The Only Guide You Need To Keep Your Smartphone Safe

People always make a big deal about keeping your computer safe, keeping your computer clean, keeping your computer secure. You may have installed antivirus software, enabled your firewall, or taught yourself how to avoid misleading advertisements online.

As the new digital age continues to create better technology, hackers and scammers find new ways to trick us. The smartphone is now no exception to this rule. With all your chatlogs, personal information, and payment information stored onto such a small device, you must learn to protect your phone as you would your computer.

Here are some quick and easy ways of keeping your phone safe from vicious attacks:

Know where you Smartphone is at all Times -

Easy enough, right? But when you go out as much as you do, to work, to recreational events, to parties, it’s understandable that you may have left your phone on the counter or your desk or the gym.

If you lose your iPhone, you can use Apple’s “Find My iPhone” app to locate it. Simply install this app on another iOS device (iPhone, iPod, iPad) and log in with your ID.

Now you can see where your iPhone is on a map, note when it was last used, lock it, and erase all its data, if necessary. There is also a “Lost Mode” which locks your device with a passcode and displays a contact phone number on the lock screen.

Similarly, Google has created a “Where’s my Droid” app that will help you track down your Android. It can make your phone play loud sounds to locate it within the house, turn on GPS to track it on Google Maps, and much more.

The Lockscreen is your First Line of Defense -

This is a simple way of keeping your smartphone safe, yet many users still fail to enable this protective feature.

Moreover, you can set your smartphone to erase its data after a several failed attempts. On the iPhone, go to Settings > General > Password Lock > and turn on Erase Data.

Free apps such as Autowipe will also allow you to take control of your smartphone’s lockscreen settings.

 Double-check the Apps you Install -

This is another simple way to keep your data safe. The trustworthy apps are almost always backed up with user reviews and stars. Also keep a tab on the seller.

The seller should stay consistent with the product being provided. Expect Amazon to be the seller of Kindle, Google to be the seller of Google Maps, Popcapto be the seller of Plants vs. Zombies.

Virus Scan your Android -

If you’re an Android user and you don’t pay careful enough attention to the third-party apps you install onto your phone, you may be susceptible to attacks and viruses. Luckily, Google Play has many popular antivirus apps available for use:

AVG	Lookout Security	Mobile Security	Dr. Web

What about my iPhone? Because Apple is extremely strict about what is available on its app store, you don’t have to break a sweat. Just be careful you don’t accidentally open a shady email or text message.

Turn off Unnecessary Phone Features -

Bluetooth, Location Services, NFC, and even Wi-Fi and Cellular Data should be off whenever you don’t have it in use. This keeps hackers from finding you at all. Bluetooth is extremely good at constantly broadcasting your location. As an added bonus, turning off these phone features also will conserve your battery life.

If you keep these easy tips in mind and install the proper apps to protect your phone, you will greatly reduce the chances of an attack. In this technology-crazy world, the chances of hackers finding you are ever increasing, but you can still do an excellent job of protecting yourself.

Outsmart your hackers by staying ahead of the game!