Apple is looked to as one of the good guys in the fight for privacy. Many of the other big tech companies have business models that rely on tracking as much data as possible from as many of their users as possible.

This is mainly because Apple is a hardware company first. The company also makes the operating systems that run on the devices, but it makes the majority of its money from selling devices like the iPhone.

Read More: Why Apple’s CEO Can Be Outspoken on Privacy, But Facebook’s Cannot

Limit Ad Tracking on iPhone

Apple includes a feature that can help limit ad tracking. If this tool isn’t enabled, Apple uses information about your interests to serve ads from the App Store and in Apple News. It’s a simple step that can help minimize tracking.

To Access Limit Ad Tracking:

Go to Settings > Privacy > Advertising. From there you can switch the “Limit Ad Tracking” on.

While this feature isn’t a total protection from tracking, it’s still important that Apple gives users the option to disable tracking. If you take a few minutes to go through all the services you use, they may also offer similar options. The more you’re able to limit tracking, the better your internet experience will be.

Other Ways To Use iOS Devices Privately

Use Encrypted Messaging Services

iOS and macOS devices come with iMessage already installed. It’s a good alternative to standard SMS, but only works with other iOS and Mac users. There are plenty of options out there for anyone looking for more privacy in their digital communications.

Private Email – Email in its standard form isn’t the best for privacy. Even if your own email provider is perfect, you’re still relying on the receiving party to protect your communications. ProtonMail, Hushmail, and Mailfence are a few examples of email services that use encryption to keep your communications secure.

Encrypted Messaging – If you’re talking with other iPhone users, you’re probably already using iMessage. However, if you need to send text messages to someone without an iPhone, those messages aren’t encrypted. For those messages, you can use services like Signal and Telegram.

Read More: Private Email & Messaging Platforms for Confidential Communication

Use a VPN

VPNs let you connect to the internet without giving away details about your location and specific device. Rather than connecting directly from your network to the sites you visit, VPNs reroute your connection through other virtual networks.

Read More: 22 VPN Services to Protect Your Privacy

If you’re using an iOS device and have certain ways you’ve used to protect your privacy, we’d love to hear more about it!