How to Protect Your Smartphone from Data Theft

Do you have a smartphone? Then you should be a more responsible user. Isn’t it that you use your smartphone to connect to the Internet and access your business email address? If you are not so careful with its use, important data such as company files can easily fall in the wrong hands. Millions of people around the globe own smartphones but not everybody is aware of the threat when it comes to data security.  Be different and exercise these measures to help protect yourself from unwanted access to your smartphone.

Use Phone Lock Feature

Your smartphone offers an added security with its lock function. This can be in the form of a swipe pattern or a series of numbers. This can be annoying at times since you will have to enter the code every time you will be using your phone. Once you get used to it, it will not be such a bother. This can be helpful since your smartphone will be rendered useless if a thief gets ahold of it. You also protect your email and other online accounts such as social media accounts. For added protection, you can also place a lock on your SIM card just in case. This will help protect the data stored in it if the thief tries to insert it in another phone.

Choose Applications to Download

If you are using a smartphone running oniOS, then you can rest easy knowing that the Apple Company screens all of its applications found on the Apple App Store such as RingCentral services. However, the same cannot be said if you will be using the likes of Google Play Store. Applications require permissions of some sort and it gives the application a peek on the data found in your smartphone. This means that if you choose to download malicious applications, you are risking the security of the data found in your smartphone. Do your research first and find out if the application is legitimate.

Don’t Ignore Updates

 Updates can be annoying because they sometimes disrupt your work. However, these are essential when it comes to your smartphones because smartphone technology is still not perfect. The makers of Android and iOS are constantly seeking means and ways to help improve your experience and add security to your smartphone. Every now and then, there are viruses that circulate and the developers of smartphones are issuing updates to help protect you from data theft.

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Limit Your Use of Wi-Fi, GPS and Bluetooth in Public

GPS, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connections are routes that can be used to access your phone. It can be very tempting to connect to a restaurant’s free Wi-Fi connection especially if you are spending the afternoon alone and have nothing better to do with your free time. However, your smartphone may already be under attack by malicious content without your knowing. It is better to use your own data mobile connection instead of trusting an unknown hotspot. Use GPS, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi features only if necessary.

Download a Locator Application

There are applications that can track the location of your phone once this is lost. If your smartphone is turned on, the device’s signal will show you its exact location. There are real instances where thieves were put behind bars because police were able to trace them with these types of applications. Applications like Lookout for Android and Find My iPhone for iOS have a feature where you can remotely erase the data found in your smartphone before these can be read by the thief. Even if you may not get your phone back, at least you can sleep knowing that nobody will be seeing the personal data in