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My Experience with Apple
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<h1 id="my-experience-with-apple">My Experience with Apple</h1>
<p>Okay, we have some stuff to get into here</p>
<p><br />
</p>
<p>Let's start with a few things right off the bat</p>
<p>I have been an Android user all my life, I've never owned an iPhone
before early September 2023</p>
<p>I very much like the design of iPhones, from how the hardware is
(usually) designed, to how the home screen is designed, to how the icons
look, to the animations and their fluidity</p>
<p>To TL;DR that, I like how they look, always have</p>
<p><br />
</p>
<p>That's not to say that I don't have my issues with iOS, and Apple's
stuff in general</p>
<p>For starters, iOS is a closed-source operating system</p>
<p>One cannot simply look at the source code of it, make and contribute
changes, and if so desired, redistribute their own spin of it</p>
<p>Another point of contention I've always had with Apple's devices, and
one reason it took me so long to purchase an iPhone, is the cost</p>
<p>That's not to say that everything that isn't an iPhone is like half
the price of one, but compared to the price of something like a Google
Pixel 4a (which, by the way, something more privacy respecting like
GrapheneOS or CalyxOS can be put on), it's quite a bit more (and yes, I
am well aware of the iPhone SEs, which have roughly only been about
<code>$50</code> USD more than Google's [Pixel a] series phones)</p>
<p>Customization was another point of contention, however as my age
steadily increases, I find that I want to fiddle with things less
frequently, and like to have something that works for me and I don't
have to mess around with all the time</p>
<p>Anyways, that's enough griping for the time being, let's get into my
actual experiences with Apple's stuff</p>
<h2 id="i-got-an-iphone">I Got… an iPhone?!</h2>
<p>I purchased an iPhone XR off of someone I know for a very generous
<code>$100 USD</code> at the beginning of September this year (the going
rate at the time was around <code>$220 USD</code>), with the intended
purpose of using it as an appliance for it's better facial tracking via
the Face ID camera system compared to an Android camera or a stand alone
webcam for my VTubing activities (which I swear I will get back into at
some point!)</p>
<p>Since I had just acquired this device, and I had never really had the
chance to toy around with an iPhone before, I decided that I would try
using it for a bit, to see what the experience is like, and to see if
how I like having things setup would translate well onto an iPhone
(plus, I wanted to be able to test some things out, like XMPP clients
for iOS, so I can better recommend those types of things to people that
use an iPhone compared to an Android device)</p>
<h2 id="initial-fiddling-with-the-device">Initial Fiddling with the
Device</h2>
<p>First off, allow me to get this out of the way: If you primarily use
a Linux computer, and especially if you do not have a Windows or macOS
machine in your home, forget about plugging the iPhone into your PC and
doing anything with it</p>
<p>It can be done, somewhat, but trust me, save yourself the headache,
it ain't worth it in my opinion</p>
<p>The first real issue, for me, that I ran into with trying to setup
this iPhone like a daily driver was that the experience with trying to
use a KeePass database for password management is… less than
desirable</p>
<p>I ended up setting up Bitwarden and importing my KeePass database
into it (which was really easy, by the by), and quite frankly, the
experience of using Bitwarden on an iPhone, and even an Android device
for that matter, is pretty sweet</p>
<p>Bitwarden on a Linux PC, at least in my use, leaves a small bit to be
desired compared to using KeePassXC, primarily in the auto-typing
category (or seemingly lack-there-of), but overall I actually enjoy
using Bitwarden</p>
<h2 id="starting-to-use-an-iphone">Starting to Use an iPhone</h2>
<p>I decided that, since I wanted to try using my newly acquired iPhone
XR as a daily driver, I'd try using some of the conveniences that come
with it, that I have avoided their contemporaries on other devices</p>
<p>So, I setup Face ID unlocking, and might I just say, it works REALLY
nicely, and something I didn't know about, is that if you aren't looking
right at the device, even if your face is pointed at it, it will not
unlock the thing until you actually look at it, so that's a nice little
touch that I was unaware of</p>
<p>I also put some of my cards in Apple Wallet, because it had been AGES
since I last used tap-to-pay on a phone, due to using custom Android
ROMs for the past few years without any of the Google-y bits, and let me
just say, I missed tap-to-pay</p>
<p><br />
</p>
<p>Since I was unable to get my downloaded music collection onto the
iPhone via the means I had available and was willing to do, I decided to
give Apple Music a try, since I could get a one month free trial of
it</p>
<p>It's perfectly fine, no real qualms with it, aside from the usual “I
don't have any ownership of this music whatsoever and any given song,
album, or artist can be ripped right out from under me at any given
moment” stuff, but that's how I feel about all streaming platforms</p>
<p>I'd say I definitely prefer it to Spotify, because 1) it's more
privacy respecting in comparison, and 2) I'm still bitter at Spotify for
removing SCANDAL for a period of time, and they can go piss in a river
for all I care</p>
<h2 id="where-is-she-now">Where is She Now?</h2>
<p>Well… okay hear me out here</p>
<p>So I've now been using an iPhone as my primary mobile computing
device for just shy of two months, and quite frankly… I rather enjoy
it</p>
<p>I have just recently purchased a brand new (pink!) iPhone 15, along
with a brand new (also pink!) Apple Watch Series 9 (and a pink case and
watchband as well!)</p>
<p>I have honestly come to enjoy using an iPhone, and am finding real
value in what Apple has on offer, especially when one starts to possess
multiple Apple devices (in my case, an iPhone and an Apple Watch)</p>
<p>I am leaning more into the convenience side of them, most definitely,
and quite frankly I am finding actual joy in doing so and feel that it
is providing actual value for me</p>
<p>I am still maintaining using essential services outside of Apple's
ecosystem though, such as continuing to use Nextcloud for my contacts,
calendar, and cloud storage, and Bitwarden versus iCloud Keychain for my
passwords</p>
<p>Raivo, with any syncing turned off, has been my choice for a TOTP 2FA
app</p>
<p>The Dynamic Island on the iPhone 15 is actually pretty nice, nothing
groundbreaking, but what it does bring to the table is rather
pleasant</p>
<p><br />
</p>
<p>I also rather like the Apple Watch</p>
<p>The haptic feedback wen turning the crown feels nice, the ability to
easily find the phone that it's paired to if you misplace it is really
nice to have, the fact that I can use Apple Pay with it instead of
having to pull out my phone is really convenient, plus, and this is a
major one here folks, I can spy on the kitties in Neko Atsume with
it!</p>
<h2 id="are-you-done-yet">Are You Done Yet?</h2>
<p>Mostly <code>(#^-^#)\</code></p>
<p><br />
</p>
<p>Seriously though, I am finding that these things are bringing some
serious value to me, even with all of things about them that annoy
me</p>
<p>iOS isn't open-source; the only way to install apps without
“jailbreaking” is through the App Store, which requires you to have an
Apple ID, which I think asks for WAY too much personal information up
front; without a Windows or macOS computer, you can pretty much forget
about doing virtually anything that you'd be used to with an Android
device, and even then you still lose out in comparison in that field</p>
<p>However, those gripes of mine are almost certainly not going to
matter to most people, and to be frank, I'd sooner trust Apple with my
shit than Google, Amazon, or Facebook/Meta</p>
<p><br />
</p>
<p>Anyways, I like using an iPhone now, I like the Apple Watch, I enjoy
the conveniences they bring, I very well may end up sticking with
Apple's stuff long-term, these things are making me happy</p>
<p>Don't shame people for using things that aren't the most private or
secure, be practical when you are trying to help people with that type
of stuff</p>
<p>I hope you enjoyed reading this, apologies for everything being kinda
everywhere, I'll catch ya in the next one!</p>
<h3 id="software-recommendations-for-the-iphone">Software
Recommendations for the iPhone</h3>
<ul>
<li>Raivo (TOTP 2FA)</li>
<li>Bitwarden (password management)</li>
<li>Monal/Siskin IM (XMPP)</li>
<li>Firefox Focus (general web browsing)</li>
<li>Brave (for using YouTube with a lot of the features of having
YouTube Premium, without the downsides of having the actual app (TL;DR a
more privacy respecting way to use YouTube))</li>
<li>Neko Atsume: Kitty Collector (for seeing cute kitties!)</li>
</ul>
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Secure Apple ID Against iPhone Theft
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<h1 id="secure-apple-id-against-iphone-theft">Secure Apple ID Against
iPhone Theft</h1>
<p>After acquiring my first iPhone, I stumbled across a video on YouTube
by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) <a href="#sources">[1]</a> about how
thieves are steeling peoples iPhones and, with just the victim's
passcode, completely and permanently locking victims out of their Apple
account (also detailed in another video <a href="#sources">[2]</a> by
the WSJ)</p>
<p>Both videos <a href="#sources">[1]</a><a href="#sources">[2]</a>, as
well as a video by Techlore <a href="#sources">[3]</a> made (at least
seemingly) in response to the WSJ's reporting, provide some guidance on
what you can do to help protect yourself against something like his
happening</p>
<p>In this blog post of mine, I'm really just gonna be outlining in a
readable format, what was suggested by both the WSJ <a
href="#sources">[1]</a><a href="#sources">[2]</a> and Techlore <a
href="#sources">[3]</a> on what can be done to help protect against
something like this happening to you if your iPhone does get stolen</p>
<h2 id="use-a-privacy-screen-protector">Use a Privacy Screen
Protector</h2>
<p>This one's kind of a low hanging fruit, but something as simple as
using a privacy screen protector can help, simply because one won't be
able to see what is on your screen if viewing your device from the
side</p>
<p>I got myself <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CCYM3S2L/">this
one</a> off of Amazon, which seems to be a somewhat popular brand of
screen protectors for iPhone (they have both normal and privacy screen
protectors for iPhone form at least the XR up to the 15 series)</p>
<h2 id="use-longer-more-complex-passcodes">Use Longer, More Complex
Passcodes</h2>
<p>Using a complex passcode goes a long way, especially if it's an
alpha-numeric passcode (where both numbers and letters are used)</p>
<p>Something like <code>[111111]</code> or <code>[123456]</code> is
pretty easy to guess, but having a passcode like <code>[727873]</code>,
or even better, something like
<code>[I 4m 7h3 m057 1337 h4x0r 3v3r!]</code> will improve the security
of your device</p>
<p>And if typing out something like the alpha-numeric passcode I made up
above every time you want to unlock your phone seems like a gigantic
pain in the rear, you always have the option to</p>
<h2 id="use-biometric-unlock-options">Use Biometric Unlock Options</h2>
<p>Setting up either Face ID (on iPhone X and newer) or Touch ID (on
iPhone 5-8, and iPhone SE (up to at least Gen II)), in combination with
a strong passcode, will secure your device even further</p>
<p>With biometric unlocking, i.e. via Face ID, you won't need to enter
your passcode every time you want to unlock your device, so you won't be
inconvenienced by having a strong passcode, and the more you use it, the
less likely a potential thief will be able to discover your iPhone's
passcode</p>
<h2 id="create-a-recovery-key">Create a Recovery Key</h2>
<p>One of the things the aforementioned videos <a
href="#sources">[1]</a><a href="#sources">[2]</a> thieves do is they
create a recovery key for your Apple ID, which prevents you from using
other account recovery options, and Apple from being able to do anything
to help you per their own guidelines</p>
<p>So with that in mind, I STRONGLY recommend creating one yourself as
soon as possible, even without concern for this type of thing happening,
and storing it in someplace safe THAT IS NOT ON YOUR IPHONE</p>
<p>Plus, as explained in the Techlore video <a href="#sources">[3]</a>,
this is a required step for enabling iCloud Advance Data Protection
anyways, so if that's something that you have an interest in doing at
some point, you'll already be ahead of the game there</p>
<p>To do this:</p>
<ul>
<li>1: Open [Settings]</li>
<li>2: Tap on your Apple ID at the top of the Settings app</li>
<li>3: Tap [Sign-In &amp; Security]</li>
<li>4: Tap [Account Recovery]</li>
<li>5: Tap [Recovery Key]</li>
<li>6: Enable [Recovery Key]</li>
</ul>
<p>It will then display a recovery key, which you'll want to jot down,
as the next screen will have you input it</p>
<p>Remember to store it somewhere safe, and off of your iPhone, lest you
may be screwed in the future</p>
<p>Here's the link to
<a href="https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208072/" class="external_link" target="_blank">Apple's
support page</a> regarding setting up a recovery key, should you wish to
view it</p>
<h2
id="use-screen-time-to-prevent-changing-your-passcode-or-apple-id-password">Use
Screen Time to Prevent Changing Your Passcode or Apple ID Password</h2>
<p>As outlined in Techlore's video <a href="#sources">[3]</a>, and
mentioned in one of WSJ's videos about this attack <a
href="#sources">[2]</a>, you can make use of the Screen Time feature of
the iPhone to lockdown the ability to change the device's passcode, as
well as your Apple ID's password</p>
<p>To do this:</p>
<ul>
<li>1: Open [Settings]</li>
<li>2: Tap [Screen Time]</li>
<li>3: Tap [Content &amp; Privacy Restrictions]</li>
<li>4: Enable [Content &amp; Privacy Restrictions]</li>
<li>5: Tap [Passcode Changes]</li>
<li>6: Tap [Don't Allow]</li>
<li>7: Tap [&lt; Back]</li>
<li>8: Tap [Account Changes]</li>
<li>9: Tap [Don't Allow]</li>
<li>10: Go back to the [Screen Time] section</li>
<li>11: Tap [Change Screen Time Passcode]</li>
</ul>
<p>From there, it will have you set a four (4) digit passcode which will
be required to make any changes to anything under [Content &amp; Privacy
Restrictions]</p>
<p>When you are creating this passcode, be sure that you DO NOT MAKE IT
THE SAME OR SIMILAR TO YOUR DEVICE'S PASSCODE</p>
<h2 id="use-a-password-manager-other-than-icloud-keychain">Use a
Password Manager Other than iCloud Keychain</h2>
<p>First off, if you're using a password manager, congratulations!</p>
<p>However, if you're using one properly, and that one is the one built
into iCloud Keychain, then if you are locked out of your Apple ID,
you're kinda screwed</p>
<p>What I would suggest, as well as what Techlore suggested <a
href="#sources">[3]</a>, is to use a separate password manager</p>
<p>My personal recommendation would be
<a href="https://bitwarden.com/" class="external_link" target="_blank">Bitwarden</a></p>
<p>The Bitwarden app in iPhone can be used as your default autofill
service, and can be unlocked via biometric, so you won't have to type in
you (STRONG) master password every time you wish to access it</p>
<p>As a plus, if you have Face ID unlock for Bitwarden turned on, it
will mandate the vault's master password to unlock it if Face ID can't
unlock it (y'know, like, if someone steals your iPhone)</p>
<h2 id="wrapping-up">Wrapping Up</h2>
<p>That's about all I've got for this one folks</p>
<p>Some other things that were mentioned between the three videos <a
href="#sources">[1]</a><a href="#sources">[2]</a><a
href="#sources">[3]</a> were things like</p>
<ul>
<li>Using separate passcodes for sensitive apps (i.e. banking apps) when
able, that are different and unrelated to your device's</li>
<li>Not storing photos of sensitive documents (i.e. driver's license,
tax documents) on your mobile device</li>
<li>Not storing banking passwords a password manager (I do see this as a
major plus for overall security, however I personally find it to be too
big of a hit to convenience, so you do you on this one)</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="sources">Sources</h3>
<ol type="1">
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUYODQB_2wQ/" target="_blank" class="external_link">(YouTube)
Apple’s iPhone Passcode Problem: Thieves Can Ruin Your Entire Digital
Life in Minutes | WSJ</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlQFyVF8oW0/" target="_blank" class="external_link">(YouTube)
How to Prevent iPhone Thieves From Stealing Your Apple ID–And Your Money
| WSJ Tech News Briefing</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25wG173PL3U/" target="_blank" class="external_link">(YouTube)
Stop iPhone Data Thefts Now!</a></li>
</ol>
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