The latest version of Apple’s mobile operating system, iOS 4, has been with us for a number of weeks now, but did you know that one new addition to the OS is the ability to lock your phone with any password of your choice? Read on to find out how you can keep your device secure with any password of your choosing.
Before the latest iPhone operating system arrived, the only choice in terms of iPhone security was to add a passcode to your device and ensure auto-lock was enabled. The passcode system, which is still in place, is a user-defined four digit number which, once entered correctly, allows a user access to a locked iPhone. For the majority of users this numeric-only passcode is a sufficient measure for keeping unwanted hands off your iPhone. Yet for those wanting a little more protection iOS 4’s new addition of a password feature can offer increased peace of mind.
Acting as a complimentary choice to the existing passcode system, setting up a more tricky alpha-numeric password is a breeze. As normal you will need to head into the Settings application and then select General. Once there you need to head into the Passcode Lock settings page, here you will see a new option titled ‘Simple Passcode’. With this option turned on, a simple four digit number passcode will be used, however if you turn it off the iPhone will present a full-keyboard, allowing a user to enter a more detailed password.
An alpha-numeric password can include letters, numbers and symbols, allowing for a far greater level of complexity and a harder iPhone to gain access too. As ever, in addition to the password system, the timer and erase data functions are still in place. Simple security!
