We’ve all been there: you’re sitting in a coffee shop desperately trying to finish some work, but your 4G is just painfully slow. Thankfully, this store has public Wi-Fi, but you really don’t want to input your name and email on all your devices to connect them all one-by-one. Thankfully, Apple seemingly plans to make this easier with iOS 19
Mark Gurman reports in his Power On newsletter that iOS 19 could offer cross-device syncing for Wi-Fi access portals. This would mean that, rather than having to fill out your details every time on each device, the phone will let you connect just once and connect to the Wi-Fi on whichever Apple devices you have on you.
In theory, this is a great time saver. But it’s worth being aware of some of the threats that come from public Wi-Fi, and why you might not want to join so quick in order to keep your phone safe.
What’s the issue with public Wi-Fi?
When it comes to security, there are a couple of reasons to be wary of any public Wi-Fi. The first, and most obvious, is that they’re rarely encrypted. Anyone who is trying to read what you’re sending is going to have a much easier time of it if your data's being sent as plain text. Meanwhile, your cellular connection, meaning 4G or 5G, is encrypted, and therefore much harder to break into.
The other threat to be aware of is something called a “man-in-the-middle attack.” This is where someone poses their device as a legitimate server that acts as an intermediary for your phone and the Wi-Fi network. This allows them to read or change your data with you being none the wiser. Alternatively, sometimes they might use their device to create a new Wi-Fi hotspot with the same name as the public Wi-Fi, to which you then connect all your devices, giving them full access to do as they please.
Now, all of this can be pretty intimidating, and you may ask why you would ever use a public Wi-Fi at all. The issue is that in some circumstances, there really is no choice, for instance, if you’re in an area with little to no service, or you don’t want to pay for more mobile data, or use up your contract's limited allowance.
Thankfully, there are several things you can do to protect yourself from any potential attacks if you need to use a public network. Firstly, be wary of any public Wi-Fi that either has a generic name or no password. If you do connect, then avoid using banking apps on your phone while connected to a public Wi-Fi, or making any purchases on sites like Amazon. If you absolutely need to, then it’s best to check you have an HTTPS connection with the site in question, as these encrypt the connection between it and your device.
However, the best thing you can do is invest in one of the best VPNs to help protect your device. VPNs help to encrypt your data while also masking your IP address, making it harder for hackers to track.
While not specific to public Wi-Fi safety, it’s also imperative that you keep your iPhone up to date, as these include security patches to protect against newly identified threats.
What else is coming with iOS 19?
While this alleged iOS 19 addition might not be for everyone, and is hopefully one that we can turn off, it isn’t the only change reportedly coming. We expect that iOS 19 will include a wealth of new features, as well as Apple Intelligence improvements. For instance, the update could allow more apps to take advantage of AppIe Intelligence.
We’ve also heard that Apple plans to shake up the design of its software with the update. According to rumors, the update will include new looks for icons, menus, apps, windows and even buttons found in the operating system. There are also indications that the search bar on your iPhone could migrate from the top of the screen to the bottom in iOS 19. However, these rumors have been questioned by some sources, who claim that the mockups aren’t indicative of what we’ll see when the update is announced.
However, we won’t know much for sure until Apple unveils the update, which will likely happen at the next WWDC, which is taking place the week of June 9. If cross-device syncing for Wi-Fi access portals does appear as part of the update, and it seems likely considering the source, then hopefully you’re now prepared to be as safe as possible whenever you start using it.
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