A viral TikTok has left iPhone users alarmed as they realise their iPhone’s may not be as private as they may think with sensitive information and private photos
People are realising their iPhone’s aren’t as private as they thought – as a scary hack could mean anyone could access your phone. If you are one of those people who scribble or black out information in screenshot images, you are still putting yourself at risk and a viral TikTok has revealed what’s really behind those “blacked out” edits.
The content is still retrievable according to @gadget_guy on TikTok, who reveaked that if you draw over text using the black highlight tool in the iPhone’s Photos edit mode, you can still see whats underneath. Tech specialists at Zextons, who are experts in iPhones, say this kind of mistake is more common than most realise.
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All someone needs to do is:
- Open the image in the Photos app
- Tap Edit
- Max out Exposure
- Max out Brilliance
And that’s it – it couldn’t be easier for information to be compromised. The Zexton experts say: “The iPhone editing tools don’t fully flatten highlight layers. That means simple edits like a single swipe of a dark pen can be reversed unless you take proper steps – or better, just crop the information out entirely.”
“We always advise users: if it’s sensitive, don’t trust markup. Screenshot editing isn’t secure. Cropping is safer. But in most cases, don’t send it at all.”
One TikTok user shared a similar post where she revealed just how easy it was to see the concealed information and has racked up 5.8 million views on the video with alarmed iPhone users. Omne person simply said: “This is dangerous,” a second chimed: “Bruh this is why I don’t trust anyone anymore.”
A third said: “No no that’s why you guys gotta crop the photo so the blacked out text isn’t in it!” Meanwhile another suggested: “If you want to protect yourselves from this use the the PEN all the way to the left NOT the highlighter or pencil. Make sure you’re one 100% opacity.”
It comes after a woman shared a ‘game-changer’ iPhone hack which allows you to find out the meaning of car dashboard symbols without having to look it up in the owner’s manual – and it couldn’t be more simple TikTok content creator @dnay1.10 recently shared the clever hack with her followers, showing how they don’t need to rely on anyone else for help when they have an issue with their car.
All you have to do is take a picture of the symbols. In the video, Dnay explained: “Did you know on your iPhone you can take a picture of […] your car dash if a light comes on and it will tell you exactly what it is?”
She then demonstrated how you should take a picture of your dashboard, go to your gallery and then click on the third symbol from the left, called the info button, which should appear with a star on it. However, when your iPhone recognises you’re taking a picture of a car, it might appear as a steering wheel.