Post by drcard on Oct 12, 2020 12:03:32 GMT -5
iPhone – Password Protected Documents
Overview:
All iPhones have a four-digit passcode or digital fingerprint (Touch ID) to open the phone and have access to all the contents in that phone. Thus, the basic security of your phone and all its contents is this passcode or digital fingerprint. This is sufficient security for your contacts and photos, but is it enough for documents that have account numbers, login IDs, passwords, social security number, or other data that could result in financial loss or identity theft if viewed by the wrong person? While cracking the passcode of a stolen phone is not an easy task, it’s not hard when the person that stole the phone has watched you put the passcode in before he/she stole it. If you have the phone serviced such as a new battery or screen, you have to give the technician your passcode for the technician to fix the phone. That passcode is entered in that company’s data base and a ripe fig for hackers. Thus, if you want to keep account numbers, login IDs, passwords, and other personal data on your phone for future need and quick reference when away from home; then, I strongly suggest you keep that data in a password protected document. Even if someone gets your phone and opens it, they must enter the password you created for that document in order to view that document. That limits your loss to the phone and not your identity. What follows are instructions of how to create a password protected document on the iPhone.
How to Create a Password Protected Document on the iPhone
The password protected document is created using the Notes app on the iPhone. One should learn the basics in using Notes so they can create a password protected document using Notes. Included in the following instructions of how to create a password protected document are basic instructions for using the Notes app, and assumes you have not used the Notes app.
From the home screens of the phone, press the Notes icon (a ruled notepad with an orange top) to open the Notes app.
The Notes app will open to the Folders page.
Folders Page – The Folders page list all the folders contained in the Notes app.
The default folder in the Notes app is named Notes and will be listed on the Folders page. It is perfectly OK to keep all your documents in this Notes folder, but you can create new folders that you name. This would allow you to organize your documents into folders by topic. If you don’t want to create or edit folders you can skip to Create a Document below.
To add a new folder, press the add folder icon (folder with a plus sign) in the lower left corner of the Folders page. This will cause a screen to popup for you to enter the name for this new folder. Press Save after entering the name to create the folder or Cancel to not create a new folder. You can even add folders inside another folder, as indicated below.
To Edit folders you created, press Edit in the upper right corner of the Folders page. You can edit only folders you have created. To the right of each folder you created, a Settings icon (three horizonal dots inside a circle) will appear and the Edit at the top will turn into Done. Press a folder’s Settings icon to display a dropdown list of options to take on that folder. The options are:
• Share Folder - allows you to add people that can have access to this folder via iCloud.
• Add Folder – adds folder which you name inside this folder.
• Move This Folder – allows you to move this folder.
• Rename – allows you to rename the folder.
• Delete – will delete this folder from Notes. Tip: Deleting a document or folder moves it to a Deleted items folder (which appears only when it has deleted items in it). You have to open this folder and delete the same items again to completely delete the document or folder from Notes. Once all the items in the Deleted items folder have been deleted, the folder will not be visible on the Folders page.
Chose an option by pressing that option with your finger. Press the X next to the folder’s name to exit Settings without having to make an option. Press Done to finish editing the Folders page.
Create a Document
Press the folder from the Folders page that you want to put the document into, and this will open the folder. This folder can be empty or already have documents or folders in it.
To create a new document, press the new document icon (notepad with pencil on it) in the lower right corner of the page. This will open the blank document with the keyboard below (looks like the text messaging page). Enter the name you want to display for this document (aka: its title) as the first text entered, followed by a blank line. The Notes app uses the first line of text as the name to display for the document… a title looks better than the actual first line of text. Enter the information you want to keep in this document (Tip: You can use the phone’s copy and paste functions to move data from another document to a Notes document). When you are finished entering your data you can press Done to exit and save the document. You can password protect a Notes document that has already been created and saved.
To password protect a Notes document, open the document. Press the Settings icon (three horizonal dots inside a circle) in the upper right corner to the left of Done. From the options that appear, select Lock. A screen will open allowing to use your Touch ID fingerprint or Enter Password to lock the document. Select Enter Password to enter a password. If this is your first time to use Notes’ lock function, it will ask you to confirm the password you entered. The Touch ID fingerprint will still open all locked Notes documents and a password is not needed, but the password allows another way to access the document when that Touch ID doesn’t work like it’s suppose to or if you change the Touch ID to a different fingerprint. This password you entered will be the password for all locked documents in Notes. If you create another document and wish to password protect (lock) it, you must use the same password. When you have locked (password protect) a document it will show ”Locked” by its name listed in that opened folder.
Using a Password Protected (Locked) Document
To open a Password Protected (Locked) Document, open Notes and open the folder that has the document you wish to open. “Locked” will appear next to the document’s title if it is locked. Press the document and a page will open stating “This note is locked”. Press “View note” under this statement to open the box requesting Touch ID or Enter Password to view the document. Use the Touch ID fingerprint by placing that finger on the home button or select Enter Password and enter the password you created for Notes documents. Opening a locked document in Notes will unlock all locked documents in Notes. Unlocked documents will remain unlocked until you lock them…locking one locks all. When finished with the document press the open lock icon at the top to Lock this and all the documents.
Notes app Password Management
If you desire to change the password used to unlock documents in the Notes app, you can do so in the settings for that app as follows:
• Press Settings from the home screen
• Scroll down the Settings page and select Notes
• Select Password from the Notes Settings page
• Note that you can turn off Touch ID opening of locked documents leaving the password as the only way to open locked documents.
• Press the Change Password to change the password. You must enter the current password in order to change the password.
• Below Change Password is Reset Password. Use this if you forget your password, but this new reset password will only work on new documents. Documents under the old password will not be accessible. Without the correct fingerprint or password there is no access to these locked documents.
Overview:
All iPhones have a four-digit passcode or digital fingerprint (Touch ID) to open the phone and have access to all the contents in that phone. Thus, the basic security of your phone and all its contents is this passcode or digital fingerprint. This is sufficient security for your contacts and photos, but is it enough for documents that have account numbers, login IDs, passwords, social security number, or other data that could result in financial loss or identity theft if viewed by the wrong person? While cracking the passcode of a stolen phone is not an easy task, it’s not hard when the person that stole the phone has watched you put the passcode in before he/she stole it. If you have the phone serviced such as a new battery or screen, you have to give the technician your passcode for the technician to fix the phone. That passcode is entered in that company’s data base and a ripe fig for hackers. Thus, if you want to keep account numbers, login IDs, passwords, and other personal data on your phone for future need and quick reference when away from home; then, I strongly suggest you keep that data in a password protected document. Even if someone gets your phone and opens it, they must enter the password you created for that document in order to view that document. That limits your loss to the phone and not your identity. What follows are instructions of how to create a password protected document on the iPhone.
How to Create a Password Protected Document on the iPhone
The password protected document is created using the Notes app on the iPhone. One should learn the basics in using Notes so they can create a password protected document using Notes. Included in the following instructions of how to create a password protected document are basic instructions for using the Notes app, and assumes you have not used the Notes app.
From the home screens of the phone, press the Notes icon (a ruled notepad with an orange top) to open the Notes app.
The Notes app will open to the Folders page.
Folders Page – The Folders page list all the folders contained in the Notes app.
The default folder in the Notes app is named Notes and will be listed on the Folders page. It is perfectly OK to keep all your documents in this Notes folder, but you can create new folders that you name. This would allow you to organize your documents into folders by topic. If you don’t want to create or edit folders you can skip to Create a Document below.
To add a new folder, press the add folder icon (folder with a plus sign) in the lower left corner of the Folders page. This will cause a screen to popup for you to enter the name for this new folder. Press Save after entering the name to create the folder or Cancel to not create a new folder. You can even add folders inside another folder, as indicated below.
To Edit folders you created, press Edit in the upper right corner of the Folders page. You can edit only folders you have created. To the right of each folder you created, a Settings icon (three horizonal dots inside a circle) will appear and the Edit at the top will turn into Done. Press a folder’s Settings icon to display a dropdown list of options to take on that folder. The options are:
• Share Folder - allows you to add people that can have access to this folder via iCloud.
• Add Folder – adds folder which you name inside this folder.
• Move This Folder – allows you to move this folder.
• Rename – allows you to rename the folder.
• Delete – will delete this folder from Notes. Tip: Deleting a document or folder moves it to a Deleted items folder (which appears only when it has deleted items in it). You have to open this folder and delete the same items again to completely delete the document or folder from Notes. Once all the items in the Deleted items folder have been deleted, the folder will not be visible on the Folders page.
Chose an option by pressing that option with your finger. Press the X next to the folder’s name to exit Settings without having to make an option. Press Done to finish editing the Folders page.
Create a Document
Press the folder from the Folders page that you want to put the document into, and this will open the folder. This folder can be empty or already have documents or folders in it.
To create a new document, press the new document icon (notepad with pencil on it) in the lower right corner of the page. This will open the blank document with the keyboard below (looks like the text messaging page). Enter the name you want to display for this document (aka: its title) as the first text entered, followed by a blank line. The Notes app uses the first line of text as the name to display for the document… a title looks better than the actual first line of text. Enter the information you want to keep in this document (Tip: You can use the phone’s copy and paste functions to move data from another document to a Notes document). When you are finished entering your data you can press Done to exit and save the document. You can password protect a Notes document that has already been created and saved.
To password protect a Notes document, open the document. Press the Settings icon (three horizonal dots inside a circle) in the upper right corner to the left of Done. From the options that appear, select Lock. A screen will open allowing to use your Touch ID fingerprint or Enter Password to lock the document. Select Enter Password to enter a password. If this is your first time to use Notes’ lock function, it will ask you to confirm the password you entered. The Touch ID fingerprint will still open all locked Notes documents and a password is not needed, but the password allows another way to access the document when that Touch ID doesn’t work like it’s suppose to or if you change the Touch ID to a different fingerprint. This password you entered will be the password for all locked documents in Notes. If you create another document and wish to password protect (lock) it, you must use the same password. When you have locked (password protect) a document it will show ”Locked” by its name listed in that opened folder.
Using a Password Protected (Locked) Document
To open a Password Protected (Locked) Document, open Notes and open the folder that has the document you wish to open. “Locked” will appear next to the document’s title if it is locked. Press the document and a page will open stating “This note is locked”. Press “View note” under this statement to open the box requesting Touch ID or Enter Password to view the document. Use the Touch ID fingerprint by placing that finger on the home button or select Enter Password and enter the password you created for Notes documents. Opening a locked document in Notes will unlock all locked documents in Notes. Unlocked documents will remain unlocked until you lock them…locking one locks all. When finished with the document press the open lock icon at the top to Lock this and all the documents.
Notes app Password Management
If you desire to change the password used to unlock documents in the Notes app, you can do so in the settings for that app as follows:
• Press Settings from the home screen
• Scroll down the Settings page and select Notes
• Select Password from the Notes Settings page
• Note that you can turn off Touch ID opening of locked documents leaving the password as the only way to open locked documents.
• Press the Change Password to change the password. You must enter the current password in order to change the password.
• Below Change Password is Reset Password. Use this if you forget your password, but this new reset password will only work on new documents. Documents under the old password will not be accessible. Without the correct fingerprint or password there is no access to these locked documents.