Apple Spokesperson Says Anti-Phishing Feature Works, You Just Have To Be Patient

As part of iPhone OS 3.1, Mobile Safari gained an anti-phishing feature that according to many users, just hasn't been working properly.  The feature seemed to be inconsistent best, warning some users of malicious websites while others who visited the same sites were not.  This caused a bit of a stir among the Apple faithful to say the least, so The Loop decided to go straight to the source and ask Apple spokesperson Bill Evans what exactly is going on. According to Evans, the anti-phishing database is only updated when charging/syncing in order to preserve battery life and to not incur hidden data usage chargers.

“Safari’s anti-phishing database is downloaded while the user charges their phone in order to protect battery life and ensure there aren’t any additional data fees,” Apple spokesman, Bill Evans, told The Loop. “After updating to iPhone OS 3.1 the user should launch Safari, connect to a Wi-Fi network and charge their iPhone with the screen off. For most users this process should happen automatically when they charge their phone.”

If users haven't downloaded the entire database, some sites will be left out, which would explain the many inconsistencies with the feature. If you are concerned that your anti-phishing database may not be complete, just connect to a local Wi-Fi network, open Mobile Safari, and start charging your device.

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