In iOS, the Control Center can be used to quickly take a picture, jot down a note, turn on the lights, control your Apple TV, and much more. It's useful and convenient because you don't even have to unlock your iPhone or iPad to use it.
However, with that convenience comes a potential security issue. If you use Control Center to create Instant Notes, for example, you might not want anyone to be able to get at them just by picking up your device and swiping on the Lock screen.
If you're concerned about such a possibility, don't be. Fortunately, there's an option in iOS that enables you to disable access to the Control Center from the Lock screen, it's just hidden away in your device's settings. Here's how to find it.
- Launch the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
- Tap Face ID (or Touch ID) and Passcode.
- Enter your passcode if prompted.
- Scroll down and turn off the switch next to Control Center.
Of course, finding the right balance between convenience and security is a personal preference, but disabling Control Center on the Lock screen is less of an issue now that most new iPhones have Face ID, which makes unlocking your device as easy as picking it up. Thankfully, anyone who isn't you won't be afforded the same luxury.
Top Rated Comments
it's become a strange world
Apple needs to make it harder to turn off a device and/or its radios. Sure, the device is still "findable" when its off but it doesn't work as well as when its fully on and transmitting real time highly-accurate location updates.
While they're at it, enabling "Lost mode" in FindMy should put the phone into a special low-power state that disables everything except for location updates to try to keep the phone on and transmitting its location as long as it possibly can before dying. This, combined with locking down Airplane Mode will mean that any potential thief would have to wait multiple days for the phone to actually die and stop sending live location updates.
When you turn off the phone, you're actually not turning it completely off. It's in a low power state, and Find My is still active.
If you want to turn the phone completely off and make it not findable, you need to tap 'iPhone Findable After Power Off' > 'Temporarily Turn Off Finding'. You are then prompted for the passcode. Without the passcode, no one would be able to turn off Find My and stop you from tracking it despite being able to power off the phone.
I only left "Return Missed Calls" on to allow somebody who finds a phone to easily call me (I know there are other options but this is the easiest for any person).