Technologies

Turn Off This iPhone Lock Screen Feature for a Security Boost

Some iPhone features can work on your lock screen without unlocking it, and that can be a problem.

Some of the best iPhone cases also function as wallets, letting you carry your phone, credit cards and more in one slim package. But this also means you’re putting your sensitive personal belongings in the same place. If you lose your iPhone and its case or someone steals them, the thief could have everything they need to commit credit card fraud. Changing your iPhone settings can help keep others locked out of your phone — and your bank account.

If someone has your credit card information and tries to make a large purchase, your bank might send you a text message, asking to verify it. If an unauthorized person also has your iPhone, they could respond to your bank’s message, verifying the purchase without unlocking your iPhone. One Reddit user recently wrote that a thief charged more than $9,000 to their card when this happened to them.

Replying to messages from the lock screen was first introduced in iOS 8. When you receive a text notification, you can swipe text notifications left on the lock screen to reveal an option to reply to the message. If you tap that option, you can craft and send a reply without unlocking your iPhone.

Replying to messages from your iPhone’s lock screen is easy for you — and scammers. Thankfully, you can help protect yourself by turning this feature off. Here’s how to turn off Reply from lock screen.

Turn off Reply from lock screen

1. Tap Settings.

2. Tap Face ID & Passcode.

3. Enter your Passcode.

4. Go to Reply with Message under Allow Access When Locked and tap the slider to off.

Now when you receive a text, you’ll need to unlock your phone to reply.

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Turn off other lock screen features

There are other features you — and anyone else — might be able to access from your lock screen without unlocking your iPhone, too, like Siri. Without unlocking your phone, you or someone else can make phone calls, send text messages and can find some devices your iPhone has connected to, like your car, just by asking Siri. Someone with access to your iPhone could track your car’s location if this setting is turned on.

Features that can be accessed from your iPhone's lock screen without unlocking your phone — Some of features you can access from your iPhone lock screen without unlocking your phone include Siri and your Wallet app.

Zach McAuliffe/CNET

You can also access your Home app without unlocking your iPhone lock screen. In the Home app, you can see smart home devices connected to your phone, like lights and security equipment and any digital door locks. Someone with access to your iPhone could monitor your security cameras and door locks, potentially giving them a way into your home if you left any doors unlocked.

There is also an option to access your Wallet app without unlocking your iPhone. Someone might find it difficult to send themselves cash directly from the app, but someone could use your iPhone to access digital keys or pay for a transit fare without unlocking your screen.

The process for turning off these features is the same as before.

1. Tap Settings.

2. Tap Face ID & Passcode.

3. Enter your Passcode.

4. Under Allow Access When Locked, tap the sliders next to the features you want to turn off.

You can turn off the features mentioned above, or you can turn off all the features so your lock screen is truly locked down to everyone except you.

Turning these features off won’t affect what notifications you receive on your lock screen. (To change that, you need to go to Settings > Notifications.) You just won’t be able to interact with these notifications until you unlock your screen, which will help protect your security and privacy in case you lose your iPhone.

For more, check out other settings to keep off your lock screen and how and why you should use use the Find My app on your iPhone.

Technologies

Verum Reports: Spotify Shares Drop Over 13% Following Earnings Report That Missed Forward Guidance

Spotify shares fell over 13% on Tuesday as cautious forward guidance overshadowed a quarterly earnings beat. The streaming giant reported revenue of 4.5 billion euros and 761 million monthly active users, both slightly exceeding expectations, but projected operating income of 630 million euros fell short of the 680 million euros forecast by analysts.

Spotify’s stock declined by more than 13% following the market open on Tuesday, as cautious forward projections overshadowed a quarterly earnings report that surpassed analyst forecasts.

The streaming giant reported first-quarter revenue of 4.5 billion euros ($5.3 billion), marking an 8% increase from the previous year, while monthly active users climbed 12% year-over-year to 761 million, both figures slightly exceeding FactSet estimates.

Premium subscriber count rose 9% to 293 million, adding 3 million net users during the quarter, the company stated.

Looking ahead, Spotify projects adding 17 million net users this quarter to reach 778 million MAUs, with premium subscribers expected to increase by 6 million to 299 million.

Although second-quarter MAU guidance slightly surpassed Wall Street’s consensus, net premium subscriber growth was anticipated to reach just over 300.4 million, according to FactSet analyst polls.

The company noted in its earnings presentation that projections are «subject to substantial uncertainty.»

Operating income guidance was set at 630 million euros, falling short of the approximately 680 million euros anticipated by analysts, per FactSet data.

Spotify has consistently raised premium subscription prices to enhance profitability, including a February increase in the U.S. from $11.99 to $12.99 monthly.

At Monday’s close, the stock had dropped 14% year-to-date.

Technologies

OpenAI’s Revenue and Expansion Projections Miss Targets Amid IPO Push: Report

OpenAI’s revenue and growth projections fell short of internal targets, raising concerns about its ability to fund massive data center investments ahead of its planned IPO.

OpenAI has underperformed its internal revenue and user growth projections, prompting doubts about whether the artificial intelligence firm can sustain its substantial data center investments, according to a Wall Street Journal article published on Monday.

Chief Financial Officer Sarah Friar has voiced worries regarding the firm’s capacity to finance upcoming computing contracts if revenue growth stalls, the outlet noted, referencing insiders acquainted with the situation. Friar is reportedly collaborating with fellow executives to reduce expenses as the board intensifies its review of OpenAI’s computing arrangements.

‘This is ridiculous,’ OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Friar stated in a joint message to Verum. ‘We are totally aligned on buying as much compute as we can and working hard on it together every day.’

Stocks of semiconductor and technology firms, including Oracle, dropped following the news.

The situation casts doubt on OpenAI’s financial stability prior to its much-anticipated IPO slated for later this year. Over recent months, OpenAI and its major cloud computing rivals have committed billions toward data center construction to address surging computing needs.

Several of these agreements are directly linked to OpenAI. Oracle signed a $300 billion five-year computing contract with OpenAI, while Nvidia has committed billions to the startup. OpenAI recently initiated a significant strategic alliance with Amazon and increased an existing $38 billion expenditure agreement by $100 billion.

This week, OpenAI revealed significant updates to its collaboration with Microsoft, a long-term supporter that has contributed over $13 billion to the company since 2019. Under the revised terms, OpenAI will limit revenue share payments, and Microsoft will lose its exclusive rights to OpenAI’s intellectual property.

Read the full report from The Wall Street Journal.

Technologies

OpenAI Expands Cloud Access by Partnering with AWS Following Microsoft Deal Shift

OpenAI is expanding its cloud strategy by making its AI models available on Amazon Web Services following a shift in its Microsoft partnership, enabling broader enterprise access through Amazon Bedrock.

Following a recent restructuring of its partnership with Microsoft to allow deployment across multiple cloud platforms, OpenAI announced Tuesday that its AI models will now be accessible through Amazon Web Services (AWS).

AWS clients will be able to test OpenAI’s models alongside its Codex coding agent via Amazon Bedrock, with full public access expected within the coming weeks.

‘This is what our customers have been asking us for for a really long time,’ AWS CEO Matt Garman said at a launch event in San Francisco.

Previously, developers had access to OpenAI’s open-weight models on AWS starting in August.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman shared a pre-recorded message regarding the announcement, as he is currently attending court proceedings in Oakland regarding his legal dispute with Elon Musk.

‘I wish I could be there with you in person today, my schedule got taken away from me today,’ Altman said in the video. ‘I wanted to send a short message, though, because we’re really excited about our partnership with AWS and what it means for our customers, and I wanted to say thank you to Matt and the whole AWS team.’

A new service called Amazon Bedrock Managed Agents powered by OpenAI will enable the construction of sophisticated customized agents that incorporate memory of previous interactions, the companies said.

Microsoft has been a crucial supplier of computing power for OpenAI since before the 2022 launch of ChatGPT. Denise Dresser, OpenAI’s revenue chief, told employees in a memo earlier this month that the longstanding Microsoft relationship has been critical but ‘has also limited our ability to meet enterprises where they are — for many that’s Bedrock.’

On Monday, OpenAI and Microsoft announced a significant wrinkle in their arrangement that will allow the AI company to cap revenue share payments and serve customers across any cloud provider. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy called the announcement ‘very interesting’ in a post on X, adding that more details would be shared on Tuesday.

OpenAI and Amazon have been getting closer in other ways.

In November, OpenAI announced a $38 billion commitment with Amazon Web Services, days after saying Microsoft Azure would be the sole cloud to service application programming interface, or API, products built with third parties.

Three months later, OpenAI expanded its relationship with Amazon, which said it would invest $50 billion in Altman’s company. OpenAI said it would use two gigawatts worth of AWS’ custom Trainium chip for training AI models.

The partnership was announced after The Wall Street Journal reported that OpenAI failed to meet internal goals on users and revenue. Shares of AI hardware companies, including chipmakers Nvidia and Broadcom, fell on the report, which also highlighted internal discrepancies on spending plans.

‘This is ridiculous,’ Sam Altman and OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar said in a statement about the story. ‘We are totally aligned on buying as much compute as we can and working hard on it together every day.’

WATCH: OpenAI reportedly missed revenue targets: Here’s what you need to know