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Give every phone a strong passcode and keep it private
A thief who takes your phone gets a locked phone, not your bank apps and passkeys.
Why it matters: Your phone now holds your passkeys, bank apps and soon your ID. A thief who watches you type a short passcode can unlock all of it.
Do it
- Set a passcode of at least six digits, or an alphanumeric one.
- Turn on Face ID, Touch ID or fingerprint unlock so you type the passcode less often in public.
- Set auto-lock to a minute or two.
- Shield the screen when you must type the passcode in a bar, train or crowd.
Say this: If someone can see my screen, I use my face or fingerprint instead of typing my passcode.
Check it worked: Every phone and tablet uses a passcode longer than four digits plus Face ID or fingerprint, locks itself within a minute or two, and nobody types the passcode where others can watch.
Simply put
Your passcode is now the key to the whole house: passkeys, bank apps and soon your ID sit behind it. A longer code plus Face ID or fingerprint means you type it less often where others can watch.
In detail
Modern phones encrypt everything behind the passcode, so its strength is the strength of the whole device. Shoulder-surfed passcodes are a known route to resetting the owner's cloud account after a theft.
If this is new to you: Worried you'll forget a longer passcode? With Face ID or fingerprint on, you'll only type it now and then, so a few extra digits are easy to get used to.
Points toward the Long View: a phone ready to hold your passkeys and your ID.