Is your Apple iPhone as secure as it could be? It probably isn’t and here are the top methods to increase the security and privacy of your phone. How many of them are you using?

1 Stop brute force attacks

When the iPhone is locked, it requires a PIN code, face ID or a fingerprint to unlock it and you might wonder what could be more secure than those. However, someone might try to guess your PIN by choosing numbers that may be familiar to you - don't use your phone number or date of birth for example.

They may get lucky, eventually, after hundreds or thousands of tries, which could be automated. To prevent this, use the option to erase the phone after 10 failed attempts to enter the passcode. Go to Settings> Face ID & Passcode. Swipe to get to the bottom of the screen and turn on Erase Data. (Some iPhones have Touch ID instead of Face ID).

2 Disable access when locked

It can be convenient to see notifications, access the Today view, use Siri and other features when the iPhone is locked, but it means that anyone with access to your phone can also use them. Could someone see something private on the iPhone's lock screen? A snippet of an incoming email perhaps? Disable access to lock screen features to increase your security and privacy.

Go to Settings > Face ID and Passcode. Halfway down is Allow Access When Locked, followed by several activities. Turn off all the switches for maximum security, but if you need some items, just disable those you don’t want others to access. The downside is that you have to unlock the phone to check for emails, use Siri and so on. It is less convenient.

3 Don’t store photos online

Celebrities are often the target of hackers and embarrassing photos are stolen from their iCloud accounts. These are then passed around on the internet. Could this happen to you? Maybe you're not as famous, but keep your photos and videos private by keeping them on the phone. Go to Settings > Photos and disable iCloud Photos.

The disadvantage is that your photos are not backed up and they use up storage space on the phone. Once again, it is more private and secure, but less convenient.

4 Auto-lock the iPhone

If you put your phone down after you have been using it, someone else could pick it up and use it. This is a security risk, so the phone will automatically lock after a certain time. Set a short timeout for greater security.

Go to Settings > Display & Brightness > Auto-Lock. Set it to 30 seconds. If you turn on power-saving mode, the timeout is automatically set to a minimum of 30 seconds.

5 Block location-based ads

Your location can be tracked and advertisers will use it to target you with adverts. However, you can block this for extra privacy. Go to Settings > Privacy > Apple Advertising right down at the bottom of the screen. Turn off the switch Personalised Ads. Go to Settings > Privacy > Tracking and turn off Allow Apps to Request to Track. Unfortunately, this is a request and is not forced. Apps may ignore the request and track you anyway. However, it helps increase security and privacy.

6 Disable automatic wi-fi connections

If you connect to a Wi-Fi network, the details are remembered, such as the network name and password, and the next time the network is encountered, the iPhone will automatically connect to it. This is a useful feature that saves time and effort, but a scammer or hacker can create a fake Wi-Fi hotspot with the same name and password. The iPhone might automatically connect to it and personal information could then be accessed.

To prevent this, go to Settings > Wi-Fi> Ask to Join Networks and set the switch Off. Do the same for Auto-Join Hotspots. The iPhone will automatically connect to known networks, but will not connect to an unknown one unless you manually select it.

7 Use a VPN

Whenever you access the internet using Wi-Fi, it is possible for someone else on the network or for the owner of the router to eavesdrop on the communications. Someone could listen in on your web activities. This is especially bad if you access online banking, shopping and other services that require you to enter usernames and passwords. A VPN (virtual private network) creates an encrypted internet connection that prevents anyone from seeing what you are doing. It is recommended for public Wi-Fi hotspots like cafes, hotels, airports and similar places. It makes your internet activities secure and private.

You can go to Settings > General > VPN and press Add VPN Configuration to manually add one. You are asked to enter the configuration details and these are supplied by VPN providers. Few people manually configure a VPN on their iPhone and most people simply install an app from the Store to do it for them. An app also has more features, such as an easy way to select VPN servers from around the world. To see some popular VPNs, go to Recommended apps and services.

8 Increase Safari security

Safari has several security settings that can help to prevent third parties from tracking your activities on the web. For example, go to Settings > Safari and swipe to go down to the Privacy and Security section. Turn on Fraudulent Website Warning. If you enter a URL to go to a website or click a link, Safari will check it against a list of known bad sites and if it is on the list, you are warned before the site is accessed. You can then choose not to go there.

Block All Cookies is a bit extreme and some websites will not work if you do this. However, it does increase privacy and security, so it is your choice. It can be a pain to use this setting but try it. Turn on the switch Prevent Cross-Site Tracking, which mostly prevents advertisers from tracking you across websites. Do you want websites to check whether you have Apple Pay or an Apple Card account? You might not want to reveal this information and there is a switch to block them.

Further down Safari settings, is Camera, Microphone and Location. Tap the app and turn them off. Websites rarely need this information. If you must have them enabled, at least select Ask so you can deny requests that you do not want.

When you visit a website that requires you to log in, the AutoFill feature will automatically enter the details. This is very convenient, but if someone gained access to your phone, they would be able to use this to access websites too. The feature can be turned off for extra security in Safari > Settings > Autofill. It makes it harder for others to access the websites you use, but it also makes it harder for you too. You’ll need to enter the details every time. It is your choice.

9 Update iOS

Security flaws in iOS are sometimes discovered and not long after, Apple releases an update to fix them. Downloading and installing updates promptly will increase the security of your iPhone or iPad. Go to Settings > General > Software Update to check for updates.

10 Change your passcode

Does someone else know the passcode to your iPhone? Your partner perhaps? Are you OK with that or would you rather they didn't have access to your phone? Go to Settings > Face ID & Passcode > Change Passcode. On that Change Passcode screen is a link - Passcode Options. Press it and there is an option to use a Custom Alphanumeric Code. This can be any length and can use any characters.

If you choose a very complex alphanumeric password, it makes the iPhone very secure and impossible to break into. However, you will find it harder to remember and harder to enter when you want to use your phone. There is Face ID of course, so you won't have to enter it very often.

Six-digit passcodes are the default, but there is an option for four digits. This is convenient because there is less typing and it is easier to remember, but there are fewer combinations, 9999, so it is less secure. Is it secure enough though? Probably, but play safe and stick with six.

11 Ignore links in emails and messages

Links in emails and text messages are used to infect the iPhone with malware, adware or spyware. They are also used to send you to fake websites that are used for phishing. They try to trick you into entering your username and password for your Apple ID and iTunes, online banking, eBay, PayPal, Amazon, credit card and so on. Do not press links. Ignore them.

Security sum up

Making your iPhone or iPad extra secure is possible, but there is a trade-off with convenience. Make the device more convenient to use and you must reduce the security. Make it very secure and it is less convenient to use. You must find the right balance of convenience and security. Many of the tips above do not significantly make the iPhone or iPad harder to use, but a few of them do. The choice is yours.