Today’s smartphones are almost equal to computers in terms of utility. Be it storing important files and folders, accessing your work emails or online banking, this handheld device gives you access to anything and everything when connected to internet. Thus, it is of utmost importance that you ensure data security on your smartphone. Interestingly, not many people are aware of the threats to smartphone data security.
In this post we’ll lay out some simple but effective methods to ensure that data stored in your smartphone stays safe.
1: Set a Password
Well, this is pretty basic. All Android, Windows and iOS smartphones offer multiple options to lock your smartphone. No matter whether using a pattern lock or a password, you’ll need to keep it a secret. Also, change the lock from time to time to ensure safety.
2: Be Wary of Public Wi-Fi
Public wi-fi systems can pose serious data security issues. Thus if you have a banking transaction to make or you are downloading a file with sensitive information, it is best not to use a public wi-fi connection. These connections are mostly unsecure and offer a good opportunity for hackers to hack into your system.
3: Do Not Give Out Personal Information
That call or text that looks like it’s from your service provider or bank may be from some fraudster. Refrain from giving out your personal information over a phone call or text, no matter what the person says they are calling from. Here a reverse phone lookup service that can be of huge help. If in doubt, you can simply pull up one of these services and check the ownership of the phone number.
4: Back Up Your Data
This is an important step, but is often forgotten in the hassles of daily life. Backing up all your telephone data, including the contacts, pictures, files and folders, can save you a lot of heartache and hassle in case of a stolen or broken phone. There are many cloud services today that you can use for this purpose and most of them are free for personal use.
5: Download Apps From Trusted Sources Only
Smartphones are definitely not the same without those awesome apps. From maintaining your daily schedules till keeping track of your diet, there is an app for every possible need today. And if you are like us, you probably keep downloading new apps and uninstall the older ones on daily basis. While there is no harm in getting newer interesting app, you must make sure that you are downloading them from trusted sources like Google Play Store only. It is also recommended to check the ratings and reviews of a particular app before hitting the download tab.
6: Log Out From Websites
If you are using your smartphone for banking or for online shopping, make sure to log out from those websites or apps when done. Most shopping websites store the card information for online payments for convenience. However, if you are not logged out of the website, anyone can access the information from there.
These are some simple yet hugely effective ways to ensure data security on your smartphone. Make sure to keep these points in mind and you can enjoy the wide array of utilities worry-free.
