Number seven might be a problem for us when we can't make eye contact.
Here is what I mean.
7.
Face ID fallacies
Newcomers often worry about Face ID’s security and reliability. Contrary
to common misconception, the TrueDepth camera system works in
pitch-black environments, letting you securely unlock your iPhone even
at night. Additionally, the biometric authentication feature doesn’t
work with photos of your face or when you’re not making eye contact with
it. As such, it’s very unlikely for someone holding your iPhone to
bypass Face ID without your knowledge or consent.
Face ID data is never sent to Apple or anyone else. It resides in a
physically isolated section of your iPhone’s processor called the Secure
Enclave and cannot be accessed by any application, only by the core iOS
system when a legitimate Face ID request is invoked.
On 12/21/2025 5:24 PM, VIPhone wrote:
12 popular iPhone myths you can flat out ignore
You shouldn’t believe baseless claims you randomly come across online.
By Mahmoud Itani
Contributor, Macworld December 19, 2025
I’m known as the Apple guy in my social circle. Friends and family
routinely ask for purchasing advice, and I often end up reviewing
their iPhones to see whether they’re missing useful apps, features, or
settings. In many cases, I find people misusing their devices or
disabling core functions due to unfounded worries.
You have probably heard at least one of these 12 misconceptions
before, and if you’re new to iOS or simply unsure how the platform
works, you might believe them. Let us give you a clearer understanding
of how your iPhone operates.
1.
App-closing assumptions
I frequently hear users—particularly recent switchers accustomed to
Android—complain about needing to close iPhone apps manually. Many
Android phones have long offered a button to close all active apps at
once, while iOS still requires you to swipe up on each app in the App
Switcher individually.
Apple intentionally doesn’t offer a Close All Apps button on iOS
because the system automatically puts inactive apps to sleep. They’re
not constantly running in the background—even when they’re listed
among other open apps in the App Switcher.
In fact, repeatedly force-closing and relaunching everyday apps can
actually drain your battery more, as initiating a fresh session
consumes more power than reviving a hibernating one. You should only
kill an app if it is misbehaving and requires a reset.
2.
Network-killing nonsense
During the smartphone’s early days, connectivity features like Wi-Fi,
Bluetooth, and GPS would consume significant power. For many users,
the norm was disabling their respective toggles when not actively
relying on apps that need them to minimize battery drain.
In modern phones, the relevant networking chips really use very little
power when idle. As such, iOS has removed the ability to completely
disable Wi-Fi and Bluetooth via the Control Center and instead
disconnects accessories when toggled.
You shouldn’t turn off Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS in the Settings app,
as essential features like Find My, Apple Watch sync, AirDrop,
Universal Clipboard, and other Continuity features rely on them. You
may want to stick to the Control Center toggles, as they disconnect
your peripherals without affecting the ecosystem’s underlying foundation.
Turning off Bluetooth or Wi-Fi when not in use simply won’t extend the
battery life of a modern iPhone a noticeable amount—it’s just placebo
effect and confirmation bias for those who think it does.
3.
Eavesdropping rumors
No, a certain social media app is not secretly accessing your
microphone and camera to deliver targeted ads. While developers are
coming up with innovative (and arguably unethical) ways to track
users’ online activity, directly listening to your real-life
conversations isn’t one of them.
Explore frequently asked questions
When an app accesses your microphone or camera, iOS displays a clear
orange (microphone) or green (camera) indicator dot up near the front
camera that developers cannot conceal. If you want to prevent an app
from ever accessing these sensors, you can also deny microphone and
camera permissions when prompted. It’s not possible for an app to
bypass these boundaries—assuming you haven’t tampered with the
operating system.
You can open Control Center (swipe down from the upper-right edge of
your display) and tap a little privacy indicator at the top of the
Control Center screen to see which apps are currently and have
recently accessed your camera, microphone, and location.
4.
Charging chatter
It’s widely believed that leaving your iPhone connected to a power
source overnight can overcharge and damage its battery—that’s not
entirely true. Your iPhone carefully manages its power draw as the
battery fills up to minimize excessive wear and damage. When the
battery hits 100%, it only draws a small trickle to stay full.
Furthermore, features like Optimized Battery Charging and Charge Limit
can optionally learn from your routines and prevent your iPhone from
fully charging every day—unless you want it to. You can safely leave
your iPhone on its charger all night long, especially after enabling
these settings.
5.
Dated OS delusions
Many users intentionally avoid updating to the latest iOS version,
thinking it’s going to slow down their iPhones or break features.
While a major OS release may potentially run slower on a five-year-old
iPhone, newer models tend to work just as fluidly after an update (and
often faster). In fact, you’re advised to download the latest iOS
build available, as it packs critical security patches—beyond the
user-facing additions. Keeping your iPhone on a dated operating system
version increases the risk of vulnerability exploitation.
This myth persists because, immediately following a big new software
update, your iPhone often performs a number of background tasks like
indexing files and analyzing photos to recognize objects and people in
them, all to make search and advanced features work properly. This can
take a day or two, and much of it happens when your iPhone is plugged
in and not in use, but the first few days after a big update can see
slightly slower performance or shorter battery life. This will go away
quickly.
6.
Display disinformation
The always-on display feature doesn’t just leave your screen on 24/7
and quickly drain your battery. The display drops to a dim 1Hz mode
that barely consumes any power. Plus, iOS automatically shuts it down
depending on certain factors, like your sleep routine and how you
typically use your iPhone. While disabling it will save a bit of
power, the impact is negligible—typically only a few percent per day.
7.
Face ID fallacies
Newcomers often worry about Face ID’s security and reliability.
Contrary to common misconception, the TrueDepth camera system works in
pitch-black environments, letting you securely unlock your iPhone even
at night. Additionally, the biometric authentication feature doesn’t
work with photos of your face or when you’re not making eye contact
with it. As such, it’s very unlikely for someone holding your iPhone
to bypass Face ID without your knowledge or consent.
Face ID data is never sent to Apple or anyone else. It resides in a
physically isolated section of your iPhone’s processor called the
Secure Enclave and cannot be accessed by any application, only by the
core iOS system when a legitimate Face ID request is invoked.
8.
Camera confusions
Customers on an annual iPhone upgrade cycle sometimes complain about
the lack of camera improvements in the latest model. Apple doesn’t
change every camera sensor every year. For example, the iPhone 17 Pro
revamped the selfie and telephoto cameras only. The wide and ultrawide
cameras, on the other hand, are pretty much identical to their
predecessors. So, unless you’re taking a selfie or a zoomed-in shot,
you won’t be noticing any major camera enhancements this year.
Most people get a new iPhone after 2-4 years, though. Those
incremental year-to-year improvements really add up, so if you’re
coming from an iPhone 14, the iPhone 17’s camera will be much improved.
9.
Resistance rumors
iPhones are, to an extent, very resistant to water and dust—but
they’re not actually waterproof. Depending on your model’s IP rating,
it will likely survive being submerged in water up to a specific depth
and for a limited period of time. As your iPhone ages, it may lose
some of its resistance and become more susceptible to water damage,
especially if it has some mild damage.
It’s best not to intentionally test the limits of its water
resistance, but you should be fine washing it off with soap and water,
for example, or accidentally dropping it in the sink.
10.
iMessage illusions
Some users turn off iMessage when they lose internet access, believing
it’s the only way to send SMS to their iPhone-using contacts. While
iMessage is the default for conversations between iOS users, you can
still bypass it whenever either party is offline or the service is
down. Just tap and hold the pending text, then select Send as Text
Message. This forces the message through your carrier instead of
Apple’s servers.
It’s pretty uncommon these days to have cellular SMS service but not
cellular internet access, but it can happen, especially if you’re
traveling somewhere remote or on a limited data plan.
11.
App Store absurdities
Many users complain about Apple randomly charging their bank cards,
despite them not making any recent App Store purchases. These are
typically recurring subscription fees that they’ve opted for at some
point in the past.
You can easily check all of your App Store spending—including
subscription services, paid app downloads, and in-app purchases—using
the Purchase History section of the App Store. Open the App Store, tap
your initials/icon in the upper right, then tap Subscriptions or
Purchase History.
Any unwanted subscriptions can be canceled from the Subscriptions
subsection found under your name in the Settings app.
12.
iTunes inaccuracies
Apple Music and Apple TV don’t require you to buy listed songs and
movies individually. While you can access your separate iTunes
purchases directly in the Music and TV apps, the company offers
unrelated subscription services similar to Spotify and Netflix. For
fixed monthly fees, you can listen to and watch any of the available
content on all of your compatible devices.
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Original Article at:
https://www.macworld.com/article/3014716/debunking-iphone-myths-12-widespread-misconceptions-you-should-ignore.html
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