Tips‌ ‌and‌ ‌Tricks‌ ‌to‌ ‌Keep‌ ‌Your‌ ‌Mobile‌ ‌Phone‌ ‌Safe‌

Keeping your mobile phone safe isn’t an option anymore, it’s a necessity. Especially since most of us store our entire lives on our mobile phones – that includes photos, sensitive personal data, saved passwords, and much more. Read our five quick tips to secure your phone right now and maintain your privacy.

  • SECURE YOUR LOCK SCREEN

It might seem like a simple step, but surprisingly, a lot of people still choose to keep their phones unlocked. But the extra few seconds it takes to unlock your phone with a passcode are completely worth it.

Most phones come with various layers of lock screen security, usually involving face or fingerprint recognition and a sequenced passcode. I’d recommend choosing all three. The best security is obviously the face and fingerprint recognition because, well, there’s no one else with your unique features, is there? But if you don’t want to go that far, at least install a 6-digit passcode. And make sure it’s not something easy to guess, like your birth date, please.

  • CREATE BULLETPROOF PASSWORDS 

It goes without saying that passwords need to be unbreakable. Don’t be the person that chooses ‘password’ as their password. And don’t have the same password for every app either, that’s just common sense. Your phone can actually check for repeated passwords for you (if you’re using an iPhone and iCloud Keychain), so you can change them.

When signing up for a new app or website, your phone usually offers a suggested password that is highly secure. Use this if you can’t think of one yourself. It usually remembers the passcode for you, so you don’t have to.

Make sure you have a clearout every couple of months and refresh your passcodes because changing them regularly is just as important as choosing ones that are tough to crack.

  • CHANGE YOUR LOCATION SETTINGS

Check all the permissions on your different apps to see how much you’re really sharing. Rather than just flicking through T&Cs when you sign up for an app, actually, look at what data it wants from you.

A lot of apps request to use your location either while using the app or, in some cases, all the time. Why? No one really knows, but it’s best to turn it off for ultimate safety. They also use cookies to track your habits elsewhere on your phone, including your search engine history, which can be shared with third parties you know nothing about.

  • USE A VPN

The best way to keep your phone secure is with a VPN. A VPN encrypts and hides all of your phone’s data, which not only makes it untouchable by snoopers, but they actually can’t even see it to get access to it. It’s like you don’t exist on the internet.

A VPN sends all of your data – including search history, personal details, and passwords – through an encrypted tunnel separate from all other internet traffic, which keeps your device on lockdown. And they offer tons of other benefits, too, including increased internet speeds and the ability to access other Netflix libraries around the world.

  • AVOID PUBLIC WIFI NETWORKS 

Logging onto a public WiFi with no phone security is basically like a free meal for data thieves and hackers. It’s easy to get into your phone and steal your data or install malware on your device.

Change your phone’s settings to make sure it doesn’t automatically connect to public WiFi networks without your permission. Otherwise, you’re simply sending all of your information over a network for anyone to access. And always be wary when you do connect.