Ensure the privacy of iPhone text messages

Posted on Friday September 13, 2019

If you're a business owner who is constantly on the go, you may have become too comfortable texting confidential information using your iPhone. Thankfully, getting back on track is easy. Here are three iPhone privacy settings that will give you an added layer of comfort and security.

Turn off message previews

How many times per day do you leave your iPhone unattended, sitting face up for any passerby to see? It sounds harmless, but that's all it takes for the wrong person to glimpse a confidential message. Here are steps to prevent this from happening:

• Open your iPhone's Settings app
• Select Notifications
• Tap Messages
• Disable the Allow Notifications option

With the preview setting turned off, you'll be alerted to a new text message but will have to open the app to see the message contents.

Automatically delete texts

If you lose your phone or someone steals it, thousands of your conversations with your closest confidantes are up for grabs. The easiest way to prevent this nightmarish accident is to configure your iPhone to delete texts after a certain period of time has passed. Follow these steps for this additional security:

• Open the Settings app
• Tap Messages
• Expand the Keep Messages section

From this window, you have options to automatically delete messages after 30 days, a year, or to keep them forever.

Turn off read receipts

When the word “Read” appears under a text message you've sent, that word is a read receipt. It lets you know you that the receiver of the text has opened your message. Sometimes it's convenient, but it does clue people into what you're doing.

To keep the people you text from seeing read receipts, choose Messages from within your Settings app and disable Send Read Receipts.

These three simple privacy measures will prevent countless awkward, problematic, and possibly dangerous situations. Want more iPhone tips or need a technology question answered? Don't hesitate to give us a call today!