With iOS 8, Apple makes iOS even more secure ahead of smartphone security competition

“The iPhone 6 could be Apple’s most secure smartphone to date thanks to iOS 8’s new privacy upgrades,” Jay McGregor writes for Forbes. “The new OS has two new features in particular that show that Apple has responded to this new wave of enthusiasm for smartphone security.”

“The first is that location trackers won’t be able to duplicate data from anything running iOS 8. What that means is that when iOS 8 is looking for a Wi-Fi connection, it will randomise your MAC address (otherwise known as MAC spoofing), and effectively disguise any trace of the real device until it chooses to connect to a network,” McGregor writes. “Usually phones ping out the MAC address when looking for a connection and the signal is tracked by people and companies looking to pinpoint your exact location.”

“The second is cracking down on spammers and advertising in the App Store, as TechCrunch reported yesterday. Some developers are receiving rejection notices from Apple’s app review team because their software is excessively asking users to share its app on Facebook to receive in-game bonuses,” McGregor writes. “Why exactly is Apple taking this route? Competition is the simple answer. Privacy has been on the top of the tech agenda and dominated headlines since Snowden’s revelations last year and companies have been scrambling to prove their security credentials. We’re also seeing a new wave of smartphones hitting the shelves that are entirely geared, and built around, security.”

Read more in the full article here.

[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Arline M.” for the heads up.]

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