The iPhone privacy setting you need to turn off

Your iPhone is a powerful device that can store and share your personal information, photos, videos and more. 

But did you know that it can also share things with others nearby that you may not want them to see?

Apple’s new Journal app, which helps you reflect on your everyday moments and special events, uses on-device machine learning to create personalized suggestions for your journal entries. 

However, some of these suggestions may include sensitive or private data that you would rather keep to yourself.

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The Journal app on an iPhone (Apple)

Why should you care?

Imagine this: every photo you take, every note you jot down, potentially being accessible to someone nearby with an iPhone. Intriguing? Perhaps. Concerning? Definitely. The Journal app can share things that you may want to keep private with others nearby. 

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It’s a feature intended to enhance user experience by suggesting content based on location and activity data, but it may overshare your personal information. So, how do you change the privacy settings of the Journal app and turn off the features that may expose your information to others? Follow along with me, and I’ll show you how to stop it.

The Journal app (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)

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How to safeguard your privacy on your iPhone

Let’s walk through the steps to ensure your Journal entries and photos remain for your eyes only.

• First, swipe down at the top of your phone and type Settings.
• Tap Settings and then scroll down until you find Privacy and Security and tap it.
• Scroll down again until you get to Journaling Suggestions and click on it.
• Then switch off Discoverable by others.

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Steps to safeguard your privacy on iPhone (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)

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What does this mean for you?

When you turn off “discoverable by others,” you prevent the journal app from sending your location and activity data to other iPhone users who are near you. This means that they won’t see your journal entries or photos as suggestions on their app. It also means that you won’t see theirs. This can help you protect your privacy and avoid unwanted sharing of your personal information.

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Turn off Discoverable by Others on iPhone (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)

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Kurt’s key takeaways

Your iPhone can store and share your data, but it can also reveal it to others nearby. Apple’s Journal app uses machine learning to suggest journal entries, but some may be private or sensitive. To protect your privacy, change the Journal app settings and turn off the features that may show your data to others. Your iPhone and your data are yours. Don’t let others see what you don’t want them to see.

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How do you feel about the Journal app’s feature that shares your data with nearby iPhone users? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact.

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