APPLE: “Family” security doesn’t work

Thursday, November 27, 2025

RECENTLY, my problems with “DOWNTIME” for  youth account have resumed.

It started with:

  • A real child id account with picture
  • A “ghost” child id account without picture
  • An adult id that was duplicated.

Turned on, the child’s account limits and those limits were applied to my iPhone.

Argh!

— more coming —  

In attempting to “fix” the problem(s):

  • Had to wipe the iPhone to get rid of the “account limits”.
  • The restore from iCloud backup never would complete and after three tries just wiped the iphone
  • Restarting basically from a blank slate, WALLET didn’t restore or recover my passport or credit cars. Argh!
  • Also, all the apps had to be reinstalled with lost “history”
  • Every setting seemed to need a reset. Argh!

— more coming —  

 

 

 

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TECHNOLOGY: eSims introduce a single point of failure

Thursday, April 17, 2025

https://www.androidauthority.com/esim-vs-physical-sim-experience-3539851/

I was ready to ditch physical SIMs forever — then my toddler threw my phone off a balcony

  • I was ready to declare physical SIM cards obsolete until disaster struck!

By Adamya Sharma

April 5, 2025

*** begin quote ***

Just before writing that wholly different article, my iPhone 15 Pro, on which my primary number was registered as an eSIM, met a dramatic end. While on holiday, my toddler decided my phone would look cool skydiving from a ninth-floor balcony. Spoiler Alert: It didn’t stick the landing. Not only did the iPhone’s screen shatter to pieces from one corner, but the grade 5 titanium frame literally tore from the antenna band. Not to mention the internal damage to other crucial components.

After mourning the loss and explaining to my child that phones aren’t actually meant to fly, I faced a new problem. I needed a new phone. And fast. Apple told me the phone can’t be fixed and will need to be replaced. Shedding tears of desperation, I swallowed the bitter pill and coughed up to buy the iPhone 16 Pro.

But here’s the catch. You can’t just pop into a store, grab a phone, and swap out the SIM anymore when you’re only using an eSIM. Sure, transferring an eSIM is usually as easy as scanning a QR code, but what happens when your old phone’s display is completely dead?

*** end quote ***

Never thought about this.  Clearly, there needs to be a backup solution for an eSim.

I’m waiting.

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SECURITY: Once again, a warning to “firewall” and “air gap” personal technology from your employer

Thursday, October 17, 2024

https://www.macrumors.com/2024/10/09/do-not-use-iphone-mirroring-corporate-mac/

Here’s Why You Shouldn’t Use iPhone Mirroring on a Corporate Mac

Wednesday October 9, 2024 4:31 am PDT by Tim Hardwick

*** begin quote ***

Apple’s new iPhone Mirroring feature in macOS Sequoia might seem like a convenient way to access your phone from your work computer, but security firm Sevco has uncovered a significant privacy risk that should make employees think twice before enabling this feature on company-owned Macs, at least for now.

*** and ***

When executed in a Terminal window that has been granted full disk access without setting up iPhone Mirroring, the command returns a normal list of macOS applications. But when executed in that same Terminal window after setting up iPhone Mirroring, it also returns personal iOS applications and metadata.

For employees, this means that apps they use privately could become visible to their employer’s IT department without their knowledge or consent. This could potentially reveal sensitive personal information, such as dating apps, health-related apps, or VPNs used in countries with restricted internet access.

*** end quote ***

Your employer, their network, and their tools should NEVER be used for your private purposes.  

The easiest way to ensure that separation is to maintain a strict “air gap” (i.e., strictly never connecting anything by wire, bluetooth, or network wifi to something “corporate”).  

If for no other reason than when your employer gets hit with a virus, ransomware, or some corporate security “tool”, then it would get your hardware in its grasp.

Argh!

Don’t forget that the employer can claim your hardware is suspect of having their data on it!

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IOS: IOS81 is a big “meh” to me

Thursday, September 19, 2024

<< from my Luddite friend >>
Sep 18, 2024, 6:11 PM (14 hours ago)

Wow, not sure if this is noise or a serious concern. I personally would not want anything to do with AI for starters.

https://www.yahoo.com/tech/apple-users-already-fed-ios-142908993.html?soc_src=social-sh&soc_trk=ma

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Thanks, I’ll check it out! 

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Checked out the article.  

Disagree with “cheating Android” dirty old men.  Android  has locking apps for a while.  Since I give Daniel my phone sometimes, I locked my bank, Amazon, Home Depot, Lowes, and Spirit Halloween apps.  He know to put stuff in the cart but not how to “buy now” ••• … yet.

I don’t see anything in iPhotos that is “terrible”, but neither Android or iPhone allow tags on photos.  That’s annoying and cumbersome.  Sigh!  

Nothing else to report on in this “news”.  No misspellings to give away that it’s AI written.

As far as AI is concerned, I don’t find any compelling use case for it.  So I give it a big “meh”.

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SURVIVAL:All first responders need to know who and what they are dealing with

Thursday, August 29, 2024

https://click.iphonelife.com/ga/webviews/4-3550952-5-12372-15621-162251-2t8e02054d

Get Help in an Emergency with a Medical ID on iPhone

While a medical alert bracelet or a medical ID card in your wallet may help in an emergency, there’s one more tool you can use to ensure you receive the prompt care you need—your iPhone! Even if you keep your iPhone locked with a passcode or Face ID, it’s still possible to have your Medical ID visible on your smartphone so that bystanders and emergency personnel can assist you in a medical emergency. Let’s get started learning how to set up the Medical ID on iPhone.

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Not every “survival” situation happens in Death Valley, on the ski slopes, or in a national park.  

BUT, wherever they occur, first responders need to know who and what they are dealing with.

I have this “medical id” set up on my iphone. Suggest you should too. And, recommend it to anyone you know.

During my time on the First Aid squad, there were many times when this would have save time and prevented confusion. Often, people couldn’t communicate key info and we were stuck. Just had to scoop ‘n’ dash and let the ER sort stuff out.

I think this feature, along with what3words location pinpointing app, are two of the things that EVERYONE should have on their phones. I’m sure Android has a similar feature.

FWIW YMMV faiwwypfi (Free Advice Is Worth What You Pay For It!)

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SURVIVAL: Some apps you should have on your phone.

Tuesday, November 9, 2021

https://theprepared.com/everyday-carry/reviews/mobile-apps/

Best survival apps for your phone
 UPDATED 4 WEEKS AGOBY GIDEON PARKER

*** begin quote ***

Your phone / mobile device is one of the few things you’re almost guaranteed to have nearby in an emergency. This list covers third-party apps worth downloading and lesser-known features built into Android and iOS phones.

*** and ***

  • Citizen (iOS, Android, free) is a crowdsourced incident alert system. If you or others see something such as a fire, police interaction, or terrorist attack, spread the word or even livestream video to notify other app users.

*** and ***

  • Signal (iOS, Android, free) is an all-in-one app for text, voice, and video. SMS text messages (ie. normal/classic texting) are terribly insecure, and most other apps like Telegram and WhatsApp aren’t much better. Signal is the trusted, encrypted king endorsed by security experts like Bruce Schneier and Edward Snowden.

*** end quote ***

And, of course, I recommend what3words to give you a very precise location description.

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TECHNOLOGY: Apple frustrates the “right to repair”

Monday, November 8, 2021

https://www.reviewgeek.com/102499/apple-prevents-iphone-13-screen-repairs-in-what-ifixit-calls-an-unprecedented-lockdown/\

Apple’s Attempt to Prevent iPhone 13 Repairs Hurts Customers and Professionals
ANDREW HEINZMAN NOV 5, 2021, 3:26 PM EDT 

*** begin quote ***

When our friends at iFixit did their first iPhone 13 teardown, they called the device “a new low” for repairability. Apple took unprecedented steps to prevent “unauthorized” iPhone 13 repairs—particularly screen replacements, which (by design) break the phone’s Face ID functionality.

Screen replacements are by far the most common phone repair procedure. They’re also fairly cheap and easy to perform, so as you can imagine, they’re the bread and butter of small repair shops. But unless Apple gives you permission to perform an iPhone 13 screen or battery swap, you will end up with broken features or a non-working phone.

And I’m not exaggerating when I say that you need Apple’s “permission” to repair the iPhone 13. Its components are serialized—meaning that parts like the display and Face ID camera can identify each other using unique serial numbers. To make one of these serialized components work with a donor part, an authorized Apple technician needs to sync each part with Apple’s cloud network and request approval from the corporation.

*** end quote ***

It seems apparent that Apple wants to control its “customers” like sheep to be shorn.

As much as I am a little L libertarian, we are stuck with the current system until “We, The Sheeple” stand up and say “NO!”.

‘I’M AS MAD AS HELL, AND I’M NOT GOING TO TAKE THIS ANYMORE!’ I want you to get up right now, sit up, go to your windows, open them and stick your head out and yell – ‘I’m as mad as hell and I’m not going to take this anymore!’ Things have got to change. But first, you’ve gotta get mad!… You’ve got to say, ‘I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore!’ Then we’ll figure out what to do about the depression and the inflation and the oil crisis. But first get up out of your chairs, open the window, stick your head out, and yell, and say it: [screaming at the top of his lungs] “I’M AS MAD AS HELL, AND I’M NOT GOING TO TAKE THIS ANYMORE!” — the character Howard Beale played by Peter Finch in the movie Network (1976)

So, I hope the anti-monopoly folks take notice of this.

—30—


TECHNOLOGY: iPhones slow down after a year

Wednesday, January 3, 2018

https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2017/12/20/16803190/iphone-slowdown-is-needed-but-also-a-problem

iPhones start slowing down after a year of use, and that’s way too soon
By Jacob Kastrenakes  Dec 20, 2017, 5:15pm EST

*** begin quote ***

But the big conspiracy has been that Apple intentionally slows down your phone every time a new one comes out, a subtle way of encouraging you to buy it. And now we know that it’s true on some level, even if you take Apple’s word and see this as about preservation and not a sales tactic, since the software update that comes out alongside every phone seems to be what introduces the throttling. Here’s how Apple puts it in its statement describing what’s going on: “Our goal is to deliver the best experience for customers, which includes overall performance and prolonging the life of their devices.”

*** end quote ***

And, this — planned obsolesence — why I am leaving the Apple family for Android and Chromebook.

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SOFTWARE: iMessage on the MAC OS X doesn’t report completely

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Found a confusing “use case” with iMessage on the MAC OS X:

Sent two texts this morning, one worked and one failed repeatedly.

Figured out why it was failing, duh.

I text from the mac because I like the full keyboard. I text X and Y every morning and night. (“I’m alive … still!”)

This morning X’s went through to her iPhone as usual, but Y’s didn’t.

Then I realized iMessage uses the iPhone to text Y with SMS. And my iPhone was out of power. And, the MAC version of iMessage just reports: “not sent”.

Which technically is true, but it should say something like “no response from your Iphone, dummy”. Argh!

Strike one for a poor design. Or is that “a feature”?

Argh!

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SORTWARE: IOS8 HEALTH is lame

Monday, September 29, 2014

The IOS8 upgrade carries a “HEALTH” app to the first screen.

(Even if I didn’t want it. At least “TIPS” went on the last page.)

It’s OBVIOUSLY a placeholder.

The select an emergency contact feature doesn’t work. 

And it does NOT have a provenance, versioning, or linkage to other “health” data sources.

Not Apple’s best work.

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SOFTWARE: FINDFRIENDS interesting application

Monday, May 20, 2013

Interesting use for it. 

My friend Pete’s in the hospital in Jacksonville FL.

I know where is phone is!

Laff.

I assume he still has it with him.

So, without bothering anyone, I know he’s still there.

Now if it could just tell me the altitude, I’d know if he’s still in ICU or moved to a regular room.

Laff!

Stalking to a new level.

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