Currently, one of the most widely used mobile operating systems in the world is Android and as a result, millions of people manage their Smartphone day by day and rely on it for virtually all the activities they do, storing thus very sensitive and valuable information in it . Whether it concerns work, study or even intimate data that can be considered vulnerable in case of theft , lost or any circumstance of this type that endangers User privacy . With what they get to be victims of blackmail, scams, identity theft, etc.
In this sense, it is essential that people worry about protecting their mobile phone and in this way, make sure to keep the data contained in it protected. Whereas today, many people do absolutely nothing to support their personal information , even if they keep and expose all their privacy on these electronic devices. So if you are one of them, we recommend that do not continue to ignore this and rather, implement some methods that can help you improve the security of your Android phone >.
Thus, we want to inform you about several procedures that you can perform to keep all the information that you manipulate in your mobile phone guarded , be it emails, conversations in social networks, information regarding your bank accounts and Credit cards, photographs, videos, among others. Therefore, below we present several options for you to select the one that best suits you .
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Steps and methods to improve the security of our Android Smartphone
Luckily, there are many alternatives you have on hand to optimize the infallibility of your cell phone . Here, several steps and tactics you can opt for:
Do not have sensitive information on the mobile
The most infallible method to protect your personal and private life, without a doubt, is not to store it in the Smartphone . Since in this way, your mobile can get lost, stolen or something similar and as much as they look on it, they will not find anything with which they can affect you , since it never existed there. This may refer to passwords of different online accounts , personal or bank details , address of your address , etc.
Indeed, try to manage your mobile for the usual and do not keep in it much important information that ultimately, you should only know you or the people closest to you. So, to avoid, you can safeguard such data in another place where you really know that they are safe and that no one can snoop around.
Use data encryption
Now, if you need to save private information on your mobile, one of the best tools for its protection is data encryption . Because, this perfectly guarantees the security of the Smartphone in case you lose it or for greater danger, it falls into the hands of a thief and you cannot block it remotely .
In this sense, data encryption essentially works to modify electronic data and information to an illegible state through encryption algorithms and tools >.
In order to activate the screen lock on your Android , the process is very simple and well, you must perform the following steps :
- Go to the “ Settings ” menu of your cell phone, to select the “ Security ” section.
- When you are in “ Security ”, select “ Encryption ”. Now choose “ Encrypt device ” and also “ Encrypt SD card ” so that it is fully encrypted.
- Subsequently, enter a PIN, password or pattern and confirm to continue (be sure to remember that password). Finally, click on “ Encrypt phone ” and that’s it.
Download apps only from Google Play
In view of the large number of ways that exist to decrypt people’s electronic data, one of them operates when you get apps from some websites . Therefore, it is appropriate to download and install applications directly from absolutely reliable online stores .
In this regard, we advise you to only download applications in the updated Google Play Store , since they will not be inconvenient for your phone. This, mainly, because the search engine of this platform manages to analyze and eliminate the majority of “solutions” that are finally dangerous or problematic . Which does not happen with other web pages that many times what they offer are amounts of malware of unknown origin .
Similarly, it is recommended that before entering Google Play , access “ Settings ” and the option “ Security ” in your cellphone. To do this, deactivate the “unknown sources” box and enable “ Verify applications ”. These two measures are appropriate for the app store to work more safely .
Use strong passwords
Many people due to lack of time or creativity, do not take care of creating invulnerable passwords but choose to place those that do not present much mystery and are easy to remember. But, unfortunately, they are falling into a terrible mistake , since this gives more field to the evil hackers to decrypt their personal data and access without much problem, the information they store in the Smartphone.
Therefore, we advise you to use keys with a high level of security and do not use digits such as the date of your birth or this type of data that you can easily guess. Thus, it is appropriate to use combinations of uppercase and lowercase letters , along with with numbers and symbols , and also change your password every certain time interval to avoid risks.
It is also essential that use different passwords on all the websites you manage , so they are less likely to access your entire digital life. On Android, you have a useful function to disable the box that refers to the visible passwords , which you achieve by simply going to “ Settings ” and entering the section of “ Security ”.
Beware of application permissions
Another thing that hackers are worth, is the permissions that applications mostly request once they are downloaded to the Google Play store . The most common is to be able to access contacts, calls, WiFi, etc. Therefore, it is valuable that verify well what permissions it is , depending on the program you are installing. Being very important, monitor and control so that they are used .
For example, if it is an entertainment app like a game and it requests access to your contacts folder , is normal . Now, if another application like a flashlight asks for the same thing, you can start to suspect because really doesn’t need it .
Now, for the benefit of Android users, Google Play provides an alternative to “View permissions” . Which, you can observe when you enter the menu of “ Settings ” of Google and thus, see the programs that are activated , where of course you can check it as many times as you want.
Use Smart Lock
The Smart Lock function is one of the best designed for Android, which provides an automatic unlock and thus, allows you to unlock your mobile in an easier way but always respecting in great magnitude the security of your private life . In this way, it gives you the facility to keep the phone unlocked automatically when you are in a trusted place , so in those situations, you will not have to enter your PIN, password or pattern to use it.
To activate this function, first of all you must configure a screen lock . Then, go to “ Settings “, to the “ Security ” section to finally access “ Screen lock “. There, the “ Smart Lock ” option is displayed, so you must activate it. Now, in case you don’t see it in that menu, you must go to the “ Advanced ” section, select “ Trusted agents ” and verify that Smart Lock is enabled .
Always use a VPN connection
It is no secret to anyone that making use of WiFi networks can be a dangerous thing when transferring data , since in a way, it is easy to decipher. Indeed, the VPN applications have emerged that give greater certainty when sharing private content and also allow you to access restricted sources .
Therefore, a good trick to protect all your data is make use of these apps , which although many people consider it a complicated method, it is preferable to take it into account not to be connected to an Internet that can be dangerous.
In this sense, with the best VPN services it is possible to encode incoming and outgoing traffic , in order to share your information with much more security. Now, to activate it, you simply need to download one of these apps (especially the most recognized ones) and then enable it from the Settings menu , accessing “ Wireless connections ” and by Last to “ VPN Settings ”.
Do not use open Wi-Fi connections span>
As we mentioned in the previous method, it is not safe to use WiFi connections to share sensitive data through your Smartphone, and much less if it’s those that are open to the public . This is why, we advise you to keep the WiFi signal off when you leave your home, for example, so that in this way you avoid that any such wireless network access your data easily.
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Taking into account the large number of hackers with bad intentions that operate today, this is one of the most common techniques used to usurp important information and cause damage . So, it is good to prevent it and also pay close attention to what you share through the Internet network of your home or somewhere “ trust “.
Android Device Manager
It is estimated as the best tool to locate a terminal that has been stolen or lost . This platform has many advantages for Android users and among the most important we can highlight that it is a free app and weighs very little , so it can be used from any device regardless of how new or old is.
On the other hand, it is not necessary to have the app installed on your mobile, since just associate a Google account to it and well, in any of these situations you can locate on the map with that account. You can do this from a computer, another cell phone or through the web browser. So definitely, is an excellent alternative to protect a mobile , in a way.
Remove unused applications
Many times, people download and install applications that, after a few days, stop using and are basically forgotten. Which, is somewhat risky , since one or more of them can be malicious and function as a kind of spy of your personal information.
Indeed, monitor your phone completely and delete apps that you no longer use , especially those that seem suspicious. In this way, this great risk will be reduced .
If you don’t know how to uninstall them, simply go to the “ Settings ” menu and then go to “Manage applications” , from where you can delete data and delete the programs that are not useful in your terminal.
Activate Google two-step verification span >
Most people often believe that this is a function especially for Google and not specified for Android, but it is not so . Since, two-step verification is very well linked to this operating system , in order to enhance the overall security of smartphones.
To enable it, you just have to go to the Google settings on your device and click on “ Google Account ” and then move to the “ Security ” tab, where you must enter the option “ Two-step verification ” and simply follow each one to configure the tool
When using this method, in addition to placing passwords in the apps you use , you have to add a code sent to you via SMS . So without this text message, it is impossible to enter any of your accounts, even if they have knowledge of the password. And although it takes a little time, it is one of the most recommended for greater protection of your personal data .
Update your Android
Another way to keep the security on your phone infallible and thus optimize the privacy of your Smartphone, is update the Android device from time to time. Given that this allows to eliminate certain malware and ultimately to counter the vulnerability of the device in general .
Added to this, it provides the improvement of the functions of the mobile and even allows to improve its execution. Optimizing like this, the speed of the same and maintaining the performance of the battery .
Put a screen lock
Today, all mobile devices have a security mechanism that allows you to place a screen lock to protect your terminal from those intruders who want to sniff your private data. These can be treated from simple passwords or a PIN, to patterns and biometrics , which has been implemented for some time. With which, you further increase the invulnerability of everything you store on your mobile .
If you still don’t know how to set a screen lock, perform the following step by step which is very simple:
- Access the “ Settings ” menu.
- Select the “ Security ” section and then click on “ Location ”and“ Screen Lock ”.
- In“ Screen Lock ”you have several options to select, and you can place the one you like most. Subsequently, the system will ask you to confirm the password you entered and of course, you should do it without errors. That’s it.
Install an antivirus
Taking into account that Android, today, is the biggest focus of viruses , since in less than a year it has led to more than 900,000 threats and therefore, thousands of devices have been infected, it is essential to install an antivirus on your mobile .
In short, these allow to improve its security , safeguarding everything related to bank accounts, addresses, photos and ultimately, very sensitive issues that malicious hackers can use strong>.
In addition, many of these antivirus programs are designed to locate and block your stolen phone immediately , if you lose it or are the victim of a theft; through a map that shows you where the device has moved. Also, if any of these situations occur, delete your personal information so that nobody can use it . They also have remote blocking that whenever you want, prevents access to your private data.