iPhone without jailbreaking can prevent harassment? The actual effect is very limited

Recently, a mobile phone security software has launched an anti-harassment function for iPhones without jailbreaking. The general method is to download the harassment number data to the iPhone's address book and name these numbers according to the harassment category, such as fraud calls, harassment calls, real estate agents, etc.

So, can this non-jailbreaking anti-harassment method work? What problems will there be? What is Apple's attitude towards this non-jailbreaking anti-harassment solution?

The actual effect of preventing harassment without jailbreaking is limited

After using the anti-harassment function of a certain guard, it will download 1,000 harassment numbers to the mobile phone address book. It is said that this is the result of screening based on the user's mobile phone registration location. Another similar software will download 8 groups of anti-harassment numbers, each containing 1,000 harassment numbers, a total of about 8,000 harassment number data.

When using these two types of anti-harassment software without jailbreaking, when the user receives a call from a number in these number databases, the name of the number marked by the anti-harassment software in the mobile phone address book in advance will appear on the incoming call interface, such as fraud calls, real estate agents, etc., to remind the user who is calling from the unfamiliar number and whether to answer the call.

When you receive a text message from a number in these number databases, there will be a reminder in place of the contact name, but it cannot intercept the text message like the security software on Android phones and jailbroken iPhones. It only serves as a reminder.

However, since fraudsters and advertising salespeople use different numbers to make calls and send group text messages every day, thousands of numbers alone cannot fully identify these unfamiliar calls and text messages in most cases. On the App Store, many netizens mentioned that "some sales calls cannot be identified" regarding the anti-harassment function without jailbreaking. Therefore, this method of downloading a small amount of harassing number data to the user's mobile phone address book through the cloud is completely incomparable to the effect of intelligent interception through the cloud database, and the effect of this method is very limited.

There are three serious risks in anti-harassment software without jailbreaking

Obviously, anti-harassment software cannot play a real role in blocking harassment without jailbreaking. According to relevant security experts, the above approach will also bring three serious problems: mobile phone freezes and overheats, mobile phone contact data is redundant, and backup and recovery software is seriously affected.

Since thousands of numbers are stored in one contact, once the user opens this contact, the phone will freeze and heat up, and the user cannot do anything except return to the main interface by pressing the Home button. In fact, many users have commented on the App Store that "the phone freezes."

Since the data of harassing numbers is constantly updated, if users do not update these numbers, the harassment blocking effect will be invalid, so they must be updated manually. On the one hand, this operation is very troublesome, and on the other hand, after the update, the old harassing blocking numbers will remain on the phone, forming redundant junk data.

Thirdly, if users use iCloud, QQ Sync Assistant and other software to back up, these tens of thousands of harassing numbers will also be backed up to the cloud, interfering with the purity of the user's own address book. If the user deletes this non-jailbreak anti-harassment software, these harassing numbers will no longer be updated, and they will have to be restored to the phone every time they restore contacts. Since Apple phones do not support batch deletion of contacts, these numbers eventually become useless junk data. Moreover, when using tools such as QQ Sync Assistant and other software to "de-duplicate contacts" and other functions, confusion will occur.

Many users on the App Store have asked: How to delete these data after deleting these non-jailbreak anti-harassment software? Here we recommend that users back up their mobile phone contacts to the cloud through QQ Sync Assistant before trying these two software. In this way, if you are not satisfied with the use, you can use QQ Sync Assistant to clear the mobile phone contacts with one click, and then restore the original contacts from the cloud to the phone.

What measures will Apple take against non-jailbreaking anti-harassment software?

At present, anti-harassment software cannot really play an anti-harassment role without jailbreaking. Instead, it causes serious problems for iPhone users and affects the iPhone user experience. In addition, this method of reading mobile phone contacts and importing data to mobile phone contacts is completed through cloud instructions, which is not allowed by Apple.

Because the method of using cloud instructions means that the functions of the App have not been reviewed by the App Store and are functions of unknown security. Malware can completely deceive the AppStore security review in this way.

Therefore, when more and more mobile phone users use this function and complain about the adverse consequences of these software, Apple may punish the software with such behavior by removing it from the App Store. In fact, in January 2013, Apple removed 20 360 products including 360 Mobile Guard from the App Store, and did not allow them to be put back on the App Store until more than a year later. It is said that the main reason for the removal was that 360 provided the Enterprise Edition of Mobile Guard to ordinary users, and the Enterprise Edition of Mobile Guard violated the rules by calling the private API interface banned by Apple.

Although the closure of Apple's iOS system makes anti-harassment software unusable, it does reduce the harm of mobile phone viruses and malware. Currently, more than 90% of malware comes from the Android platform. In addition, in the Chinese market, the main purpose of iPhone jailbreaking is to use the Jiugongge Chinese Pinyin input method and harassment blocking software. Apple independently developed the Jiugongge Pinyin input method on iOS7, and allowed third-party Chinese input methods to be directly installed on iOS8.

However, the release of the input method interface is also limited. When the user enters the password box, they still need to jump to the iOS built-in input method, and third-party input methods are not allowed to call the voice input function. Apple's strict restrictions are also to ensure user safety. Malware can use the input method interface to record user input content, thereby stealing privacy, and even stealing bank account passwords, etc., leading to more serious security risks.

Apple iOS has not yet released the harassment blocking function of mobile security software. The main reason may be that Apple is worried that releasing this interface will also provide convenience for malware, because malware can use this interface to read users' text messages and mobile phone call records, and even steal important information such as mobile payment verification codes and use them to steal Alipay and bank cards. Such malware and mobile payment viruses are already rampant on Android.

In order to ensure the purity of the iOS ecosystem and the safety of users, Apple has adopted a cautious and open attitude towards some key interfaces. From the perspective of iOS system security and the greater value of the overall user, this is worthy of respect. Otherwise, it will be like the current Android ecosystem, with various viruses, vulnerabilities, malicious promotion software, and privacy-stealing software. At the same time, for Apple iOS developers, it is unethical to violate the rules with the purpose of "pretending to benefit users and really grabbing installation volume".

Apple recently announced that "warranty service will not be provided after jailbreaking iOS devices", which reflects Apple's zero tolerance for jailbreaking. Therefore, in the face of the urgent anti-harassment needs of Chinese iPhone users, Apple is likely to develop a cloud-based anti-harassment function based on iOS, allowing users to achieve functions such as strange number identification and spam SMS blocking without jailbreaking and installing third-party security software. However, the best way to prevent harassment is still to install mobile security software after jailbreaking. There is no other way.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.