It's another day, another warning, as iPhone users are being urged not to watch a series of viral videos that are spreading fears amidst claims we could be robbed of our financial data. It seems we can't do anything these days without putting ourselves at risk, and when it comes to smartphones, they're far too easy to hack.
When not worrying that even your iPhone chargers can be used to steal your data, how about leaving your virtual wallets unzipped for sticky fingers to get inside?
As reported by the Daily Dot, a series of TikTok videos are telling Apple Pay users to disable their AirDrop settings.
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Among those spreading the news are TikTok user @the_journey76, whose video racked up an impressive 1.1 million views. The video claims that anyone with AirDrop toggled on is at risk of a walk-by tap-attack where hackers can sweep their Apple Pay.
In the video, the OP claims bad actors can "walk past you now and from one iPhone to another using that AirDrop setting, they can get all of the cards in your wallet. In your Apple Wallet."
In the comments, most agreed it's almost impossible to steal data from someone's Apple Wallet, accusing the account of fear-mongering.
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Other creators like @vanessaromito13 are sharing similar videos, with claims they're spreading 'fake news' for views.
Apple Insider points to how @vanessaromito13 is telling you to turn off the 'search with other iPhones' feature, which doesn't actually exist in the first place. She might be talking about the 'Bringing Devices Together' feature or an iPhone's ability to receive an AirDrop from anyone - something that has to be enabled and turns off after 10 minutes.
As Apple Insider notes: "The fact of the matter is that AirDrop cannot be used to transfer your credit or debit card information to another user. Not only would that be a huge liability for Apple, but it wouldn't be a particularly useful feature in the first place."
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It wouldn't make sense for you to be able to give your financials to another iPhone user in this way, and typically, you'd transfer money through an app like Venmo. Even then, Apple has built-in pay features like Tap to Pay.
Although it's unclear where this rumor started, it could have to do with iOS 17 letting you share contact information through NameDrop. Couple this with October's iOS 18.1 update that can grant remote access to your Apple device via FaceTime, it seems the rumor mill has gone into overdrive that a 'new' update has security concerns.
Even if someone could get into your Apple Wallet, the fact that numbers are obscured means there's not a lot they can do. Still, we're warned against other scams, like scammers adding extra charges onto Tap to Pay and hoping you won't notice. We're also told to look out for increasingly popular 'quishing' scams involving QR codes, but on the whole, your Apple Wallet should be pretty secure.
As for TikTok's viral videos, don't believe everything you watch online.