Keeping your Phone Secure

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Our phones have become central to our lives. They have become our photo albums, calendars, wallets, maps and personal bankers. Here are some simple ways of securing this essential part of our lives.

  • Set your mobile to automatically lock after a short time of non-use.
  • Use a strong passcode and fingerprint detection if available on your phone.
  • Keep your phones operating system and apps up to date.
  • Use Apple’s Find my iPhone or Google’s device manager for Android, to help find your phone and remote wipe the data if it’s stolen or lost.
  • Only install apps from Apple’s App Store or Google Play
  • Avoid installing apps from links received in an email, SMS or a websites. The best way to download an app is to go to the store and download it from there.
  • Many apps collect and send personal data from your phone, including your location and contacts. Keep on top of this by reviewing and managing permissions for each app. On an iOS device, this can be done under the ‘Settings > Privacy’ function. On an Android device, you can find them under ‘Application Manager’.
  • Read the terms of any app looking to access your contacts, location or other personal information when you log in using a third party service like Facebook.
  • Rooting or Jailbreaking your phone to install unapproved third party apps weakens the security and leaves your phone susceptible to malware.