{"id":242003,"date":"2026-05-23T16:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-23T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/23\/these-special-phone-and-app-features-can-help-protect-you-from-spyware-techcrunch\/"},"modified":"2026-05-23T16:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-05-23T16:00:00","slug":"these-special-phone-and-app-features-can-help-protect-you-from-spyware-techcrunch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/23\/these-special-phone-and-app-features-can-help-protect-you-from-spyware-techcrunch\/","title":{"rendered":"These special phone and app features can help protect you from spyware | TechCrunch"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Spyware attacks on journalists, human rights defenders, and political dissidents are no longer rare or exotic. In early 2025, WhatsApp notified roughly 90 users<\/a> \u2014 many of them journalists and civil society members across Europe \u2014 that they had been targeted by Israeli spyware company Paragon Solutions. Months later, Apple sent threat notifications to a new group of iOS users; forensic analysis confirmed two of them<\/a>, both journalists, had been hit with Paragon\u2019s Graphite spyware using a zero-click attack, meaning they didn\u2019t even have to tap a link to be compromised. These aren\u2019t isolated incidents. They\u2019re the norm.<\/p>\n

For the last 15 years, security researchers have documented countless cases where government hackers have targeted and successfully compromised journalists, human rights defenders, critics, and political opponents.\u00a0<\/p>\n

These attacks rely on expensive, sophisticated, and stealthy tools that allow their operators to hack into and install spyware on computers, but especially smartphones, which hold virtually all of the data about a person\u2019s daily life.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Spyware gives its operators virtually full access to the target\u2019s device and data. Government spies can record phone calls, steal chat messages, access photos, and switch on the device\u2019s camera and microphone to record ambient sound and record nearby conversations. Spyware also typically tracks a person\u2019s real-time location.<\/p>\n

In response to these attacks, tech giants now provide their users with better defenses. In particular, Apple, Google, and Meta offer opt-in features specifically designed to counter targeted spyware attacks.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Generally speaking, these features add extra protection, sometimes by turning off or limiting some regular features. It\u2019s a tradeoff, but having used these myself for a long time, I have never found them to be too onerous or annoying to use.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Tech companies, security researchers who have studied spyware for years, and we at TechCrunch, recommend that you use these features if you suspect you may be a target of government surveillance because of who you are or what you do. Even if you\u2019re not, these security features will keep your data better protected from entering the wrong hands.\u00a0<\/p>\n

No security measure is perfect, and it\u2019s a constant effort to keep security flaws at bay. Spyware makers find new ways to hack into phones and services, then software makers learn from those attacks and respond. Rinse and repeat.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But that doesn\u2019t mean these features are not worth using. On the contrary; these features have been proven effective.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThese features are free, easy to enable, and the best defense we have today against sophisticated spyware,\u201d said Runa Sandvik<\/a>, a security researcher who has worked to protect journalists and other at-risk communities for more than a decade. \u201cIf the features get in the way of something you need to do, you can easily turn them off again \u2014 meaning it costs very little to turn them on and try them out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a recap of these features, and how to switch them on.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Image Credits:<\/strong>TechCrunch \/ Screenshot \/<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Apple\u2019s Lockdown Mode<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Apple\u2019s Lockdown Mode is available on all Apple devices, including iPhones. Apple says that when Lockdown Mode<\/a> is enabled, \u201cyour device won\u2019t function like it typically does.\u201d In exchange for this inconvenience, your device will be more secure.\u00a0<\/p>\n

There is evidence that Lockdown Mode has helped in the past. Citizen Lab found that Lockdown Mode stopped one spyware attack<\/a> carried out with NSO Group\u2019s Pegasus software. As recently as March, Apple said it has never detected<\/a> a successful attack on an Apple device with Lockdown Mode enabled.<\/p>\n

This is what Lockdown Mode<\/a> changes on your device when you turn it on:<\/p>\n