How to improve the security of your Android phone? Step by step guide

Currently one of the most widely used mobile operating systems in the world is Android and as a result, millions of people use their smartphones every day and rely on them for virtually every activity they do, thus storing very sensitive and valuable information. above . Whether it is professional data, studies or even intimate data that may be considered vulnerable in the event of theft , perte or any such circumstance endangering the user's privacy . With what they manage to fall victim to blackmail, scams, identity theft, etc.

In this sense, he is essential that people worry about the protection of their cell phone and thus ensure that the data it contains is 100% protected. Considering the fact that currently many people do absolutely nothing to safeguard their personal information , even when they save and expose all of their privacy on these electronic devices. So if you are one of them, we recommend that you don't keep ignoring this and rather implement some methods which can help you improve the security of your Android phone .

Thus, we would like to inform you about the different procedures you can perform to keep all the information you handle on your mobile safe Whether it's emails, social media conversations, information about your bank and credit card accounts, photos, videos, and more. . As a result, we present you this - below different options to select the one that seems most appropriate to you .

Steps and methods to improve the security of our Android smartphone

Fortunately, there are many alternatives you have available to optimize the infallibility of your mobile phone . Here are several steps and tactics that you can choose to do it:

Do not have sensitive information on your mobile

The most foolproof method to protect your personal and privacy, without a doubt, is not to store it on your Smartphone . Since in this way your mobile can be lost, stolen or something similar and no matter how much they search for it, they won't find anything they can affect you with , because it never existed. This may refer to mots de pass for different online accounts , personal or bank details , your personal address , etc.

In fact, try to manage your mobile as usual and don't keep a lot of important information that, in the end, only you or the people closest to you should know. So to avoid you can save this data somewhere else where you really know it's safe and that no one will be able to snoop on them.

Use data encryption

Now, if you need to back up private information on your mobile, one of the best tools to protect it is data encryption . Because he perfectly guarantees the security of the Smartphone in case you lose it or, for more danger, it falls into the hands of a thief and you will not be able to block it remotely .

In this sense, data encryption basically works to modify electronic data and information in unreadable state thanks to by algorithms and encryption tools .

For' activate the screen lock on your Android , the process is extremely simple and well, you need to perform the following steps :

• Go to the menu » Settings »On your mobile phone, to select the section » Safety «.
• When you go to " Safety », Select« Encryption ». Now choose " Encrypt device " and also " Encrypt SD card So that it is fully encrypted.
• Then, enter a PIN, password or pattern and confirm to continue (make sure you remember this password) Finally, click on " Encrypt phone " and that's all.

Download apps only from Google Play

Considering the myriad of ways to decrypt people's electronic data, one of them works when you get apps from certain websites . Therefore, it is convenient to download and install apps directly from absolutely reliable online stores .

In this sense, we advise you to download only the applications in the Google Play Store updated because they will not pose any inconvenience to the phone. This, mainly, because the search engine of the said platform manages to analyze and eliminate most of the "solutions" that are ultimately dangerous or problematic . This is not the case with other web pages which often offer amounts of malware of unknown origin .

Likewise, it is recommended, before accessing Google Play , to access " Settings "And option" Safety »On your mobile. For this purpose, uncheck the box "Unknown sources" and activate " Check apps ». These two measures are appropriate for the App Store works with greater security .

Use strong passwords

Many people, for lack of time or creativity, don't bother creating invulnerable passwords but instead choose to grab those that don't present much mystery and are easy to remember. But, unfortunately, they fall into a terrible mistake , because it gives malicious hackers more leeway to decrypt your personal data and access the information stored on the Smartphone without too much trouble.

Therefore, we advise you to use passwords with a high level of security and not to use numbers like the date of your birth or that kind of easily guessed data. So it is appropriate whether you use combinations of upper and lower case letters , so only numbers and symbols , and you will change also your password at each time interval to avoid risks.

It is also essential that you used different passwords on all the websites you manage , so they are less likely to access all of your digital life. On Android, you have a useful function to deactivate the box that refers to visible passwords , which you can do just by going to " Settings »And entering the section « Safety ».

Be careful with app permissions

Hackers also use the permissions that apps mostly ask for once they are downloaded from the Google Play Store . The most common is being able to access contacts, calls, WiFi, etc. Therefore, it is important to check the authorizations in question , depending on the program you are installing. Being very important, monitor and control what they are used for .

For example, if it is an entertainment application such as a game and it requests access to your contacts folder is normal . Now if an application of another type, like a flashlight , ask the same, you can start to suspect because they don't have really no need .

now for Android, Google Play users proposes an alternative concerning "Display permissions" . Which one you can observe when you enter the menu » Settings From Google and thus, see which programs are activated , where of course you can check it as many times as you want.

Use Smart Lock

Function Smart Lock is one of the best designed for Android, which allows automatic unlocking and thus allows you to unlock your mobile in an easier way while always respecting the security of your privacy to a large extent . This way it gives you the option to keep the phone automatically unlocked when he is in a place of trust , so in these situations, you will not have to enter your PIN, password or pattern to use it.

To activate this function, you must First of all set up a screen lock . Then enter " Settings ", the section « Safety "To finally access" Screen lock ». There, the option " Smart Lock » is displayed, you must therefore activate it. Now, in case you don't see it in this menu, you have to enter the section » Advanced ", to select " Trusted agents »And check that Smart Lock is activated .

Always use a VPN connection

It is no secret that the use of WiFi networks can be dangerous during data transfer , because in a way, it is easy to decipher. Indeed, VPN applications have seen the day which provide greater certainty when sharing private content and also allow you to access restricted sources .

Therefore, a good tip to protect all your data is to use these apps , which despite the fact that many people consider it a complicated method, it is better to take this into account so as not to be connected to an Internet which can be dangerous.

In this sense, with the best VPN services there is possible to encrypt incoming and outgoing traffic , in order to share your information much more securely. Now, to activate it, you just need to download one of these applications (especially the most recognized) and then activate it from the Settings menu , by accessing " Wireless connections " and finally " VPN settings «.

Do not use open Wi-Fi connections

As we mentioned in the previous method, it is not safe to use WiFi connections to share sensitive data through your Smartphone, and again less if they are the ones that are open to the public . That is why we advise you to turn off WiFi signal when you leave your home, for example, to prevent any such wireless network from easily accessing your data.

Considering the large number of malicious hackers operating today, this is one of the most common techniques used to spoof important information and cause damage . It is therefore good to avoid it and pay close attention to what you share via your home Internet network or in a place where you " Trust ».

Android device manager

It is considered the best tool for locate a terminal that has been stolen or lost . This platform has many advantages for Android users and among the most important we can highlight that it is a free application and that it weighs very little , so that it can be used from any device, no matter how old or new it is.

On the other hand, it is not necessary to install the application on your mobile, because it just associate a Google account well, in any of these situations, you can locate her on the map with this account. This can be done from a computer, another cell phone, or through the web browser. So definitely, it is an excellent alternative to protect a mobile , somehow.

Delete the apps you don't use

Many times people download and install apps which after a few days stop using and are basically forgotten. What is somewhat risky , because one or more of them can be malicious and function as some kind of spy for your personal information.

Indeed, completely monitor your phone and delete apps you no longer use , especially those that look suspicious. In this way, this great risk will be reduced .

If you don't know how to uninstall them, just go to the menu » Settings »Then go to "Manage applications" , from where you can erase the data and remove the programs which are not useful in your terminal.

Enable Google two-step verification

Most people tend to think that this is a function specifically for Google and not specified for Android, but this is not the case . Since, the two-step verification is very well related to the operating system , in order to improve the overall security of smartphones.

To activate it, you just have to go to the google settings on your device and click on » Google Account ", Then scroll to the" tab Safety ", Where you must enter the option" Two-step verification » and simply follow each of them to configure the tool

When using this method, in addition to place passwords in the applications you use , you must add a code sent to you by SMS . So without this SMS it is impossible to enter any of your accounts even if they have knowledge of the password. And although it does take a little while, this is one of the most recommended for better protection of your personal data .

Update your Android