Suddenly seeing an Apple Security Alert on your iPhone can be frightening, especially if it says your Apple account has been hacked, your iPhone is infected with a virus, or your device will be locked if you don't take immediate action. In most cases, these alerts are completely fake. Below is detailed information about these fake alerts and how to remove them on your Apple iPhone.
What are fake Apple security alerts on iPhones?
A fake Apple security alert is a fraudulent pop-up or notification that falsely claims to be from Apple. It often appears in Safari or when you're browsing a random website and displays messages like:
- Your iPhone has been hacked!
- Apple Security Alert: Virus detected.
- Your Apple ID is locked.
- Call Apple Support immediately.
How to remove fake Apple security alerts on iPhone
Close Safari immediately
Do not press any buttons within the notification, including the Cancel button. Instead, open the multitasking manager on your iPhone and then swipe up on Safari to close it.
Delete Safari history and website data.
Clearing Safari data will remove stored website data, which is the cause of the persistent pop-up windows.
- How to delete browsing history on Safari
To delete website data in Safari , go to Settings, then select Safari, and then select Advanced. Next, tap on Website data .
Finally, simply click Delete all website data .
Delete spam calendar subscriptions.
If you're consistently receiving fake Apple security alerts disguised as calendar events, you need to unsubscribe from that Spam Calendar subscription.
- How to remove calendar viruses from iPhone
Disable Safari extensions from unknown sources.
Installing extensions from unknown sources in Safari is also a threat. To remove harmful extensions, go to Safari settings, then tap on Extensions .
Remove suspicious VPN and devices.
Although the likelihood of this happening is very low, some phishing websites have tricked users into installing configurations that could conflict with Safari or distribute unwanted content.
Go to General Settings, then tap Manage VPNs & Devices. If you see any profiles or VPNs that you don't recognize, delete them immediately.