In recent times, our smartphones are becoming the hubs of our lives so with that, keeping it safe is one thing we can’t compromise on. Not only safe from theft, but also safe from being appropriated by hackers and here by doing away with our valuable and personal information.
Although being an open source development, Android isn’t that vulnerable as there are many safety measures you can take with your Android phone to keep it secure from shady apps and shady people.
In this article, we will list some simple tips that can help you minimize the risks of your information being stolen and in that case, increase your safety online with your device.
How to keep your Android device safe online.
- Use 2-factor authenticationfor your Google account and wherever possible
Two-factor authentication adds another layer of security when logging into any app, be it e-mail, banking app, or even websites. Google will text you a code when you login to verify your identity. This extra layer of protection on top of your password protects you in case someone has your password. Authenticator apps are also available on all major smartphone platforms. Other types of two-factor authentication do exist as well, so look in the settings of your banking app, shopping, and e-mail hosts for this option to be enabled.
- Don’t play online games with low trust rate.
Games such as Chess, Candy Crush, an online casino, e.t.c are best played online, not only for the fun of competing with nearby friends, you’ll also see high score of your friends when you play games online. While this can be a dose of fun, it can also be damaging. Most of the games require you to login with either your email or Facebook account, this will synchronize your account with the game, doing this in an untrusted game app or games with low security can leave your information or login details open to hacker. We recommend you only play online games from trusted sources like the playstore.
- Download apps only from trusted sources
As we all know, Google works hard to make sure that all apps available on Google Playstore passed stringent policy checks, including checks for potentially harmful behavior. Downloading and installing apps from unknown or untrusted sources can be very risky. Before you install an app from an unknown source, first consider the following:
Is the app coming from a trusted source or a brand? Does it offer a service that could include hidden fees? Is it asking for sensitive information or device permissions you wouldn’t give to a stranger?
If you’re unsure about any of these questions, we recommend that you don’t install the app. If you do install the app, we recommend disabling Unknown Sources again after you’re done.
- Check before you click banners or pop-up notifications
Generally, Ads (Advertisements) are meant to be safe, although most ads are safe, you can potentially affect your device by tapping banners or pop-ups from spywares.
Beware of anything that claims that your phone is infected or asks for your password or personal information or more still, ask you to download an app for some reasons that seemed too good to be true. You could accidentally download unwanted or potentially harmful applications or give someone you don’t trust access to your account.
- Do not save your bank or credit card details to apps from unknown sources
This can be very convenient and time saving for people that regularly shop or carry out various transactions online where credit cards or bank details are required. It will continue to be so until their information gets into the wrong hands. To avoid this, simply don’t save your valuable credentials to suspicious apps or apps with little or no security.
Extra tips
The tips above should help ensure your security online while still providing the convenience online access for your device, below are extra tips on what you can do should things go wrong.
- If you think your Gmail account has been compromised, contact Google to recover your account or check your account’s security.
- If you suspect a malicious or harmful app, quickly uninstall the app or carryout a factory reset if need.
- Avoid connecting to open Wi-Fi as hackers can get into your device when you do this.
- Quickly contact your bank if you believe your information has been stolen or mishandled.
- Report any harmful or malicious apps from Playstore to Google.
- Setup a screen lock for your device and always back up your data to avoid loss of information.
Have your own safety tips you may want to share? you can use the comment box to do just that, it will be very helpful.
