If you have an iPhone 3GS or later, an iPod touch 3rd generation or later, or any iPad, you can using. That means that if someone gets physical access to your device, they will also need your passcode to what's stored on it, including contacts, instant messages or texts, call logs, and email. In fact, most modern Apple devices their contents by default, with various levels of protection. But to protect against someone obtaining your data by physically stealing your device, you need to tie that encryption to a or code that only you know. See below for instructions on how to do this. If your device is running iOS 8, disable Simple Passcode to create a code that is longer than 4 digits. With the release of iOS 9, Apple defaulted to a 6-digit passcode. If you choose a passcode that's all-numeric, you will get a numeric keypad when you need to unlock your phone, which may be easier than typing a set of letters and symbols on a tiny virtual keyboard. However, we suggest choosing a passcode that's alphanumeric, and longer than 6 characters because it's simply harder to crack, even if Apple's hardware is designed to slow down -cracking tools. Once you've set a passcode, scroll down to the bottom of the Passcode settings page. Be sure to keep the you use here safe: restoring from backups is a rare event, but extra painful if you cannot remember the password to unlock the backup in an emergency. While Apple encrypts most data in its backups, it may be possible for the company to obtain access for law enforcement purposes since Apple also controls the keys used for iCloud. If you do this be sure your phone is backed up in case someone purposefully enters your passcode incorrectly. Apple can perform this data extraction process on iOS devices running iOS 4 or more recent versions of iOS. Please note the only categories of user generated active files that can be provided to law enforcement, pursuant to a valid search warrant, are: SMS, photos, videos, contacts, audio recording, and call history. Apple cannot provide: email, calendar entries, or any third-party App data. Under most circumstances, iOS encryption is only effective when a device has been fully powered down or freshly-rebooted, without being unlocked. Some attackers might be able to take valuable data from your device's memory when it's turned on. They might even be able to take the data when it has. Keep this in mind and, if possible, try to make sure your device is powered off or rebooted and not unlocked if you believe it's likely to be seized or stolen. At the time this guide was published, a few companies claimed they were able to break the passcodes of iPhones for law enforcement, but details surrounding these claims are unclear. Note that this will allow Apple to remotely request the location of your device at any time. You should balance the benefit of deleting data if you lose control of your device, with the of revealing your own position. Mobile phones transmit this information to telephone companies as a matter of course; Wi-Fi devices like iPads and the iPod Touch do not.
