I have an iPhone that I really enjoy using. Its something that I wanted for a long time and saved up for. Smart phones today are becoming more and more of a necessity: Business, personal, keeping up with friends. There are so many uses for these handheld computers and we put so much trust in this little device, to lose it, or worse have it stolen, would make us freak out.
There are three settings that I enabled, that are really easy to set up, that without them, I have no hope, but with them I have some hope for: recovering a lost/stolen phone and/or recovering my data.
*This is mainly for iPhone users running iOS5
Too Long Didn't Read: Summary of what is to come
1) Find my iPhone- Get your phone back if it is lost or stolen
2) Passcode Lock- Keep others out of your personal information
3) iCloud- Recover your data/backups if anything happens to your device
Number One: Find my iPhone
In my mind, this is must have to protect your investment*. To provide any chance of recovering a stolen phone this must be turned on. In order to have this you have to have iCloud set up and if you are running iOS 5, it most likely is turned on. This will also allow you to have your phone make a sound if it is lost in your house!
It settings > iCloud > Find My iPhone > On
For a great free way of tracking any of your apple products down download the Find My iPhone App
*By the Way, in case you ever lose your phone or get it stolen and chose not to turn this on, your phone is not "only $200." You pay ATT/Verizon/Sprint that subsidized cost by signing up for a 2 year contract. The value of an iPhone starts at $649. You won't be able to get a new phone for less than that within two years (carriers can offer discounts to loyal customers prior to the full commitment has been reached in some situations)
Number Two: Turn on Passcode Lock
I strongly recommend enabling this feature because it will help keep your information safe. I have my Mint.com account, and bank/credit card apps on my iPhone and I would rather people not have the freedom to look at that. This is a security feature that can prevent others from accessing your phone right away and can potentially turn off a thief because they know it will be harder to manipulate your device.
Settings > General > Passcode Lock > Turn Passcode Lock On (1) > Enter in a unique 4 Digit Passcode > Reenter the same passcode.
Next time you press the sleep awake button you have to put in your passcode.
One thing that I enabled, that I have grown to enjoy is found in number 2) Require Passcode After __ Minutes. This is great for when I accidentally press the Sleep/Awake button or had just set it down and got another text message. Keeps me from having to constantly put in my 4 numbers. I think a minute is great for most. I use 5 because I tend to go back to my phone within that amount of time.
Number 3: iCloud
I have heard of some people saying they don't understand the cloud or what its purpose is. I have found this to be of extreme benefit for me. The purpose: To be able to access your backed up data from the internet (Wifi or 3G/LTE). Backing up your phone is a must and many people are disappointed when the worst of the worst happens: Lost/Stolen device, Water Damage, Freak accident and your logic board on your device crashes (that happened to me). "iCloud backs up your iOS device daily over Wi-Fi when it’s connected to a power source." Apple's Website. I believe there is no reason not to enable this.
For more information on all that it can do: Apple iCloud
I hope that you consider these setting adjustments because I want you to protect the investment that you have made.
