Did you receive a pop-up message on your iPhone, telling you that there’s a critical threat?
Perhaps it tells you that there are viruses on your iPhone, and you need to quickly place a phone call or download an app in order to fix the problem.
Before freaking out and taking any further action, calm down. This critical alert message is quite common, and is usually harmless.
To learn more about what it is and how to get rid of it, read on!
What Is The Critical Threat Message?
The critical threat or critical alert message is a fake pop-up that attempts to get you into buying or installing software.
It usually appears on untrustworthy or shady websites, and disguises itself to look like a legitimate notification from Apple.
That being said, I want to reiterate that this message is nothing to worry about at all.
Is The Critical Threat Message Real?
No, the critical threat or critical alert message you received on your iPhone is not real at all.
The entire premise of it is to scare people into thinking their device is infected, when in actuality it is completely fine.
Websites have no way to tell whether or not your phone actually has a virus, and they will show the same messages to every other person that visits this page. Unfortunately, since these scams are able to reach millions of people, they are effective – some people do actually get scared into purchasing their software, or installing useless apps that do nothing but show them ads.
Therefore, all you need to do to get rid of it forever is to close the tab, or force close your internet browser if closing the tab isn’t working.
This can be done by double tapping on the home button, and swiping Safari away. Then, reopening it again.
If you are still experiencing issues, turn your phone on airplane mode before opening Safari to prevent the page from reloading. From there, you should be able to close the tab without any problems.
Once the message is gone, the critical alert message should no longer appear.
Once again, your phone does not actually have any viruses, nor is it infected with any malware. You do not need to run any scans, nor do you need to take your phone into Apple for tech support. The problem is completely gone.
Can iPhones Get Viruses?
Did you know that it’s extremely difficult for iPhones to experience any security issues?
In fact, iPhones are much safer than Android phones when it comes to viruses, due to the way the operating system is built.
iPhones sandbox everything, so even if you were to visit a website riddled with viruses, they would be unable to actually save themselves and run on your iPhone. Just like Mac computers, viruses are technically possible, but are extremely rare.
Unless you deliberately tinker with your device (such as jailbreaking it), it’s very unlikely you will ever experience one – even if you go looking for them. Even then, jailbreaking only makes it easier to get viruses due to how it bypasses the security mechanisms that iPhones have.
That being said, there are still some best practices to keep your iPhone or iPad as safe as possible. Let’s look over some of them now.
How To Keep Your iPhone Secure
As mentioned earlier, getting a virus on your iPhone is extremely rare.
However, there are a few things you should do to minimize this risk, and keep your device as secure as possible.
1. Keep iOS Up To Date
The most important thing you can do to keep your iPhone or iPad secure is to update iOS whenever new firmware is available.
Apple goes to great lengths to patch any exploits or security loopholes that can leave your device vulnerable, and they are quick to issue fixes when these exploits are discovered.
Because iOS updates fix critical security holes, you always want to update when you can.
To update your device’s version of iOS, open the Settings app, tap on ‘General’, and then ‘Software Update.’
2. Avoid Sideloading Apps
Did you know that it’s possible to download apps that aren’t available in Apple’s App Store?
This practice is known as sideloading, and it’s a little more risky than downloading apps through the App Store.
This is because Apple manually vets and approves all apps that are listed in the App Store, to make sure they work properly and are secure for their customers.
By sideloading apps, it’s possible to install and run software that hasn’t been approved by Apple. While your iPhone should theoretically be safe regardless, it still exposes you to more risk than a normal app would.
3. Avoid Falling For Scams
The last thing is to become aware and avoid falling for scams, just like the critical threat message that brought you to this article.
Scams like these may trick you into installing software that actually is malicious, and is designed to either show you ads or steal your data.
Only use the official version of apps when possible, and always keep in mind that iPhones are extremely secure. Therefore, you have nothing to worry about if you’re shown another fake virus message on your iPhone or iPad.
Conclusion
Thankfully, the critical alert message claiming your phone has viruses is completely fake.
Once you close it, the message shouldn’t bother you any more, and you don’t actually need to worry about your phone or tablet being infected.
I hope that you’ve found this article helpful. If you have any other questions about iPhones or iPads, please ask them using the comment form below.
Wishing you the best,
– James McAllister