A Houseguest Went Through Your Phone: What to Do Now
Someone staying at your place picked up your phone while you were out of the room. Maybe they saw you type your passcode, or the phone was unlocked. Here is what to check today and how to make it harder next time, all in iOS settings.
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What do I need to know?
- A passcode opens almost everything. Anyone who knows it can see Photos, Hidden and most apps.
- They may have left a way back in. Check Face ID and your Apple Account devices.
- Change the passcode first. Everything else depends on it.
What could they have seen?
If the phone was unlocked, they could open any app that has no lock of its own. That includes Photos, Messages, Mail and unlocked Notes. On iOS 16 and later the Hidden and Recently Deleted albums ask for Face ID by default. Someone with your passcode can still get past that.
You usually cannot tell exactly what they opened. Apple describes no log of which photos someone viewed. Our guide on telling if someone went through your iPhone lists the clues worth checking.
What should I check today?
- Change your passcode. Settings → Face ID & Passcode → Change Passcode. Apple's passcode page also covers a longer alphanumeric code.
- Reset Face ID. Someone could add a second appearance. Apple's Personal Safety guide says to tap Reset Face ID in the same menu, then set it up again.
- Check your devices. Settings → your name, then scroll down. Remove anything you do not recognise. Apple's device list page has the steps.
- Run Safety Check. Settings → Privacy & Security → Safety Check → Manage Sharing & Access. It shows who you share your location and other data with. Apple explains how Safety Check works.
- Look at Messages and Mail. Check for anything sent, forwarded or deleted that you did not do.
- Check Recently Deleted in Photos for anything moved there.
How do I stop it happening again?
- Keep the phone with you, or locked, while guests are over.
- Cover the screen when you type the passcode.
- Use Guided Access when someone asks to borrow it. It keeps the phone in one app. Apple's Guided Access page shows how to set it up.
- Move what you would hate anyone to see into something with its own lock.
Should I talk to them?
That depends on who it is and how safe you feel. If it was a one-off, a calm conversation may be enough. If someone is checking your phone to control you, the National Domestic Violence Hotline can help at thehotline.org.
What this doesn't protect against
Changing settings now does not undo what they already saw or copied. If they photographed your screen or sent themselves files, those copies are out of your hands. A vault cannot stop someone who watches you draw the pattern.
Do it with Cryptile
Cryptile vaults open with a pattern, not your phone passcode. A guest who knows the passcode still cannot open them. Auto-lock locks an open vault again for you. A second pattern can open a separate vault with harmless photos.
Cryptile is free for up to 2 vaults, 100 photos and 10 videos. Plus removes the limits for $19.99 a year (7-day free trial) or $39.99 once. The price is the same every day.
Cryptile Send, Files access and shared vaults are coming and are not available yet. Search inside the vault is part of Plus.