David Sparks and Ernie Svenson recently did a 1hour webinar called Getting Started with the iPad: Key Settings, Security & Basic Tips. Among the many great suggestions they recommended is this one that helps you keep your iPad’s data away from prying eyes, or thieving hands.
Set a passcode to lock your screen after a few minutes. You can pick between 2, 5, 10, or 15 minutes. They both have their iPads set to 5 minutes of auto lock, which is enough time to foil a thief or snoop, but short enough to let you get back in quickly if you turn off the screen but then remembered you needed one more thing. To set the passcode go to SETTINGS > GENERAL > PASSCODE LOCK. Once you’ve enabled it, set the AUTO-LOCK to the desired number of minutes.
And if a 4 digit passcode isn’t secure enough for you, you can create longer passcode with text and numbers. Go to SETTINGS > GENERAL > PASSCODE LOCK, and click on the row that says “PASSCODE LOCK” (it may be on already, but click anyway). You’ll be prompted to enter the 4 digit code, and then you’ll have the opportunity to turn off SIMPLE PASSCODE. When you do you’ll be able to enter a complex password. This will make it more cumbersome to get into your iPad, but it will decrease the chances that a thief will hack into your iPad. It only takes a good hacker about 30 minutes to hack past a 4 digit passcode.
For more iPad and iPhone tips, visit our dedicated web page. Also David and Ernie’s ‘Getting Started’ webinar recording is available here. And if you’re interested in learning more about iPads in the practice of law, Ernie is doing a live CLE seminar on general tips and tricks (in New Orleans on March 29th at lunchtime), and he and David Sparks are doing another webinar (no CLE) in mid-April on document management on the iPad.