Watch smartphone app features separate data privacy settings for all the features you use on your Apple Watch. If you don’t want to restrict this information, you can do so from the Privacy menu. Simply turn off data sharing for every feature you want.
Keep Your Apple Kit Safe from Cyberthreats
Did you know that your Apple Watch gives you instant access to your Mac computer as well? Using Auto Unlock, you can log into your Mac without typing a password whenever you’re wearing the Apple Watch and are close to the computer. It’s a neat trick.
But regardless of how useful Auto Lock is, it can expose your Apple kit to various cyber threats. Just like with smart home systems, the more devices you pair together, the higher the risk of getting hacked. Data protection and privacy are of utmost concern.
Keep your Apple kit protected with VPN for Mac.
There are VPN apps for Apple smartphones as well, so make sure you’re using a virtual private network (https://nordvpn.com/download/mac/) for your internet-enabled iOS devices. A VPN will encode your data and safeguard it against anyone with malicious intentions.
The world’s leading tech giant has launched many great devices over the years, to which Apple Watch is no exception. If you want to keep enjoying its many functionalities without a shred of doubt about your safety, turn these security settings on.