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New Privacy Features in iOS 17
The all-new iOS 17 boasts an impressive array of privacy-centric features designed to make the iPhone even more secure. Its new arsenal of protective measures ensures user data remains safeguarded and away from prying eyes. They offer you the tools and measures to maintain more control over your data privacy.
Private Browsing in Safari
With the upgraded private browsing feature in Safari, users can now keep their browsing activity concealed. This helps in preserving confidentiality and preventing unwelcomed tracking of online activities. A great choice for those who value their web privacy.
Tracking URL Removal
This feature contributes to user's online safety by removing tracking URLs. By doing so, iOS 17 aims to protect users from being tracked, unknowingly, by certain websites they visit. A step towards ensuring an uninterrupted and secured browsing experience for all.
Shared Passwords
iOS 17 brings to the mix shared passwords, a feature that permits users to share their passwords securely with trusted contacts. Shared passwords get encrypted, which eliminates the need to verbally reveal them, enhancing security.
Passcode Resets
With the new option of passcode resets, iOS 17 users can reset their passcodes straight from their Apple devices. This helps in cases where they forget their passcodes because they’ll be able to reset them without needing a computer.
Passkeys
The feature of passkeys adds an additional layer of security in iOS 17. These are iCloud-powered and can serve as substitutes for physical keys. It’s a convenience and safety feature in one, further amping up Apple's security game.
Calendar and Photo Library Access
iOS 17 also offers enhancements in dealing with access to Calendar and Photos. Users can now fine-tune the extent to which apps have access to their photo library and calendars. It's a significant stride forward in maintaining control over apps’ access to personal data.
Limiting Photos App Access
One of the stand-out features in iOS 17 is the power it gives to users to control access to their photo libraries. Owing to Apple's emphasis on ensuring privacy, users can decide which of their photos app have access to, with the ability to vary access on an app-by-app basis. This level of control limits unnecessary exposure of personal photos and data embedded in the photos such as location information and captions.
Sharing Specific Photos While Keeping Others Private
With iOS 17, you can precisely control which photos are accessible by different apps. When you designate an app as having 'Limited Access', you are prompted to select the specific pictures you wish the app to access. For instance, you might want a photo editing app to only have access to the images you need to edit, while your social media apps can access your favorite pictures for sharing. This restricted access maximizes your privacy and security by exposing only the photos you choose.
Controlling App Access to the Photo Library
The feature to control app access to the photo library is available via the Settings panel. To adjust these settings, you can select the particular app within Settings, tap on 'Photos', and then decide between 'None', 'Limited Access', or 'Full Access'. This ensures that each app only accesses the part of your photo library that it needs to function, instead of having full run of your photos.
Removing Photo Information such as Location and Caption
iOS 17 also introduces the ability to strip photos of their associated data. So before sharing a photo, you have the option to remove location tags, any written captions, or other identifiable information right from the share sheet. This ensures your privacy is maintained even when sharing images on public platforms, as no personal data is inadvertently leaked with the photo.
Ways to Limit Photos Access
iOS 17 offers manifold ways to limit and control the degree of access apps have to your photo library. This capability for granular control ensures users maintain privacy without hampering the functionality of third-party apps.
Automatic Alerts About Apps with Photo Library Access
One of the valuable updates iOS 17 brings is automatic alerts. The operating system will periodically send notifications about the apps that currently have access to your photo library, giving you a chance to review and adjust these settings. This way, the user won’t forget which apps have been granted access and will regularly have the opportunity to re-evaluate if they still wish for the app to access their photos and videos.
Choosing Access Options when Installing New Apps
When you install a new app on your iOS 17 device, you will be asked to specify its level of privileges with respect to your photo library. This option will appear when the newly installed app seeks to access the Photos app for the first time. At this point, you can choose to grant 'Limited Access', 'Full Access', or 'Don’t Allow' permissions. Establishing these boundaries immediately upon installation gives users control over their images from the outset.
Manually Changing Settings to Restrict App Access to Photos
Even after an app has been given access to your iPhone's photo library, you can always change the level of access. To do so, visit Settings > choose the specific app > tap 'Photos'. Here, you can change the setting between 'None', 'Limited', or 'Full Access' at any time. Once the access is modified, the photos picker will appear whenever you're using the app, letting you select specific photos or albums. This flexibility permits changes in access restrictions to cater to your evolving requirements.
Four Types of Photo Library Access Levels
In iOS 17, users can choose from four distinct levels of photo library access to grant to their apps. This lets users take comprehensive control of their digital privacy, ensuring their photos and videos are accessed only by authorized apps and to a necessary degree.
Limited Access: Allowing Apps to See Only Selected Photos
'Limited Access' is an option where you can specify the exact photos and videos an app can see. You can alter this setting anytime by navigating to Settings > Privacy & Security > Photos. Selecting this option offers the flexibility of granting partial access, facilitating the functionality of the app without compromising on privacy.
Full Access: Allowing Apps to See All Photos and Videos
If an app requires access to all your photos and videos to function optimally, you can grant it 'Full Access'. Here, the app can view every picture and video housed in your iPhone's photo library. iOS 17 goes a step further by letting you know exactly how many photos and videos you are giving access to, for complete transparency.
Add Photos Only: Allowing Apps to Add Photos But Not View Them
iOS 17 also offers the 'Add Photos Only' access level. In this case, the app can add photos to your library but can't see them afterwards. This ensures that while the app can make additions to your photo library, your existing images and videos remain strictly private. Do note that this level of access isn't available for every app, as its applicability depends on specific app features.
None: Not Allowing Apps Any Access to the Photo Library
Finally, for maximum security, users can choose to give apps no access to their photo library by selecting 'None'. This choice prohibits any interaction with your photo library by the app, ensuring your images and videos remain completely untouched and private.
