Apple has published special instructions for securing devices and your own Apple ID against people in the immediate vicinity. The manual is intended to explain to users in detail which personal data they already share with third parties and which steps can be taken to “protect personal security”. The focus is on getting an overview of which data is already being shared with whom – and how, for example, access to the iPhone and the whereabouts that was consciously granted to the partner can be withdrawn.

Location & Co: Withdraw shares It is very easy to share your life with the people who are closest to you , writes Apple – but you can stop all these releases again. In addition to basic information on resetting iPhones, iPads and Macs to the delivery status, Apple explains in the manual, which is currently only available in English, which steps can be used to check whether third parties may have access to your own devices or, for example, the Apple ID or iCloud Account.

Users should pay particular attention to whether, for example, profiles for device management have been installed, writes the company – if they come from an unknown source, they should be deleted.

It is also explained step-by-step how any access to the device that may have been set up for third parties can be withdrawn via fingerprint or facial recognition. The topic of location sharing is detailed: A checklist is intended to help ensure that no one has access to one’s own whereabouts – for example through services such as Apple’s preinstalled “Where is?” App, family sharing or third-party apps.

Anti-stalking functions in “Where is?” In “Where is?” Apple has now implemented special functions that are supposed to make stalking more difficult: For example, since iOS 13 it is no longer possible to secretly set up geofences for changing locations of another person . If you stop sharing the location for a certain person in “Where is?”, They will not be informed about it, Apple notes. However, if the approval was given via iMessage, the other party receives a notification. (lbe)