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Go through these points if you have reason to believe your iPhone or iPad has been hacked or compromised, or that someone else is using it.

Even though there have been reports of malicious apps making their way to the App Store and users being tricked into installing harmful profiles, all things considered, iOS is still one of the most secure software platforms that’s resilient to traditional viruses and malware.

That said, if you go through your Screen Time usage and notice abnormal activity, or if you see changes to one or more apps, the Home Screen, etc., that you don’t recall making, here’s what you should be aware of.

Are your app accounts logged in on other devices?

A few years back, I read a story on social media about someone who logged into their partner’s WhatsApp account in a web browser and monitored the chats.

Many apps across categories allow you to use them on multiple devices and locations. For example, you can use the same WhatsApp account on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, Windows PC, and even an Android phone. So, if you see new texts or find that a chat has been deleted, it could be that someone else with access to your devices, like a family member, did it.

In most apps and services, you can go to the account page and see all the locations where you are logged in. If you don’t recognize a device, log out remotely.

Are devices linked to your account used by family members?

Let’s say you see a new app on your iPhone Home Screen that you are sure you never downloaded. Instead of thinking your device is compromised, chances are your child downloaded it on the family iPad that uses your Apple Account, and you have “Automatic App Downloads” enabled in Settings, which resulted in the new app also getting installed on your iPhone.

If you notice anything unusual, first ask a family member before becoming overly concerned.

Are you seeing changes in shared items?

Just for your refresher, if you notice something different in a note, document, playlist, iCloud Drive folder, Apple Passwords app, or such, take a minute to check if that item is shared with family, friends, or office colleagues. If so, they could be the ones who made the change; don’t worry about your iPhone or app being compromised.

If you recently sold or lost a device

Did you recently sell, gift, or lose an iPhone, iPad, or Mac, especially one that was not password-protected? If that’s the case, you could be in serious trouble, as the thief may be the one making changes to your data saved in your cloud accounts, which also reflect on your current device.

We have an important guide that tells you about 15 things to do before selling or giving away your iPhone, iPad, or Mac. Since the device is not with you, use iCloud to erase it remotely. Then, change your Apple Account password.

Learn about the built-in remote access feature

FaceTime has a useful option that lets one of the participants take remote control over the other person’s device and make changes to it.

If your elderly parents, grandparent, or kids complain of issues with their device, ask them if someone (likely a scammer) tricked them into sharing their device screen and gaining remote control of their iPhone.

On computers, scammers mainly use software like AnyDesk to trick victims into granting long-distance access to their devices.

Is someone accessing your iPhone through iPhone Mirroring

Imagine a situation: your iPhone is on your bedside table, and a family member is using your Mac nearby. In this case, they can use iPhone Mirroring on your computer to do pretty much anything on your iPhone without touching it. Your iPhone won’t even alert you or light up, leaving you in the dark.

To address this concern:

• Add new user accounts to your Mac and never let anyone use your main admin account.
• Set iPhone Mirroring to authenticate with the iPhone passcode every time. But remember that this can quickly get annoying for you as well if you use this feature.

It could be accidental touches or a faulty screen

If you detect that apps open or close automatically, or you notice unwanted touches, it could be because of one of these reasons:

• Your iPhone screen is faulty.
• The screen digitizer is malfunctioning, causing missed or ghost touches.
• The case you are using is pressing the screen at weird places. Remove it.
• The screen protector is not applied properly.

Get your device inspected at an Apple Store to fix such problems.

Profiles and viruses

Lastly, as secure and restrictive as iOS is, we can’t fully rule out someone gaining access to your device via compromised profiles or targeted malware. If you’re concerned about these, there are a few steps you can take, and we have mentioned them under the next heading.

Some steps you can take to stay safe

• Start by restarting your iPhone or iPad.
• Update to the latest version of iOS.
• Delete any unnecessary or sketchy apps and profiles (Settings > General > VPN & Device Management).
• Don’t tap on fake pop-ups that may appear when you’re in Safari.
• Don’t tap links or attachments from sketchy senders in Messages, Mail, or chat apps.
• Reset all device settings.
• Factory reset your iPhone and set it up again.
• Change your Apple Account password. Also, review these tips to secure your Apple and iCloud accounts.
• Review your list of trusted devices and phone numbers, and remove any you no longer have.
• Disassociate old, unused devices from your Apple Account.
• Once you have set up the device, consider enabling these 5 additional safety features that are turned off by default. If you’re a high-profile person and think you could be targeted specifically by someone, Lockdown Mode might be for you.

What changes did you notice on your iPhone or iPad that made you think your device is hacked or someone else is using it?

Source link: https://www.idownloadblog.com/2026/02/16/block-remote-iphone-access/

In this guide, we’ll go over what options you have if you want to set limits and restrictions for apps and media content on your adult son or adult daughter’s iPhone or iPad.

For starters, the built-in Screen Time feature in iOS, iPadOS, and macOS allows parents and guardians to set parental restrictions for their child’s device.

A parent can set daily app usage limits, define downtime (a period when no apps are available for use except a few critical communications services like Phone and Maps), enable communication limits (i.e., who their child can call and text), set up restrictions around what websites the kid can visit, block explicit movies, music, books, TV shows, and a lot more.

All a parent needs to do is add their child’s Apple Account to their Family group, and then they can set up and edit the restrictions and monitor the kid’s usage conveniently from their own iPhone, iPad, or Mac by going to Settings > Screen Time > child’s name under the Family heading.

All this sounds great, and it really is.

Now, back to the main topic of this article.

In the eyes of a father or mother, their sons and daughters always remain a ‘child,’ but when it comes to Apple’s digital family setup, once the person turns 18+ (or they are already 18+ and you add them to your Family Sharing), all Screen Time tools to manage restrictions for them go away.

An 18+ individual is considered an adult and is free to set up Screen Time restrictions as they like. You (i.e., parent or guardian) cannot manage their Screen Time from your iPhone, iPad, or Mac, even if they are a part of your Apple Family group.

In fact, there isn’t even an option for an 18+ individual to consent to be managed by their parents.

So, to sum up, you cannot manage restrictions or put any limit on iPhone, iPad, and Mac where your adult/major son or daughter’s Apple Account is logged in.

This leaves you with just three options

1) The best and recommended option: Talk to them upfront, explain everything, and then take their phone or ask them to set up Screen Time restrictions in front of you.

2) The dishonorable option: If you know their device passcode, you can go behind their back and set up Screen Time restrictions without them knowing about it. When setting up the Screen Time passcode, keep these tips in mind so they cannot reset the passcode and turn off the restrictions (the only way they can reset the Screen Time passcode now will be to erase the device, which is a huge step, and something not everyone will be willing to do).

3) The sneaky option: Apple wants all users to use the correct birthday, so everything is tailored appropriately for them. But if you like, you can change the date of birth of your son or daughter’s Apple Account so they stay under 18. This way, you should be able to manage parental restrictions for them for a bit longer (but note that you may have to wait a while for the changes to take effect, or remove and re-add them to your Apple Family group if they continue to show as an ‘adult’ in your Family settings).

Aside from the three options above, there isn’t much you can do to set up and manage parental restrictions on an iPhone, iPad, or Mac belonging to a family member who’s over 18.

In our opinion, the best and only logical route is to talk to them and explain the good and the bad.

Also, check out: 20 simple yet effective tips to reduce your iPhone usage

Source link: https://www.idownloadblog.com/2026/02/13/restrictions-for-adult-family-members/