Old iPhones Receive Patch
See this article from Ars Technica:-
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/01/apple-patches-ancient-ios-versions-to-keep-imessage-facetime-other-services-working/
It seems that some old iPhones and iPads (including iPhones 5S and 6) which ordinarily would not receive any more updates, have recently received (or soon will receive) a software patch. While this patch won’t update features or fix security flaws, it will update a security certificate which is necessary to keep iMessage, FaceTime and Apple Account sign-in working beyond January next year when the security certificates would have expired.
So, kudos to Apple for keeping these old devices functional.
Free AI Training
The UK Government has introduced free online AI training which is accessible by going to:-
https://aiskillshub.org.uk/
You will need to set up an account.
A lot of this training material is free.
You can start by clicking on Find out more under the heading Introducing the AI Skills Mapping Tool and answering a few questions about you current knowledge level. This will lead to some recommended modules.
Alternatively, under the heading Start your AI journey today, you can click on Explore more courses. For example, you could start with a free, 1-hour course from Microsoft – Introduction to AI concepts.
Courses range in length from 30 minutes to several weeks.
On the subject of AI, Linda had found that Microsoft's Copilot did not give her correct information on train times. It is difficult to know how sure we can be of detailed information provided by an AI. I would suggest trying other AIs, such as Google's Gemini (https://gemini.google.com) or Claude (https://claude.ai).
Changing Gmail Address
At the last meeting I reported on what appeared to be a leaked Google Support page indicating that you will (soon) be able to change your Google Account email address. On the 15th of January, Bleeping Computer published this article confirming that news:-
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/technology/google-now-lets-you-change-your-gmailcom-address-rolling-out/
Smartphone - (Force) Restart
If your smartphone isn’t functioning correctly, then, like any computer, you can try turning it off completely and turning it on again – a process also known as “rebooting”. If this can’t be done by the ‘normal’ method, you can force a restart. Below is an explanation of how to do this on both Android and Apple devices.
Apple
Power off normally by doing one of the following:-
- iPhones (with Face ID) – press and hold the Side button and either the Volume Up or Down button, then drag the on-screen slider.
- iPhones (with Home button) – press and hold the Side button then drag the on-screen slider.
- Go to Settings, General, Shut Down and then drag the slider.
Power on by pressing and holding the Side button until the Apple logo appears.
If the iPhone is not responding and cannot be powered off in the normal way (as above), you can try a Force Restart. To do this on recent iPhones:-
- Press and release the Volume Up button.
- Press and release the Volume Down button.
- Press and hold the Side button until the Apple logo appears.
See this Apple Support page which also includes instructions for older models:-
https://support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/iphone/iph8903c3ee6/12.0/ios/12.0
Android
Power off normally by doing one of the following:-
- Holding down the Power button until the Power Menu appears. Then tap Power Off.
- Swipe down twice from the top of the screen to open the Quick Settings panel. Tap the Power Icon (usually in the corner). Note, this may not be available on older phones.
Power on again – press and hold the Power button until the screen shows an icon.
If the phone is not responding and cannot be powered off in the normal way (as above), you can try a Force Restart. Do one of the following, depending on model:-
- Either hold down the Power button for about 20 seconds, or
- Hold down the Power and Volume Down buttons for about 20 seconds. Note, this combination will take a screenshot, but just keep holding the buttons, or
- Hold down the Power and Volume Up buttons for about 20 seconds, or
- On some Samsung models, press and hold the Power, Volume Down and Bixby buttons. (Bixby is a Samsung's digital assistant, equivalent to the Google Assistant or Apple's Siri)
Smartphone – Recovery Mode
CAUTION – Factory Reset would wipe all data from your phone!! If possible, make sure you have a recent backup before entering Recovery Mode.
Recovery Mode gives access to a number of functions, including a complete Factory Reset. If you use Recovery Mode to Factory Reset (i.e. completely wipe) the device, you may need to enter the previous account credentials when the it starts up again.
iPhone
To access Recovery Mode, perform the following steps:-
- Connect the iPhone to a computer (Mac or Windows) with a USB cable. The Mac will use Finder. On a Windows PC, you will need the Apple Devices app (or the older iTunes app) which can be downloaded from the Microsoft Store.
- Open Finder on a Mac or the Apple Devices app on a Windows PC.
- On recent iPhones, press and release Volume Up.
- Press and release Volume Down.
- Press and hold the Side button until you see the Connect To Computer screen – see the video below.
From the computer, you will be able to either update the iPhone or Factory Reset it.
See this Apple Support page for more on Recovery Mode including on older models:-
https://support.apple.com/en-gb/118106
DFU Mode
DFU mode is the deepest level of resetting an iPhone to its factory settings, so it will erase everything from the device. The video linked above shows you how to get into DFU mode on a recent iPhone. The sequence of button presses to get into DFU mode on almost any Apple device is explained in this document:-
https://theapplewiki.com/wiki/DFU_Mode
This video shows how to access Force Restart, Recovery Mode and DFU (Device Firmware Update):-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wy_kIbf9dfE
Activation Lock and Stolen Device Protection
We discussed Activation Lock at the Club back in September 2019:-
https://computerclub100.blogspot.com/2019/09/
If you have Find My iPhone enabled, then Activation Lock is enabled and your Apple credentials will be required if the iPhone is ever factory reset by whatever means including through Recovery Mode or DFU. You can check the status of Find My iPhone by going to Settings, tapping on your name and then Find My.
Stolen Device Protection (SDP) is another level of security introduced with iOS 17.3. It is designed to prevent a thief who knows your passcode from making certain changes without either biometric confirmation or a 1 hour delay. See this Apple Support page for more:-
https://support.apple.com/en-gb/120340
I believe SDP will be preserved through a complete reset of the phone.
Linda asked how to find your iPhone/iPad if it is lost or stolen. You can go to:-
https://www.icloud.com/find
Then sign in with your Apple Account and you will see the location of your device(s) on the map. You can can play a sound on the device, Erase it or mark as lost, which displays a custom message with your contact info and tracks its location
Android
To access Recovery Mode, perform the following steps:-
- Press and hold the Power and Volume Down buttons until you see the Bootloader.
- Then, use the Volume Up and Down buttons to navigate to Recovery Mode.
- Then press the Power button to select it.
- You will see the Android icon lying flat on its back!
- Press and hold the Power button and then press the Volume Up button to enter Recovery Mode.
- Use the Volume Up and Down buttons to navigate to the required option (e.g. Factory Reset) and the Power button to select it.
There are some slight variations of the above, depending on the make of the Android phone. This article from Secure Data Recovery has more details:-
https://www.securedatarecovery.co.uk/blog/android-recovery-mode
This video may help you to understand the procedure:-
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/wYjbnB1YNeg
Factory Reset Protection (FRP)
We discussed this back in October 2019 – see the relevant blog:-
https://computerclub100.blogspot.com/2019/10/
This is similar to Activation Lock on an iPhone. Essentially, if you Factory Reset the phone without first removing your Google Account (e.g. by using Recovery Mode as above), your Google Account credentials will be needed before the device can be set up again. See this Google Support page for more:-
https://support.google.com/android/answer/9459346?hl=en-GB
Passwords After Your Death
We had a brief discussion about sharing your security details with a loved one or trusted individual(s) who you might wish to access information on your devices if you were no longer available or capable. It is worth giving some thought to what digital information should be accessible by your survivors. Just writing down passwords in a book and keeping it secure is a simple option. If you use a Password Manager, this may be accessible after your death. For example, Bitwarden has a feature called Emergency Access. When you set this up, you designate who you would like to access your account. When the time comes, that person can request access which will be granted after a period of time (configurable) unless the account owner denies access. This function is explained on Bitwarden's web site:-
https://bitwarden.com/help/emergency-access/
You might also like to refer back to the blog from November 2021 where we discussed "Bequeathing Your Data":-
https://computerclub100.blogspot.com/2021/11/
Next Session
Wed 11th March 2026 at 2pm by Zoom
