iPod & iTunes: The Missing Manual, Fourth Edition

Screen Lock

It’s no secret that the iPod can store contacts, calendars, notes, and other important information alongside your music and photos. (Check out Appendix B, online at http://www.missingmanuals.com, for details on getting your contacts and calendar onto your iPod.) But if you lose your iPod or leave it out where your roommates can find it, your private information may end up in the palm of someone else’s hand. Considering the unfortunate rise of identity theft, it pays to be careful.

To help keep your personal information personal, the newest iPods come with a security feature—Screen Lock. It’s much like assigning a password to your computer’s screensaver—one that reveals the desktop only if you type the secret code. When you turn Screen Lock on, the iPod’s screen displays a safe’s door icon that stubbornly refuses to go away until you enter your combination.

To activate this protective layer, choose Extras → Screen Lock. On the next screen, you have two choices: Set Combination or Turn Screen Lock On. The first time, select Set Combination to create your secret code. On the next screen, you see the combination dial with four numbers above it. Using the iPod’s click wheel, navigate to each box (outlined in red when you’ve scrolled to it). By spinning the wheel, you can pick a number from 0 to 9, and the animated safe dial on the screen even moves along as you move your thumb.

When the number you want appears in the box, press the center button to go to the next one, and repeat ...