TechPhonesiPhones5 mistakes everyone makes with iPhonesSimple things to avoid to get the most from your iPhoneWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
TechPhonesiPhones5 mistakes everyone makes with iPhonesSimple things to avoid to get the most from your iPhoneWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
Simple things to avoid to get the most from your iPhone
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Apple)
(Image credit: Apple)
With a few exceptions, such as when I skipped theiPhone XRandiPhone 5Centirely, I’ve had every generation ofiPhonefrom theOG originalto my current phone, theiPhone 13Pro. Yes, I’m definitely Team Apple!
Apple’s hardware and software have come on leaps and bounds in the fifteen years I’ve been using iPhones, but some of the mistakes I’ve seen fellow iPhone users make have stayed stubbornly the same across ever generation: some of the same issues that affected early iPhones are still being repeated today.
As such, here are some lessons learnt the hard way: five iPhone mistakes almost everybody makes.
(Image credit: Apple)
(Image credit: Apple)
1. Re-using passwords even though Keychain is a thing that exists
If you re-use the same password, sooner or later you’ll get the dreaded message that your details have been included in a data leak and should be changed at once. And I know this from experience: it takes much less time to generate a unique password than it does to fix all your compromised ones because you re-used the same password on multiple sites, apps and services. And Apple makes it easier than ever to create passwords: Keychain does it automatically and syncs across all your devices, enabling you to log in automatically with Face ID or Touch ID.
(Image credit: Apple)
(Image credit: Apple)
2. Not backing up your iCloud stuff
I can’t stress this enough: iCloud is not a backup service. It’s a sync service, and that’s an important distinction: if you change, delete or damage a file synchronised over iCloud, that change, deletion or damage could be carried across all your devices via cloud magic. There are some failsafes in there to prevent disaster – the Recently Deleted album in Photos and the equivalent for your files at iCloud.com; the revert button in Photos – but they can’t stop every conceivable calamity and they’re useless if you end up locked out of your account. So if it matters to you, don’t just sync it to iCloud. Back it up too. I do this via my Mac: my iPhone syncs to the Mac and the Mac then uses Time Machine to an external drive.
(Image credit: Concept Creator)
(Image credit: Concept Creator)
3. Not de-authorising your old iPhone
Many of Apple’s services are limited to a specific number of authorised devices, so for example iTunes songs or movies can only be accessed on a certain number of Macs, iPhones and so on. Make sure when you get an upgrade that you go into Settings > Yourname and remove any devices you no longer have from the list of devices under your Apple ID. This is an important security measure as well.
(Image credit: Apple)
(Image credit: Apple)
4. Trying to avoid paying the Apple tax
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If the Apple price is just too much, look for well known accessory brands such as Anker, Belkin and so on: they’ll often offer Apple equivalents or alternatives for a lot less money.
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
5. Not using a screen protector
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