Your iPhone can have a complicated relationship with some of its settings. On the one hand, some of these settings are pure convenience: if you’re running out of battery power, for example, turning on Low Power Mode can save you from having to search around for a charger. On the other hand, rarely does a setting not come to collect for its convenience: in the case of Low Power Mode, your ability to use your phone as you normally would is somewhat limited.
Tech experts say these 14 iPhone settings should never be changed because doing so can “ruin” your phone. Better to be safe than sorry — here’s what they weigh in and say about the settings that should be on your radar.
Prevent Cross-Site Tracking
Keep one app from tracking your activity across other websites (because it’s creepy and unnecessary) by heading to Settings > Safari > make sure Prevent Cross-Site Tracking is enabled.
Protect Mail Activity
Emails can contain tracking information. Keep them from tracking you by going to Settings > Mail > Privacy Protecting > make sure Protect Mail Activity is turned on.
Security Responses & System Files
When Apple released a rapid security response, this means there is a significant vulnerability on your iPhone. Go to Settings > General > Software Update > Automatic Updates. Make sure Security Responses is on to help prevent your phone from getting hacked or experiencing data breaches.
Date & Time
Another setting in General settings — Date & Time — should never be turned off or your risk damaging your iPhone, according to experts. If the date on your iPhone doesn’t match up with the date on your security system, the website won’t load.
iMessage
If you haven’t noticed before, iMessages are in blue and text messages are in green. When you activate iMessage, Apple sets it up so that other iPhones only send you blue iMessages. If you have this setting disabled, those messages have nowhere to go. Go to Settings > Messages > enable iMessages.
SMS & MMS Messaging
Your iPhone sends regular texts when iMessage isn’t available. You want to have these settings enabled on your phone so that you can always send a message, but also so that you can correspond with people who have Androids.
Group Messaging
Another messaging setting — Group Messaging — make sure it’s turned on or you won’t be able to correspond with larger groups over texting.
Find My iPhone & Emergency SOS
These settings are super important to help keep your safe AND your phone safe, should you misplace it. Make sure these are enabled by going to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > System Services. Make sure Find My iPhone and Emergency SOS are both enabled (your phone won’t be covered by Apple if you don’t have the first setting enabled and happen to lose your phone).
iCloud Backup
Don’t risk losing all of your data if you ever lose your phone or smash it to bits. Go to Settings > tap on your name > iCloud > iCloud Backup and make sure this is enabled. This setting will help you get back up and running if you need to convert your data to another device.
Private Wi-Fi & Limit IP Address
Go to Settings > WiFi > tap on the blue eye — this is the information button. Make sure Private Wi-Fi and Limit IP Address are on. Private Wi-FI makes your phone look like a different piece of hardware on every different WiFi network by changing your Mac address, while Limit IP Address hides your IP address from known trackers such as Google Analytics. Needless to say, these are important settings to keep enabled.
Cellular Data
You’re going to want to keep Cellular Data on because your phone can stop working if you’ve lost a Wi-Fi connection and, unless this setting is enabled, you won’t have a back-up plan.
Go to Settings > Cellular > make sure Cellular is on. The only time you should turn off Cellular data is if you are traveling overseas.
Data Roaming
Tap on Cellular data options and look at Data Roaming — even though it isn’t a thing anymore if you have a new plan like Verizon, you should keep this setting on.
Emergency Alerts
The Emergency Alerts setting ensures you receive all public safety alerts, such as those that let you know there will be severe weather or flooding in your area. Go to Settings > Notifications > make sure Amber, Emergency, and Public safety alerts are all enabled.
Auto-Brightness
Turning off Auto-Brightness can affect your battery life. Go to Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size > turn on Auto-Brightness.
