A Few Simple Tips To Improve Your Android Phone Security

As the world is getting “teched” up and moving online, so are the criminals, thieves and tricksters. And when we tend to remember to not walk alone in empty streets after dark or always lock our doors and windows – we quite often ignore the potential dangers we are carrying in our pockets – our mobile phones. The truth is, these small devices hold so much information about us, our lives, jobs and loved ones – that care should be taken to protect that information should your phone ever fall into the wrong hands.

Below are a few helpful tips on how to bump up your device’s security.

Make sure you are running the latest version of Android software – as that simple and easy step will ensure you have all the latest security updates on your device. Once your software is current, you can start by checking that you have all the basic elements in place.

Lock Your Screen

Screen lock is a universally-available feature and a useful one to keep your phone protected from accidental and unwanted use. Your phone will surely come with its own default lock screen features, but if you are interested in exploring what else is out there – you are welcome to check out our recent blog on…

Password Protection

It goes without saying that you should use a password to protect important applications, files and folders. However, in many cases, you will also be offered a convenient option of logging in automatically – if you ask the application in question to “remember the password”” . As time-saving as enabling this feature may be, you should also consider the risks that come with it.

Encrypting Your Data

Encrypting basically means scrambling up all the information stored on your phone, so that it looks like complete gibberish to anyone who picks it up. The user would then enter a PIN number and the data would be decrypted, bringing it all back into understandable format. Enabling the feature is easy and it will give extra control of your data. Click here to learn how to encrypt your phone.

 Network Security

We all love public Wi-Fi and can’t seem to get enough of it in coffee shops, gyms and practically any other locations where it’s available. However, like always, there are dangers that come with the convenience. When you are using public Wi-Fi, your data becomes accessible to pretty much anyone on the network and that means that your logins and passwords can be compromised. To avoid the risk, you may try to stay away from making online payments or dealing with your banking on public networks. You may also consider installing a VPN, which will make accessing your data much more complicated. And if you believe that someone is actually trying to hack into your device, an app like Wifi Protector for Android will help you fight the intruders.

Manage Your Application Permissions

The best way to protect yourself from spyware and prying eyes – is to take simple precautions. One of them (as we have mentioned our blog on (How To Avoid Viruses On Your Android Phone). Pay attention to the applications you download, keep them to necessary minimum and use only trusted sources for downloads. When installing the application, and as boring as it may be, do read carefully through the permissions that the app is asking for. That can be the exact spot that could give you future trouble, just like the case of a popular flashlight application that was accused of data theft.

Device Tracking And Remote Wipe

A few blog back we talked about how to track your device with Android Device Manager application, which also comes with the remote wipe feature. You can read that blog here.

The application is quite handy as it can help you enable both features and get you ready for the worst. So should your device ever go missing, you will be able to first try to locate it via GPS, and if that fails – wipe all the personal data on your phone remotely, so that the bad guys never get too see your vacations pictures in Thailand.