How to Lock Down Your iMessages So You Don’t Snitch on Yourself Like Albama’s (Former) Governer
Former Governor of Alabama, Robert Bentley, became the victim of his own text messages. The Governor, who tried his best to remove all the traces of his sordid affair with one of his staff members, could not really succeed and had to ultimately step down. Long series of events transpired from ‘incumbent’ to ‘former’. The impeachment hearings are already underway.
That’s a long story and to cut it short let’s just say his messages were compromised. Not that what he did was right (or wrong) for we stand in no judgement. But, the point we are trying to make here is that we must be very careful with our messages lest we are caught in the cobweb of unfortunate events leading to undesirable consequences. As they say – better be safe than sorry. So, if you don’t want your own iMessages snitching you out, here are some of the things you can keep in mind.
Know where all you are logged in
iMesssage is tied to your Apple ID and whichever device you log in with this ID, you can access iMessage from. That’s not a big problem if you keep a track of all devices you used to log in and never forget to log out when you have no use of that device. But, that’s more like an ideal situation. While majority of the times you would know and remember the devices you used your Apple ID on, sometimes you might simply forget. For instance, you just upgraded to the swanky iPhone 7s and decided to tuck the older iPhone 6 (or whichever iOS device you used) away in your closet. If that ‘discarded’ device isn’t password protected and someone with a wicked mind gains access to it, there could be some leaks.
So, again, know where all you are logged in. And you can do that by signing in on the Apple’s page https://appleid.apple.com/#!&page=signin with your Apple ID and Password.
You will be able to see the list of all the devices you are signed in to. If there is a gadget you don’t use anymore or don’t have access to, log out from it. Thankfully, this site lets you log out remotely.
Disable iMessage on the Secondary Devices
If, for any reason, you have to stay logged in with your Apple ID on a particular device you don’t use frequently, it would be a good idea to disable iMessage on it. This will ensure that the new iMessages do not pop on this device anymore. It is incredibly easy to disable iMessage. All you need to do is follow these steps:
- Open Settings app on the device
- Select Messages
- Disable iMessage by moving the toggle to the left (just tap on the toggle once)
If you are signed into a Mac computer, here is what you need to do:
- Open Messages menu
- Go to Preferences
- Select the Accounts tab
- Click ‘Sign Out’
- Click ‘Sign Out’ again on the pop-up message
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What if someone knows your password? They can enable iMessage again. You can prevent that easily by turning on the two factor authentication.
If you are using an iOS mobile device, such as iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch, follow these steps:
- Open Settings
- Go to iCloud
- Tap the Apple ID
- Select Password & Security
- Select ‘Turn on Two-Factor Authentication’
If you are using Mac, this is what you need to do:
- Click on the Apple Menu
- Select System Preferences
- Click iCloud
- Click Account Details
- Select Security
- Select ‘Turn on Two-Factor Authentication’
That’s it! You are safe now!
