Top Tips for Keeping Your Smartphone Safe and Secure
As tech becomes more advanced, it can also be expensive. You don’t want to spend all that money on a new phone only to drop it, lose it, or get hacked. Whether you want to keep your phone in pristine condition or you want to protect your private information, you need to follow these top tips for safety and security!
1. Use A Privacy Protector
When you’re out in public and you have sensitive information showing on your screen, it can be so easy for a stranger to lean over and get your password or read personal data. A privacy protector is an easy solution. You simply apply an extra layer over your screen and anybody who isn’t at the right angle, only sees a black screen when they look at your phone.
2. Clean Your Phone Regularly
Keeping your phone clean is a good way to prevent illnesses and keep you healthy, not to mention anybody else who uses your phone. The last thing you need is a toddler getting sick because you didn’t wipe down your phone after coming home from a long commute.
Whether you use antibacterial hand wipes or a sanitizing device, you’re protecting yourself and your family with one simple step. Looking for a few more tips on how to clean your phone? Make sure you avoid spraying harsh chemicals directly on your device and only wipe it down with a soft microfiber cloth.
3. Apply A Screen Protector
Screen protectors are very similar to privacy protectors. In fact, you can get some that are both in one! However, with a privacy protector, you get physical safety for your phone. The extra layer over your screen prevents it from getting scratched, chipped, or cracked when it falls on the ground or after spending day after day in your pocket rubbing against keys, coins, and other essentials.
Some screen protectors also come with additional features, including anti-glare, blue light protection, and antibacterial coatings. Screen protectors are also a great choice for watches and tablets.
4. Always Lock Your Screen
Even if you’re using a privacy screen or turning your phone away from people while using it, you should always lock the home screen when you’re done. You can keep unwanted eyes from skimming your phone and preventing direct access to the contents of your screen. You might also want to go to your phone settings and increase the strength and length of your password to the max, select auto lock to lock your screen after a minimum length of time, and disable animations when putting in your code.
5. Use Caller Protection Apps
Some phones have automatic protections installed on their device that screen calls and texts before they even get to you. But, if you don’t have these specialty features already installed, you may want to consider getting an extra app to do it for you. Burner and Firewall are app options that can protect you against spam, salespeople, hackers, and other unwanted callers.
Burner is designed to generate a new phone number if you ever need to reach out to someone and you don’t want them to be able to contact you in return. Firewall allows you to send unwanted calls to voicemail without letting your phone ring at all.
6. Don’t Charge In Public
When you’re running out of battery, it can be tough to skip out on a public charging station. Even in trusted places, like airports, planes, and hotel conference rooms, your phone runs the risk of being breached!
Connecting to a public port does more than just charge your device; it can also transmit and receive data. If someone has tampered with an outlet, they can access everything on your phone, including texts, emails, photos, and contact information. Now known as “juice jacking,” hackers are making public chargers a dangerous gamble.
7. Update Software Regularly
While it might be annoying for a software update to change some of the functionalities on your phone, it can be incredibly useful for your safety. Updates provide patches and close loopholes that prevent your phone from being hacked. Even though they’re time-consuming, you risk a malware malfunction the longer you go without updating your phone.
8. Turn Off Bluetooth & WiFi
Like charging ports, your Bluetooth and WiFi channels provide access to invasion hackers who try and get access to your data. Many times, these settings are always on by default and you need to manually turn them off when you go out in public.
Bluetooth and WiFi channel hacking allows bad actors to mask a malicious device and make it seem legitimate to encourage users to connect their phones to it. Never connect to unknown devices and double-check the channel you connect with is correct, especially if it’s your first time connecting.
Once a hacker breaches your device through Bluetooth or WiFi, they can exploit a variety of other security failures to get access to protected apps and data.
9. Use A VPN
A VPN is a Virtual Private Network that allows you to connect through a private network to the internet. You can send and receive data in public or over shared networks without anyone else seeing it. Only authorized users will be able to access the information.
So how does a VPN keep your data safe? It assigns you a temporary IP address while hiding your actual address from every email or website you access. It’s another layer of protection between you and unwanted eyes lurking online.
You download a VPN directly onto your device and it stays with you wherever you go. So if you choose to use the public networks at a coffee shop or library, you don’t have to worry about hackers viewing your data.
Ensure Maximum Safety
Many physical and digital dangers could corrupt your phone, steal your data, and damage your device. But with proper precautions and a few essential accessories, you can stay protected. Follow these tips to ensure maximum safety for your device and your private information!
