We use our smartphones for numerous tasks such as browsing social media accounts like Facebook, Twitter etc, sending and receiving e-mails, capturing and sharing images, making audio and video calls, making online payments and so on. For accomplishing all these tasks we enter some crucial information on our devices like our e-mail id’s, passwords, credit card details etc. What if this crucial information is leaked or hacked? What if our phone is stolen and all the information is misused by someone. In order to protect the data on our devices, we need to take some security measures. In this post, we have listed few simple tips on how to keep your smartphone secure. Follow these precautions to protect your smartphone as well as the data you store in it.
How To Keep Your Smartphone Secure
Try these simple tips to keep your Android, iPhone, BlackBerry or Windows Phone safe.
1. Use a PIN or Pattern To Lock Your Smartphone
Put a screen lock on your device using a PIN or pattern whichever you think will be easier for you to remember but difficult for others to judge! You can also enable automatic screen lock on your device so that your device gets locked if it is left unattended for some time. This will protect your device from being accessed by some unauthorized person who doesn’t know the lock PIN or pattern. In case you are not used to putting a screen lock on your device and you forget your password, don’t worry about it you can easily reset the password of your Android device without losing data. Many devices come with Touch ID feature, you can make use of that as well to maintain the privacy of your smartphone.
2. Encrypt Sensitive Data
Enabling a screen lock on your smartphone will protect it against unauthorized access to some extent, but if your device is unlocked, anyone can access the information saved on it. So, you can encrypt the sensitive information and data into code which needs to be entered before accessing the information. This will help to maintain privacy of data on your device even if it is stolen.
3. Back Up Your Data
It is advisable to keep back up of your data so that you can get access to it even if you have lost you device or lost the data on your device due to formatting or factory resetting the phone. You can keep a back up on your PC or on other storage drives wirelessly without the hassle of using a USB cable.
4. Download Apps From Trusted Stores
Downloading apps from unknown websites or sources might get you into trouble. There are many sources which may hack your information. So make sure you always download apps from trusted sources like Google Play store for Android devices and Apple store for Apple iPhones. Check the ratings and comments while downloading apps from online stores. Also, check the privacy policy and information which the app will access if you download it.
5. Keep the Software and Apps Updated
Software updates sometimes come with some more privacy protocols which protect the device against malware attacks. In addition to new features, the updates bring with them tightened security. Download the updates as soon as they are made available.You can enable automatic updates but there are some apps which need to be updated manually. Keep track of such apps and update them regularly.
6. Download Anti-Virus App
There are many free Anti-virus apps available on app stores, make sure you download any of them with good ratings and reviews to keep your phone secure. There are many fake Anti-virus apps which infect your device instead of protecting it. Beware of such apps and download the apps after viewing the reviews and ranking of the apps.
7. Enable Remote Lock and Locate
Enable remote location and lock on your device. It will prove to be a great help in case you misplace your smartphone and someone else has found it. Locate option will help you detect the exact location where your device is while Lock option will lock your phone and will prevent the access of data on your device by someone else. You can also send a message and number with ‘Lock’ option so that the person with your device in his possession can call back on the number provided by you.
8. Check Your App’s Permissions
Many apps ask for your location, passwords and other crucial information. Deny these permissions for the apps which you think are unwanted or seldom used.
9. Restrict Bluetooth Use
Make sure you switch off Bluetooth on your device when it is not in use. Also, always set the bluetooth settings to ‘non discoverable’ so that no one sees it even if the person is in 10 meters range. You can make it discoverable for the ones you wish to share data with. This will not only keep your data safe, but also it will save you a lot of battery juice.
10. Log Out of Websites After Making Payments
Making online payments through our smartphones is convenient and hassle free but make sure you log out of the website once you have made the payment. Others, on having access to your phone may use the same information to make payments so, avoid saving passwords on your device and log out of the website as soon as your transaction is complete.