Seven iPhone settings to change before you use it for work

Your new iPhone will soon hold your work email, client numbers and the passwords to your business accounts. If someone watches you type the passcode and then takes the phone, they could get into most of it.

A few settings close that gap. All seven here come from Apple’s own support pages and the iPhone User Guide for iOS 27. Most take a minute.

1. Stolen Device Protection: make a thief wait

This is the one to do first. When your iPhone is away from familiar places such as home or work, it asks for Face ID or Touch ID before certain actions. There’s no passcode fallback.

Those actions include using passwords or passkeys saved in Keychain, using payment methods saved in Safari and erasing the phone. Bigger changes, such as a new Apple Account password, need more. You wait an hour, then scan your face or finger again.

Go to Settings > Face ID & Passcode, enter your passcode, tap Stolen Device Protection and turn it on. Apple says it might already be on, so check. It needs Find My turned on, and it must be set up before the phone goes missing.

Why it matters at work: away from your usual places, a thief who knows your passcode can’t simply open your saved logins or change your Apple Account password.

2. A longer passcode and a shorter Auto-Lock

Apple’s guide says the most secure options are a Custom Alphanumeric Code or a Custom Numeric Code.

Go to Settings > Face ID & Passcode (Touch ID & Passcode on iPhone Duo or iPhone SE). Tap Change Passcode, then Passcode Options to pick one.

Then go to Settings > Display & Brightness > Auto-Lock and set a short time.

Why it matters at work: an unlocked phone left on a counter is open to anyone who picks it up.

3. Find My iPhone, plus Send Last Location

If the phone goes missing, Find My shows you where it is and lets you mark it as lost.

Go to Settings > [your name] > Find My. Tap Find My iPhone and turn it on. On the same screen, turn on Find My network and Send Last Location.

The Find My network can locate a supported iPhone for up to 24 hours after it’s turned off. Send Last Location sends the phone’s location to Apple when the battery gets critically low.

Why it matters at work: you can find a phone left in a ute or a client’s office before you have to replace it.

4. Automatic updates, installed overnight

Apple calls keeping software up to date “one of the most important things” you can do for security.

Go to Settings > General > Software Update > Automatic Updates and turn on Automatically Install. The iPhone then installs updates overnight while it’s charging on Wi-Fi, and tells you first.

Why it matters at work: fixes arrive without you remembering to check. It’s why we cover Apple’s security fixes as they land.

5. Hide message previews on the Lock Screen

Previews can show the text of messages and emails without anyone unlocking the phone. That can include a client’s details.

Go to Settings > Notifications > Show Previews and choose When Unlocked or Never. You can override it for individual apps by tapping the app under Notification Style.

Why it matters at work: the phone face up on the desk stops showing your inbox to whoever walks past.

6. Screen or silence unknown callers

Scam calls and spam waste your day. Apple’s call screening answers unknown numbers for you.

Go to Settings > Apps > Phone and choose Ask Reason for Calling or Silence. Ask Reason for Calling has the caller explain themselves before your iPhone rings. Silence sends unsaved numbers straight to voicemail, and they still show in Recents.

On the same screen, you can turn on Spam to silence calls your carrier flags as potential spam or fraud.

Why it matters at work: if new customers ring you, Ask Reason for Calling suits you better than Silence, because they still get through. For another scam check that’s off by default, see the iPhone setting that warns your banking app about scam pressure.

7. Advanced Data Protection, if you can manage recovery

If your iPhone backup, photos and notes are in iCloud, Advanced Data Protection end-to-end encrypts most of that data, so not even Apple can read it.

Go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud, scroll down, tap Advanced Data Protection, then Turn on Advanced Data Protection. You’ll be guided to set up a recovery contact or a recovery key first.

There’s a catch. With it on, Apple can’t help you recover that data if you lose access to your account. Managed Apple Accounts, the kind some IT providers set up, aren’t eligible.

Why it matters at work: client documents and photos in your backup stay private, because Apple can’t read them. If you create a recovery key, keep it somewhere safe and offline.

Checklist

• Turn on Stolen Device Protection. Settings > Face ID & Passcode > Stolen Device Protection, before the phone is ever lost.
• Switch to a custom passcode. Settings > Face ID & Passcode > Change Passcode > Passcode Options, then choose Custom Alphanumeric Code or Custom Numeric Code.
• Shorten Auto-Lock. Settings > Display & Brightness > Auto-Lock, so an unattended phone locks itself quickly.
• Turn on Find My iPhone and Send Last Location. Settings > your name > Find My > Find My iPhone, with Find My network on too.
• Turn on automatic updates. Settings > General > Software Update > Automatic Updates > Automatically Install.
• Hide Lock Screen previews. Settings > Notifications > Show Previews, set to When Unlocked or Never.
• Screen or silence unknown callers. Settings > Apps > Phone, choose Ask Reason for Calling or Silence, and turn on Spam.
• Decide on Advanced Data Protection. Settings > your name > iCloud > Advanced Data Protection. Set up a recovery contact or recovery key first, as Apple can’t recover end-to-end encrypted iCloud data for you.