Hackers, malware, thieves, today’s Android users are facing more threats than ever before. As such, your device’s security has never been more important. Here are some of the best practices for securing your phone, along with a few helpful tips that could make your life easier.
Enable Remote Tracking, Locking, and Wiping
The prospect of losing our smartphones, or having them stolen, fills us with dread. For those that don’t lock their devices (something we’ll get to later), it brings the risk of someone accessing their accounts for nefarious purposes. All of which are good reasons why you should use Google’s ‘Find My Device‘ app, which until recently was called Android Device Manager.
Once it’s set up, you’ll be able to locate your handset (providing it’s turned on and has a wireless signal) and ring, lock, or wipe the phone. It’s a feature you’ll be grateful for if the worst ever happens.
Keep Everything Up to Date
It may sound obvious, but you’d be surprised at how many people don’t keep their Android operating system and apps up to date. Doing so means Google can patch newly discovered vulnerabilities in the OS, while devs can remove bugs and secure their applications.
In the Play Store, go to Settings > Auto-update apps and choose to either update any time or Wi-Fi only. To keep Android up to date, search for Software Update in the Settings menu (its location can vary depending on the phone) and make sure automatic downloads are switched on.
Be Careful If Downloading Apps from Outside of Google’s Store
While there are trustworthy third-party websites and app stores outside of Google’s, such as Amazon’s app store, there are those places where downloading software comes with a massive risk. Google works hard to stop malware-loaded apps from appearing in its store, which is why the ‘Allow unknown sources’ option that blocks downloads from elsewhere is disabled by default. Unless you know what you’re doing, you may want to avoid sideloading.
Use a Screen Lock
Probably the most basic yet important security feature is one that often gets ignored. Typing in a PIN code or pattern every time you want to use your phone can be annoying, true, but the hassle is worth it should the device ever be stolen or lost. Plus, a huge number of handsets now come with easy-to-set-up fingerprint scanners, so there’s no excuse not to use the feature.
Go to Settings> Lock Screen and Security > Screen Lock Type to set up the system you want to use. It’s also advisable to activate the ‘lock automatically’ feature, which locks the screen five seconds after it turns off automatically.
Take Advantage of Smart Lock
Smart Lock is possibly one of the most useful yet underutilized Android features. It offers a number of ways to keep a device unlocked, or automatically unlock it without having to use a fingerprint/PIN/pattern. How to access it varies depending on your Android version, but in the latest OS version Nougat, it’s under Lock Screen and Security > Secure Lock Settings.
There are five unlocks method on offer of which we’d recommend you to skip Trusted Voice and Trusted Face, these three are relatively proven to make your life easier, while still having your phone secured most of the time.
On-body detection
When you’re out and about, it’s helpful for your handset to stay unlocked while it’s on your person. This means when you pull the device out of your pocket/bag, or even if you’re carrying it around in your hand, it will be instantly accessible. The system uses the phone’s accelerometer, so it’s not available on every Android device. Once a handset detects it has been set down, it will lock.
Trusted Places
Assuming you live/work with people you trust, or alone, then you might want to consider Smart Lock’s Trusted Places feature. As the name suggests, it allows owners to designate locations where a handset will remain unlocked while it’s in the relatively close vicinity. It works best with a Wi-Fi connection, and Google recommends that high-accuracy or battery-saving location mode is turned on. Trusted Places works on estimates, meaning a device could remain unlocked within a radius of up to 80 meters from a set position.
Trusted Devices
Similar to Trusted Places, this keeps your Android device unlocked whenever it is near a chosen device. It’s most useful when pairing a handset with Bluetooth watches, Fitness trackers, and car infotainment systems. I use it so my car’s ready to play Spotify from my phone as soon as I climb in. Always make sure you’re using a trusted Bluetooth device, though your phone will notify you if it can’t determine that you’re using a secure connection.
Activate Guest Mode
(From our previous tip on little known useful Android features) A less restrictive option for when you need to share your device is enabling Android’s native guest account. The guest profile can do most of the same things as the device’s owner, but the apps on the device won’t be connected to your account, keeping files and messages safe from prying eyes.
Manage App Permissions
Android may be a tad annoying about asking for your default app the first time you open a new type of file and app permissions the first time a certain app wants access to something stored in your phone, but once you’re set up, it’s a blessing when you think about the privacy implications.
For example, Instagram will ask access to the camera, Whatsapp will want to see your contacts, or Waze will ask for location services, however for other less essential functions, you get control about what you want permission to. For example, with very few exceptions I never allow games to access my contacts or other personal information.
Also, you may have missed that the Play Store gives extra information about app permissions, which may come handy before you even install a certain app.
Other Ways to Protect
Enabling two-factor authentication and leveraging Google Authenticator is always a good idea for important accounts. Not connecting to unknown Wi-Fi networks is to say the least a good practice. And lastly, though we’re not big fans of antivirus suites on phones, but you should know there are plenty of paid-for and free options from big industry names like Norton, Bitdefender, Kaspersky, and Avast, along with some excellent lesser-known products such as AVL and, my personal favorite, Sophos.