Read This First, Mark!
Because you, Alison, and Ruby all use iPhones, you are already mostly safe from traditional viruses. However, iPhones do not protect you from stolen passwords, snooping on hotel Wi-Fi, or companies secretly tracking your location.
Home vs. Away: When you are at home, your home Wi-Fi is like a private, locked house. But when you travel and connect to a Hotel or Airport Wi-Fi, it's like shouting your banking details in a crowded public square. Anyone can listen.
This guide requires zero tech skills. Just follow the steps one by one. You will only need to buy two things total for the whole family, costing around £55-£65 for the entire year.
Part 1: The Digital Vault (NordPass)
Stop using the same password for everything. This remembers them for you.
Why you need it: If a hacker guesses your one "go-to" password, they can unlock your bank, your email, and your Amazon account. NordPass gives every app a different, impossible-to-guess password. You only have to remember ONE "Master Password" to unlock the vault.
How to Install & Set Up
On your iPhone, open Safari and go to the NordPass website. Buy the Family Plan. This covers you, Alison, and Ruby so you all get your own private vaults.
Open the blue App Store icon on your iPhone. Search for "NordPass" and tap Get to download it.
Open NordPass and log in. It will ask you to create a Master Password. Make it a short sentence that is easy for you to remember, like "MyFirstCarWasABlueFord!".
CRITICAL: Write this down on a piece of paper and put it in a safe at home. If you forget it, nobody can get your passwords back.
Go to your iPhone's main Settings app. Scroll down and tap Passwords. Tap Password Options. Turn on AutoFill Passwords, and put a checkmark next to NordPass.
Inside your NordPass app, look for the "Family" section. Type in Alison and Ruby's email addresses. They will get an email telling them to download the app and create their own Master Passwords. (Make sure you do Step 4 on their phones too!)
How to Actually Use It Day-to-Day
Whenever you try to log into an app or website, your iPhone keyboard will pop up. Right above the keyboard, you will see a little button that says Passwords. Tap it. Your phone will scan your face (FaceID), unlock NordPass, and automatically type your password into the box for you. You never have to type a password again!
What about my old passwords?
You have two easy ways to get your current passwords into your new vault:
- The "Slow & Steady" Way (Recommended): Just use your phone normally! When you log into a website using your old Apple password, NordPass will pop up and ask, "Do you want me to save this?" Tap Yes. Over the next few weeks, all your important passwords will naturally move into your new vault.
- The "All At Once" Way: Open your NordPass app, tap the menu, and choose Import Passwords. The app will guide you step-by-step on how to copy every password your iPhone has ever saved right into the vault in about 60 seconds.
Part 2: The Invisibility Cloak (VPN)
The mandatory tool for Mark's hotel Wi-Fi and airport work.
Why you need it: A VPN (Virtual Private Network) puts a "tunnel" around your internet. If you use Hotel Wi-Fi, the hotel owner or a hacker sitting in the lobby can see everything you do. If you turn on the VPN, everything turns to gibberish to them.
How to Install & Set Up
On your iPhone, go to the Bitdefender website. Buy the Premium VPN 1-Year Plan (Usually covers up to 10 devices, which is plenty for all 3 of your phones).
Take Mark's, Alison's, and Ruby's iPhones. Open the App Store on each one. Search for Bitdefender VPN and tap Get.
Open the app on all three phones and log in using the email and password you just used to buy it. (It will ask for permission to "Add VPN Configurations." Tap Allow and let it scan your face or enter your phone passcode).
How to Actually Use It Day-to-Day
At Home: You do NOT need to use this at home. Your home Wi-Fi has a password, which means it is already a locked house.
At a Hotel / Coffee Shop: Sit down, connect to the hotel Wi-Fi. Then, immediately open the Bitdefender VPN app. You will see a giant circle button in the middle of the screen. Tap it. It will turn blue/green and say "Connected." You are now wearing the invisibility cloak. You can safely open your banking app or work emails.
Part 3: Stop the Secret Trackers
Stop your iPhones from recording everywhere you go.
Your iPhone keeps a secret diary of where you live, work, and sleep. Apps also track you so they can sell ads. You must do these three steps on Mark's, Alison's, and Ruby's phones.
The Phone Cleanup Checklist
- Open the grey Settings app on the iPhone.
- Scroll down and tap Privacy & Security.
- Tap Location Services at the very top.
- Scroll to the absolute bottom of the long list and tap System Services.
- Scroll down and tap Significant Locations. (It will scan your face).
- Tap Clear History at the bottom.
- Turn the switch at the very top to the OFF position.
- Go back to the main Settings screen.
- Tap Cellular (or Mobile Data).
- Tap Cellular Data Options.
- Look for Limit Precise Location and turn the switch ON (green). Note: If you don't see this, don't worry, just skip it. Not all phone carriers support it yet.
- Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services.
- Look at the list of all your apps. Tap on them one by one.
- For Shopping apps, Games, and Social Media (like Facebook), set them to Never.
- For Maps, Uber, or Weather, set them to While Using the App.
- Rule of thumb: Almost no app should ever be set to "Always".
Peace of Mind: Emergencies in Remote Areas
Will turning these tracking settings off stop the police or ambulance from finding me if I'm in trouble?
No, you are completely safe. If Mark is working in a remote area and dials 999 (or 911), the iPhone has a built-in "Emergency Override." It instantly ignores all the privacy rules we just set and beams your exact, pinpoint GPS coordinates directly to the emergency dispatchers.
Also, the police can always contact your mobile network (like EE, Vodafone, or O2) to find your phone using the physical cell towers in a true emergency, regardless of your iPhone settings. Your physical safety is never compromised by these digital privacy tweaks.
Part 4: The Double Lock (Two-Factor Authentication)
The absolute best way to stop a hacker, even if they know your password.
What is it? Two-Factor Authentication (often called 2FA) is like having a deadbolt on your front door in addition to the regular lock. If a hacker somehow steals your password (the regular lock), they still cannot get into your bank or email unless they also have your physical iPhone (the deadbolt).
How It Works
When you turn on 2FA for an account (like your bank, email, or Facebook), logging in becomes a two-step process:
- You type in your password (which NordPass does for you!).
- The website says, "Hold on, are you really Mark?" and asks for a temporary 6-digit code.
- You look at your iPhone to get that code, type it in, and you are allowed inside.
Because the hacker in another country does not have your physical iPhone in their hands, they cannot get the 6-digit code, and they are completely blocked.
Sometimes websites will text (SMS) you the 6-digit code. This is okay, but phone texts can occasionally be intercepted by clever hackers.
The absolute safest method is to use an Authenticator App (the most popular one is Google Authenticator, which is free in the App Store). When you open this app, it automatically generates a brand-new, unique 6-digit code every 30 seconds for your accounts. It does not even need Wi-Fi or a cell signal to work!
Your Action Plan: The next time your bank, email provider, or social media asks if you want to turn on "Two-Factor Authentication" or "2FA", say YES! It is the single most powerful thing you can do for your security.
Part 5: What about Viruses and PCs?
You might be wondering: "Why didn't we buy Antivirus software?"
Because Apple locks down iPhones so tightly that normal viruses cannot survive on them. The VPN and the Password vault are all you need for an iPhone. However, if you or Ruby ever buy a Windows PC, a Laptop, or a Macbook for school or work, the rules change completely. Computers catch viruses very easily.
If you buy a PC, you must buy these two things:
This is the heavy-duty software. You will open this on your computer screen to scan your files, block dangerous websites, and stop hackers from secretly turning on your computer's webcam.
When you install Total Security, it also automatically installs "Bitdefender Agent." You cannot open it, and it has no screen. It runs invisibly in the background, constantly talking to the cloud to make sure your main Armor has the latest anti-virus updates. Never uninstall the Agent, or your Armor stops working!
Part 6: Safe Browsing (DuckDuckGo)
Why your current web browser is actually the perfect choice.
I know you are already using the DuckDuckGo app to browse the internet instead of Safari or Google Chrome. Keep using it! It is the absolute best choice for keeping things simple and private on your iPhone.
Why DuckDuckGo is Great for You:
Automatic Tracker Blocking: When you read the news or look at a recipe online, there are usually dozens of invisible trackers trying to follow you. DuckDuckGo blocks them automatically without you having to change any settings.
No Search History: Unlike Google, DuckDuckGo does not build an advertising profile on you based on what you search for.
The "Fire" Button: At the bottom of the DuckDuckGo app, there is a literal button with a fire icon. If you tap it, it instantly "burns" (erases) all your open tabs and browsing history in one second. It is the easiest way to clean up your phone.
Yes! You don't need to use Safari or Google Chrome to use your new password vault. Because we connected NordPass directly to your iPhone's main settings in Part 1, it will seamlessly pop up and fill in your passwords right over the DuckDuckGo app automatically!