Will Premium Security on IOS Devices function regardless of the location of the device?

biyahero

I have currently 8 IOS devices "Protected" on my Bitdefender Premium Subscription.

One of those devices doesn't even have Bitdefender installed since I erased it, removed it from my Apple ID, and gave it to a relative and she put it on her Apple ID. On my Bigdefender list of devices, I renamed the device and created a profile for her which appears OK on my Bitdefender list of protected devices.

She has a foreign (non-US) phone number which I put on her profile that I created and which appears on the device list for my Bitdefender Account.

If I install Bitdefender again on her device (which would still be shown in my list of 8 devices) will the Bitdefender still function and protect that device regardless of where the device is located in the world?

Alexandru_BD

Hello @biyahero,

I think if you have the option to install it on the spot, that would work just fine. I see no issues whatsoever installing Bitdefender remotely on that device as well. If you run across any difficulties, you can come back here anytime and we'll try to help you out. iCloud backup includes app data for the apps that you've downloaded on your device. This includes data for third-party social media apps, games, and messaging apps, but also the antivirus app. I recently changed my iPhone and the backup brought the Bitdefender app as well, but it will not maintain your authentication. When you restore an iPhone from a backup, you will see that you'll need to sign into all of your apps (those that require a login) again. So this means Bitdefender may require the user to login as well, therefore in this case the Central account credentials will be necessary.

Otherwise, the app is pretty straightforward, you just "set it and forget it". 🙂

Regards,

Alex

Alexandru_BD

Hi,

If Bitdefender is installed again on that device and linked with your Central account, then yes, the device will still be protected by your subscription/license, no matter its location. The Premium Security component that protects iOS devices is called Bitdefender Mobile Security for iOS. However, there are a few login restrictions in place that you may encounter. For example, if you send invites to someone from another country, or if the person trying to use the install link is connected to a VPN in another country, the link won't work and they will be prompted to enter the main Central account credentials.

This happens because multi-user home solutions are intended to be installed on devices that belong to the same household, and because a login attempt from another country can be a sign of suspicious activity, so the login security measures in place will be triggered if someone abroad is trying to use an install link coming from your account.

The previous device should be removed from Central, because if Bitdefender is no longer installed on it, this means the device is no longer protected. As a general rule, whenever Bitdefender is uninstalled from a device, the device should also be removed from Central, otherwise it will stay there and occupy a place in the subscription/license. If you install Mobile Security again, this will be considered a new installation, so it will take another slot from the subscription/license, this is why I recommend removing the device from Central before reinstalling.

I hope I was able to answer your question.

Regards,

Alex

biyahero

https://community.bitdefender.com/en/discussion/comment/334936#Comment_334936

Hi Alex,

Thanks for your response!

To further clarify my situation, the device(s) in question are being given to a relative in my extended household in the Philippines. I travel there frequently and my own IOS devices seem to have no problem functioning while I am there... Including as I recall my iPhone X the last time I was there, and that phone has a Smart Communications (Philippines) phone number and account.

I have enough slots to accommodate those devices so no worry there. I do plan to go there and personally install Bitdefender on the older devices that I am gifting at the same time I gift them... well one device is already there but doesn't have Bitdefender installed yet.

So if the security measures when I am doing the installations were to make me enter the login information, that is not a problem, and I can do that.

What I am hoping to avoid is that sometime down the road these devices would have problems caused by Bitdefender that I would not be there to deal with and the new users of those devices aren't technologically astute enough to deal with this.

If this were to happen I could Facetime the person and explain how to uninstall Bitdefender. Would that solve whatever issues might have arisen and there wouldn't be any residual problems after Bitdefender were uninstalled?

So in Summary, if I am the one installing Bitdefender on a device while I am in the Philippines, once it is installed there should be no problems with it continuing to function properly? The Bitdefender VPN component should not be used, or will all components work properly once it is installed?

I could install it before taking the device there except if I were to restore a backup from the recipient's iCloud account from the device that is already there perhaps that would erase the Bitdefender installation that I had previously installed on it before going there or would it not? The device that it already there (an iPhone 6s Plus) has an older version of IOS, but Apple support claims I could use an iCloud backup from that device to a device that had a newer version of IOS without problems.

So if I were to erase the newer device and then install Bitdefender on it before going there and then restore an iCloud backup from the iPhone 6s Plus to it, do you think the Bitdefender installation would survive?

Thanks for your help Alex!

biyahero

>If you install Mobile Security again, this will be considered a new installation so that it will take another slot from the >subscription/license, this is why I recommend removing the device from Central before reinstalling.

This is what I didn't understand I guess. I thought that as long as it was the same device, reinstalling would simply refresh the device's installation. So I'll remove the device from my protected device list and then install Bitdefender again.

So maybe I'll just remove my iPhone 6s Plus from the Bitdefender Protected Devices List (since it doesn't really have Bitdefender installed anymore), and then once I am there in the Philippines I'll reinstall Bitdefender on that iPhone 6s Plus, make an iCloud Backup of it, and then use that iCloud Backup (of the iPhone 6s Plus) to set up the iPhone Xs Max which I think you are saying will transfer BitDefender onto the new device, and I'll just need to enter my Bitdefender Central credentials to get it to work (as well as passwords for any other transferred apps which need passwords, and then Bitdefender will be functional on both devices and the user (recipient ... extended household member) will not have any issues like having to enter my credentials when I am not there to do it.

Do I have that correct?

Alexandru_BD

Yes, that's sounds correct. What happens is that Bitdefender, regardless of where it's running, PC, mobile, tablet, needs to be linked/synchronized with the Central account where the subscription/license was activated, because it draws its configuration and validity from there.

Bitdefender Central is an online platform that serves as your user account. You can use this Bitdefender account to activate subscriptions, install protection, manage your devices, view your invoices, and modify your account settings. Central also provides the latest security news and tips to help you stay informed and protect your digital life. So, while your protection is provided by the installed antivirus, Central is used to perform all of the above tasks, including device removal, which should be carried out whenever Bitdefender is no longer installed on that particular device. You can, as you have described, reinstall protection on the same device using the Central account and start fresh. Once protected, the device will appear again in the updated list.

Regards,

Alex