The secret '5-click' phone trick you should do right before entering US customs
There is a secret ‘five-click’ phone trick that people are being advised to do before entering US customs.
This comes as the public raise concerns over the US border control’s ability to seize devices from travelers for forensic analysis upon entry into the country.
But one handy tip could improve your cybersecurity before you arrive at customs when traveling through US airports.
How to protect personal data on your phone from US border control
One method of improving security on your phone is to enable a feature known as Before First Unlock.
This is considered to be the ‘highest security’ setting on a smart device and occurs when you restart or turn your smartphone off and on again.
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Once the phone is up and running, until you have initially entered your passcode, your information is locked.
This means that features such as touch or face ID won’t work and the device will not be readable until the first passcode entry has been completed.
Five-click cybersecurity feature can be enabled to protect your device
For iPhone users, there is another method to secure your device by simply clicking on the power button five times to activate the Emergency SOS screen.
If you cancel this action immediately after it pops up then all biometric tokens will be revoked.
Meanwhile, if you’re an Android user, you can make use of the Lockdown Mode which can be found by heading to Settings, selecting Display and then Lock screen, and from there, click on Show lockdown option.
Once this has been enabled, hold down the power button and click on the ‘Lockdown’ icon which will appear. This will put your device into a BFU state.
US customs increase device searches at the border
According to a report by CBC, US customs searched a record number of devices in 2025.
Citing stats from the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the report revealed that border control ‘searched 55,318 computers, cellphones and other devices in 2025, up 17.6% from the 47,047 devices searched in 2024 and up 32.4% from the 41,767 devices searched in 2023’.
TSA has recently increased its staffing and amped up its protocols with the World Cup currently underway in the US, Canada and Mexico.
The agency confirmed that it has ‘deployed National Deployment Officers, additional canine teams, and other specialized units at the 14 core host city airports to accommodate passenger surges and enhance security’.