iOS 26.2.1 Security and Privacy Settings Guide

A comprehensive guide to configuring security and privacy settings on iOS 26.2.1 (the latest version as of January 29, 2026) to protect your personal data and secure your iPhone.

Table of Contents

1. What’s New in iOS 26
2. Device Authentication
3. Stolen Device Protection
4. App Privacy Controls
5. Location Services
6. Lock and Hide Apps
7. Safari Privacy Settings
8. Mail Privacy Protection
9. Passwords App
10. Advanced Data Protection for iCloud
11. Lockdown Mode
12. Communication Safety & Parental Controls
13. Safety Check
14. Find My iPhone
15. Advertising and Tracking Controls
16. Apple Intelligence Privacy
17. Wi-Fi Aware & Network Security
18. Wired Accessories Security
19. AirDrop Security (iOS 26.2)
20. Additional Security Recommendations

What’s New in iOS 26

iOS 26 (released September 15, 2025) represents Apple’s biggest security and privacy update in years. Apple jumped from iOS 18 to iOS 26 to align version numbers with the year across all operating systems.

Major Security & Privacy Additions in iOS 26

• Wi-Fi Aware – Secure peer-to-peer connections without internet access points
• Post-Quantum Cryptography – Hybrid key exchange protecting against future quantum computing threats
• Expanded Passkey Support – Automatic passkey creation and migration from passwords
• Advanced Tracking Protection for All Browsing – Anti-fingerprinting expanded beyond Private Browsing
• Wired Accessories Security – Explicit permission controls for USB-C/Lightning accessories
• Enhanced Parental Controls – Stronger child account management and content filtering
• Password Version History – Track changes to saved passwords over time
• Secure Password Export – FIDO Alliance standard for moving credentials between managers
• Liquid Glass Design – New translucent interface (including privacy-focused opacity controls)

iOS 26.2 Security Updates (December 2025)

• 26+ security vulnerabilities patched, including two actively exploited WebKit zero-days
• AirDrop security codes – One-time codes for sharing with unknown contacts
• Hidden Photos fix – Addressed vulnerability allowing unauthorized access
• FaceTime caller ID spoofing – Patched to prevent impersonation attacks
• iMessage privacy controls – Improved data handling

iOS 26.2.1 (January 26, 2026)

iOS 26.2.1 is a minor update focused on new hardware support and bug fixes.

New Features:

• AirTag (2nd Generation) support – Required for the new AirTag with:
  • Second-generation Ultra Wideband (UWB) chip for 50% longer Precision Finding range
  • Precision Finding on Apple Watch (Series 9+, Ultra 2+) for the first time
  • 50% louder speaker for easier locating and enhanced anti-stalking measures
  • Expanded Bluetooth range for better Find My network detection
  • Share Item Location with 36+ airlines for lost luggage recovery

Bug Fixes:

• Emergency calling fix for older mobile phones
• Unspecified stability improvements

Security Notes:

• No published CVE entries for iOS 26.2.1 itself
• Users on iOS 26-compatible devices should update to maintain security (older iOS versions only receive certificate updates)

Also Released:

• iOS 18.7.4, iOS 16.7.13, iOS 15.8.6, iOS 12.5.8 – Certificate updates for iMessage, FaceTime, and Apple account sign-in (valid until January 2027)

Critical: iOS 26.2.1 is required for AirTag (2nd Generation). Update via Settings > General > Software Update.

1. Device Authentication

Face ID / Touch ID Setup

Biometric authentication provides secure and convenient device access.

How to set up Face ID:

1. Open Settings
2. Tap Face ID & Passcode
3. Enter your passcode
4. Tap Set Up Face ID
5. Follow on-screen instructions to position your face
6. Move your head in a circle to complete the scan

Configure Face ID uses:

• iPhone Unlock
• iTunes & App Store purchases
• Apple Pay
• Password AutoFill
• Other Apps (toggle individually)

Strong Passcode Configuration

How to set a strong passcode:

1. Go to Settings > Face ID & Passcode
2. Tap Change Passcode
3. Tap Passcode Options
4. Select Custom Alphanumeric Code (8-12 random characters recommended)

Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)

How to enable 2FA:

1. Go to Settings > [Your Name] > Sign-In & Security
2. Tap Turn On Two-Factor Authentication
3. Tap Continue
4. Enter a trusted phone number
5. Verify with the code sent to your phone

Auto-Lock Settings

1. Go to Settings > Display & Brightness > Auto-Lock
2. Select a time interval (30 seconds to 5 minutes recommended)

2. Stolen Device Protection

Stolen Device Protection adds security when your iPhone is away from familiar locations.

Key Features

Biometric Authentication Required (no passcode fallback):

• Accessing passwords stored in iCloud Keychain
• Using saved payment methods in Safari
• Turning off Lost Mode
• Erasing all content and settings
• Viewing Apple Card virtual card number
• Opening locked and hidden apps

Security Delay (1-hour wait + second biometric scan):

• Changing Apple Account password
• Signing out of Apple Account
• Turning off Stolen Device Protection
• Changing Face ID or Touch ID settings
• Changing device passcode
• Resetting all settings
• Turning off Find My

How to Enable

1. Go to Settings > Face ID & Passcode
2. Enter your passcode
3. Scroll down and tap Stolen Device Protection
4. Toggle on

Configuration Options

• Away from Familiar Locations – Security features activate only when away from home/work
• Always – Security features are always active

Requirements

• iOS 17.3 or later (enhanced in iOS 26)
• Two-factor authentication enabled
• Face ID or Touch ID configured
• Device passcode set
• Find My enabled
• Significant Locations enabled

3. App Privacy Controls

App Tracking Transparency

How to configure:

1. Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Tracking
2. Toggle Allow Apps to Request to Track off to block all tracking
3. Or manage individual app permissions below

App Privacy Report

View detailed app data access:

1. Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > App Privacy Report
2. Toggle on App Privacy Report
3. Review 7-day history of sensor, camera, microphone, and network access

Clipboard Access Alerts

iOS 26 continues to notify you whenever apps access your clipboard, preventing silent data harvesting.

Review All Permissions

1. Go to Settings > Privacy & Security
2. Review each category: Location, Contacts, Photos, Microphone, Camera, etc.
3. Revoke unnecessary permissions

4. Location Services

Per-App Location Settings

For each app, choose:

• Never – No location access
• Ask Next Time Or When I Share – Prompts each time
• While Using the App – Access only when app is open
• Always – Background access (use sparingly)

Precise vs. Approximate Location

1. Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services
2. Select an app
3. Toggle Precise Location off for approximate area sharing

Significant Locations

1. Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > System Services
2. Tap Significant Locations
3. View, toggle off, or clear history

5. Lock and Hide Apps

How to Lock an App

1. Touch and hold the app icon on Home Screen
2. Tap Require Face ID (or Touch ID/Passcode)
3. Confirm your choice

How to Lock and Hide an App

1. Touch and hold the app icon
2. Select Hide and Require Face ID
3. App moves to Hidden folder in App Library

To access hidden apps:

1. Swipe left to App Library
2. Scroll to bottom, tap Hidden folder
3. Authenticate with Face ID/Touch ID

What Happens When Apps Are Locked

• No notification previews
• Hidden from Spotlight search
• Hidden from Siri suggestions
• Call history from locked apps is hidden

Integration with Stolen Device Protection

When Stolen Device Protection is enabled, locked apps can only be opened with Face ID/Touch ID—passcode fallback is disabled.

6. Safari Privacy Settings

Advanced Tracking and Fingerprinting Protection (NEW in iOS 26)

iOS 26 expands anti-fingerprinting protection to all browsing, not just Private Browsing:

1. Go to Settings > Apps > Safari > Advanced
2. Set Advanced Tracking and Fingerprinting Protection to All Browsing

This normalizes browser data to make your device look generic to tracking scripts, significantly reducing fingerprinting effectiveness.

Private Browsing with Face ID Lock

1. Go to Settings > Apps > Safari
2. Enable Require Face ID to Unlock Private Browsing

Hide IP Address

1. Go to Settings > Apps > Safari > Hide IP Address
2. Choose:
   • Trackers Only – Hides IP from known trackers
   • Trackers and Websites – Hides IP from all sites (requires iCloud+ Private Relay)

Intelligent Tracking Prevention

1. Go to Settings > Apps > Safari
2. Enable Prevent Cross-Site Tracking

Fraudulent Website Warning

1. Go to Settings > Apps > Safari
2. Enable Fraudulent Website Warning

Link Tracking Protection

iOS 26 automatically strips tracking parameters (UTMs) from URLs in Safari Private Browsing, Messages, and Mail.

7. Mail Privacy Protection

Features

• Hides your IP address from senders
• Prevents open tracking
• Blocks invisible tracking pixels

How to Enable

1. Go to Settings > Apps > Mail > Privacy Protection
2. Enable Protect Mail Activity

Or configure separately:

• Hide IP Address
• Block All Remote Content

8. Passwords App

iOS 26 significantly enhances the standalone Passwords app.

New Features in iOS 26

• Password Version History – View previous passwords for any account with timestamps
• Secure Export – FIDO Alliance standard for moving passwords, passkeys, and verification codes to other managers
• Automatic Passkey Upgrades – When you sign in with a password, system can create a passkey for next time
• Credential Management Endpoints – Prompts to upgrade passwords to passkeys
• Websites to Exclude – Manage sites where passwords shouldn’t be saved

How to Access

1. Open the Passwords app
2. Authenticate with Face ID/Touch ID

View Password History

1. Open Passwords
2. Select a saved login
3. Tap View History (appears when multiple versions exist)

Export Passwords Securely

1. Open Passwords
2. Tap Settings (gear icon)
3. Select Export Passwords
4. Choose destination app (uses encrypted FIDO Alliance format)

Security Alerts

The app warns about:

• Credentials in known data breaches
• Weak passwords
• Reused passwords

9. Advanced Data Protection for iCloud

End-to-end encryption for the majority of your iCloud data.

What It Protects (25 categories total)

• iCloud Backup (including Messages)
• iCloud Drive
• Photos
• Notes
• Reminders
• Safari Bookmarks
• Voice Memos
• Freeform boards
• And more…

Cannot be encrypted:

• iCloud Mail, Contacts, Calendars (due to interoperability requirements)

How to Enable

1. Go to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud
2. Tap Advanced Data Protection
3. Tap Turn On Advanced Data Protection
4. Set up recovery method first:
   • Recovery Contact – Trusted person to help regain access
   • Recovery Key – 28-character code to store securely

Important

• Apple cannot recover your data if you lose access
• All devices must run supported OS versions
• iCloud.com access is disabled by default

10. Lockdown Mode

Extreme protection for users who may be targeted by sophisticated attacks. This mode significantly restricts device functionality to reduce attack surfaces, but also provides robust defense against mercenary spyware.

Who Should Use It

• Journalists, activists, diplomats
• High-profile individuals
• Anyone targeted by mercenary spyware

What Lockdown Mode Does

• Messages: Most attachments blocked
• Web: Complex technologies disabled (JIT JavaScript)
• FaceTime: Incoming calls blocked from unknown contacts
• Photos: Location excluded from shared photos
• Device: Wired connections blocked when locked
• Wireless: 2G cellular disabled, won’t auto-join insecure Wi-Fi

How to Enable

1. Go to Settings > Privacy & Security
2. Scroll down and tap Lockdown Mode
3. Tap Turn On Lockdown Mode
4. Tap Turn On & Restart
5. Enter your passcode

11. Communication Safety & Parental Controls

Enhanced Parental Controls (iOS 26)

iOS 26 significantly strengthens parental controls:

• Child Accounts – Create or move kids into managed accounts easily
• Communication Controls – Decide who children can text/call
• Third-Party App Management – Control messaging in gaming and social apps
• Unknown Number Blocking – Block calls/messages from unknown numbers
• Age Limits – Set strict age limits for app downloads
• Explicit Content Detection – Blurs inappropriate content in shared albums and FaceTime

Communication Safety

Protects children from sensitive content in Messages:

1. Go to Settings > Screen Time
2. Tap Communication Safety
3. Toggle on Communication Safety

Sensitive Content Warning (Adults)

1. Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Sensitive Content Warning
2. Toggle on to blur sensitive images

12. Safety Check

Quickly review and reset access you’ve granted to others.

How to Access

1. Go to Settings > Privacy & Security
2. Tap Safety Check

Options

Manage Sharing & Access: Granular control over individual permissions

Emergency Reset: Immediately stops all sharing, resets permissions, signs out of iCloud on other devices

Quick Exit: Instantly returns to Home Screen (progress saved)

13. Find My iPhone

How to Enable

1. Go to Settings > [Your Name] > Find My
2. Tap Find My iPhone
3. Enable:
   • Find My iPhone
   • Find My Network (locate even when offline)
   • Send Last Location

Activation Lock for Parts (iOS 26)

iOS 26 extends Activation Lock to individual components (batteries, cameras, displays), making stolen parts unusable.

AirTag (2nd Generation) - iOS 26.2.1 Required

The new AirTag (released January 26, 2026) requires iOS 26.2.1 or later and includes significant security and tracking improvements:

Enhanced Finding Capabilities:

• 50% longer Precision Finding range via second-generation Ultra Wideband chip
• Precision Finding on Apple Watch – Works on Apple Watch Series 9+, Ultra 2+ (first time on wrist)
• Expanded Bluetooth range – Better detection by Find My network devices
• 50% louder speaker – Easier to locate and harder for stalkers to mask

Anti-Stalking Improvements:

• Louder alert sounds when separated from owner’s device
• Improved detection notifications on iPhones
• Same separation alert timing (approximately 8 hours)

Share Item Location:

• Securely share AirTag location with airlines for lost luggage
• 36 airlines supported at launch, 15+ more coming
• End-to-end encrypted sharing

How to Set Up AirTag (2nd Gen):

1. Ensure iOS 26.2.1 is installed
2. Bring AirTag near your iPhone
3. Tap Connect when prompted
4. Name your AirTag and assign an emoji
5. Register to your Apple ID

14. Advertising and Tracking Controls

Disable Advertising Identifier

1. Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Tracking
2. Toggle off Allow Apps to Request to Track

Disable Apple Personalized Ads

1. Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Apple Advertising
2. Toggle off Personalized Ads

Analytics & Improvements

1. Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Analytics & Improvements
2. Toggle off data sharing options

15. Apple Intelligence Privacy

On-Device Processing

Most Apple Intelligence features process data locally on your device.

Private Cloud Compute

For complex requests:

• Uses Apple’s Private Cloud Compute
• Data never stored on servers
• Cryptographically verified privacy

Control AI Learning

1. Go to Settings > Apple Intelligence & Siri
2. Scroll to Apps
3. Toggle off Learn from this App for sensitive apps

16. Wi-Fi Aware & Network Security (NEW in iOS 26)

Wi-Fi Aware

A new peer-to-peer networking framework allowing secure connections without access points:

• Direct encrypted links between devices
• Ideal for file transfers, gaming, media streaming
• No internet connection required
• Third-party apps can use this for secure local sharing

Post-Quantum Cryptography (iOS 26)

iOS 26 adds hybrid post-quantum key exchange to TLS connections:

• Pairs classic elliptic curve math with lattice-based schemes
• Protects current data against future quantum computing threats
• Works automatically with Apple’s networking frameworks

Captive Assist

When you connect to public Wi-Fi by filling out a form, iOS 26 can automatically share that form information with your other Apple devices, making it easier to connect securely.

17. Wired Accessories Security (NEW in iOS 26)

Enhanced USB-C/Lightning Port Security

iOS 26 gives you explicit control over what happens when accessories connect:

How to configure:

1. Go to Settings > Face ID & Passcode
2. Scroll to Accessories
3. Choose behavior:
   • Allow when unlocked (default)
   • Always ask
   • Never allow

Why This Matters

• Malicious cables can extract data while appearing to charge
• Compromised chargers in public places pose real risks
• You now get immediate notification when a cable tries to do more than charge
• Stops “juice jacking” attacks at airports, hotels, and other public charging stations

18. AirDrop Security (NEW in iOS 26.2)

One-Time AirDrop Codes

iOS 26.2 introduces secure codes for sharing with unknown contacts:

How it works:

1. When sharing with someone not in your contacts, generate a temporary code
2. The receiver displays the code on their device
3. Sender enters the code to complete transfer
4. Code is valid for 30 days for that contact

Tighter Proximity Detection

AirDrop now shows only devices within close physical proximity, reducing:

• Accidental transfers
• Unsolicited content (“AirDrop spam”)
• Faster peer-to-peer connections in crowded areas

19. Additional Security Recommendations

Lock Screen Security

Disable Control Center from lock screen:

1. Go to Settings > Face ID & Passcode
2. Under Allow Access When Locked, toggle off:
   • Control Center
   • Notification Center
   • USB Accessories

Automatic Software Updates

1. Go to Settings > General > Software Update
2. Tap Automatic Updates
3. Enable all options including Security Responses & System Files

Lock Screen Notifications

1. Go to Settings > Notifications > Show Previews
2. Select When Unlocked or Never

Liquid Glass Opacity (iOS 26)

For better readability and reduced glare:

1. Go to Settings > Display & Brightness > Liquid Glass
2. Choose Clear (sharper) or Tinted (softer, less glare)

Restart After Security Updates

After installing iOS 26.2 or any security update, restart your device. Some spyware lives only in volatile memory and is cleared by a reboot.

Erase Data After Failed Attempts

1. Go to Settings > Face ID & Passcode
2. Enable Erase Data (erases after 10 failed passcode attempts)

Quick Reference: Essential Settings Checklist

Conclusion

iOS 26.2 represents Apple’s most comprehensive security and privacy update to date. Key priorities:

1. Update to iOS 26.2 immediately – Patches actively exploited zero-day vulnerabilities
2. Enable lockdown mode – Prevents sophisticated spyware attacks
3. Enable Stolen Device Protection – Prevents thieves from accessing data even with your passcode
4. Turn on Advanced Data Protection – End-to-end encrypts your iCloud data
5. Enable Advanced Tracking Protection for All Browsing – Major anti-fingerprinting improvement
6. Configure Wired Accessories security – Protects against malicious charging cables
7. Use Passkeys – Let iOS 26 automatically upgrade your passwords to phishing-resistant passkeys
8. Restart after updates – Clears memory-resident threats

By configuring these settings, you significantly strengthen your privacy and security against both common and sophisticated threats.

Last updated: January 29, 2026 | Applies to iOS 26.2.1 Device requirements: iPhone 11 or later (A13 Bionic chip minimum) AirTag (2nd Generation) requires iOS 26.2.1