Using your face or fingerprint to unlock your phone can be more convenient, but using a passcode can be key to keeping your phone safe.

Beth Skwarecki is Lifehacker’s Senior Health Editor, and holds certifications as a personal trainer and weightlifting coach. She has been writing about health for over 10 years. August 13, 2025 Add as ...

An iPhone passcode is a security feature in the form of a four-digit number or longer code, used to protect your device from unauthorized access. But what happens when you lose or forget this passcode ...

The iPhone offers strong end-to-end encryption for all your data, and that's a great feature to have on the most important computer in your life. But that encryption is only as good as the PIN or ...

Having an unlocked iPhone–without so much as a four-digit barrier between you and some subway snatcher–is asking for trouble. Four-digit passcodes or PINs were the only way to secure the earliest ...

Apple believes that needing both the iPhone and its passcode makes it harder for thieves to steal users' information, but having both stolen is common enough, that you need to know how to protect ...