Next, we are going to see how to improve security and privacy on Android phones . At present it is essential that we take great care when handling sensitive information. Especially when it comes to Android.
And we say especially not because Google’s operating system is insecure, quite the contrary. But because our private information can be in danger by not taking the proper precautions, something that can happen on Windows, Mac, Linux, Android even on iOS .
To this we must add that it is always important to keep the operating system updated in the same way as updating applications such as WhatsApp , among others. Which are very important and we never recommend removing or deactivating updates for Apps like WhatsApp , even if the option is available.
Increase security and privacy on Android
Don’t save important information
Obviously the easiest way to protect your information is not to save it on the phone itself. What happens is that with a mobile device anything can happen: that it is stolen, lost or that a third party has access to it when you are careless.
Obviously if from your device you have access to: your passwords, banking, email accounts employment data, your home address, etc . The person who has access to the device will have the possibility to see all this information. The best thing would be to save the minimum and necessary data on the phone, nothing more than that.
Use PIN, pattern or password
This is essential if you want to protect your information no matter what. By using a PIN, pattern or password to unlock the phone , no one will be able to access absolutely anything on your device. Unless you know exactly how to unlock it.
Be careful where you download apps from
It can be very tempting to enable Android “ Unknown Sources ”. However, this can pose a security risk since many of the applications that come in APK format which you can download from different websites, may have malware or spyware.
That is why it is essential that you only download applications that are available in the Play Store. Since these are, they must go through a review by Google. Which, without a doubt, gives us greater security when downloading them.
Steps to improve security on Android phones
Improve your passwords
This is a tip that will serve you both for your Android device, as well as for any password you use in social networks, emails, various services, forums, etc. It is very important that your passwords are strong.
It is useless to add a password of the type “123456” or “Monitor” in short, this kind of passwords can be found too easy and fast . Especially if the person who is trying to access our account has some experience.
To have a really secure password, it is essential that it have symbols, uppercase, lowercase and numbers. It can be difficult to remember a complex password, but it certainly ends up being too secure.
Keep in mind for this that there is the possibility of activating the strong password generator in Google Chrome and other similar options on your mobile device.
Application permissions
Generally when we download applications one of the things that we do not pay much attention to is the permissions that they request from us. Generally we just accept and that’s it.
But many applications may be requesting permissions to monitor your activity on the internet, to install extra things or for worse. How do we know when it is suspicious or not ?
The first thing to keep in mind is that, if a social-related app requests permissions to access your contacts, for example, it is quite common for this to happen. However, if a “Lose Weight” or “Flashlight” app, to give two examples, requests access to your contacts, obviously something is wrong.
Although you can also be guided by the comments of other people, the opinions of the Play Store. Generally, if the opinions are few or all are too “short” or not very specific, and to this you add that the permissions requested by the app are not consistent. It would be best not to download it.
