Recently, Apple has included a feature in Notes that allows you to create a secure note or lock a note you’ve already created. Once a note is locked, this feature works just like unlocking your iPhone, using either a password or your fingerprint with Touch ID. Many people keep their medical, financial, or any other personal information in Notes, and can now lock those notes with sensitive information. You can even protect images or photos embedded in Notes.
Apple has made this feature easy to set up and use. The lock symbol next to notes in your list indicate which of your notes have already been locked. When setting up a note with this feature you will be prompted to set up a password hint. This is a worthwhile step, as Apple protects your locked notes with such powerful encryption, not even Apple would be able to unlock your notes if you forgot your password. It would be good to write this password down somewhere safe, or use a password manager as Connectech recommends.
Roger Fingas of AppleInsider, commented on this after this feature’s release in March this year, “It may not be immediately obvious how to go about doing this, but ultimately, the process is a simple one.” Rene Ritchie, iMore, shared this tip, “It’s important to remember that, while the body of the note will be hidden when locked, the title of the note will still be visible. (So you can find it later when you want to unlock it.) To make sure you don’t leak any information unintentionally, never put anything in the title you wouldn’t want anyone else to see.” Jason Cipriani, c/net, gives a helpful tip on this as well: “You cannot access any secured notes on non-iOS 9.3 or Mac OS X 10.11.4 devices. If you’d like to use Touch ID in addition to a password, leave the switch in the On position.” For more information, and step by step directions on how to set up this feature on your Mac, iPhone, or iPad, follow this link to Apple’s support article.
Connectech can assist you in securing an Apple Note, so contact us if you need our help.