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All your life it is contained in that glass slab in your hand. From emails and private messages to photos and videos of your most precious moments, it’s all there. However, you probably won’t waste enough time to make sure your phone is set up to protect your secrets. This applies whether you’ve had your phone for years or just got a new one from the Black Friday sale.
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This story originally appeared on WIRED UK.
There are a couple of different ways to think about privacy when it comes to your phone. There is the data it collects about your actions and interests, and then there is the protections you can put in place to prevent people around you from accessing the physical device. Both are important and there are easy things you can do to improve each of them.
Before we talk about what you can do to improve your phone, there is the Google problem. The tech giant owns and develops the Android operating system, and is also one of the largest collectors of personal data out there. The company’s business model is based on making money by getting people to click on ads, and the information you provide goes towards that end.
So if you are looking for more privacy in the daily actions you take on your phone, you may want to consider moving to iOS. However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t ways to improve some areas of your phone’s privacy.
Get the basics right
Getting the fundamentals right is the first place to start. These are the things that people in the security and privacy world have been advocating for for years and, most likely, they are the things that you already know and (hope) you already do. The first line of defense in preventing someone from breaking into your phone is a screen lock – a PIN or passcode is better than a pattern swipe.
Beyond that, you should use a password manager to create unique login details for all of your online accounts and make sure that two-factor authentication is turned on for as many of these accounts as possible. Both will limit how easy it is for someone to hack into your account using details that were previously swept up in data breaches.
Automatic software updates must be enabled to correct potential bugs or security flaws in the code that your device runs. For applications, this is done in the Play Store settings, in the automatic application update option. For the broader Android OS, you need to visit the Settings app and look for “system updates” (depending on the brand of phone you have, it may be in different folders). While we are talking about apps, you should also visit the privacy menu in Android settings and check what permissions you have given each app. You may be able to disable location sharing and access to photos and files for many applications. Now that all those parts are out of the way, let’s move on to some of the meatier stuff.
Block your apps
You have a password or PIN on your phone to prevent people from accessing it if it falls into the wrong hands. But sometimes that is not enough. There are times when you’ll want to hand over your unlocked phone to the people around you (show photos to your friends, for example, or give it to your kids to play) and you might want to consider putting some extra locks on the apps you want to be more safe. Unlike Apple’s iOS, Google allows applications to request permission to control other applications. This means that it is possible to lock individual applications with a password.
To block your apps, you will need another app. There are many available on the Android app store, and as with all downloads, you need to be careful what you are accessing. If an app is full of ads, doesn’t have clear privacy policies, or isn’t from a trusted developer, you should probably avoid it. For an app locker, Norton App Lock is a good place to start. It is a trusted security name and allows individual applications or groups to be covered by the same access code.
Hide leaked notifications
Traveling isn’t really an option for many people right now, but there’s nothing more galling than someone looking over their shoulder at public transportation and seeing notifications pop up with the full message contained. It is a sensation that is also repeated when you share the screen with your colleagues and a message full of gossip appears about the meeting you are in.
