Android Security: 5 Ways to Keep Your Android Phone Secure

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Mobile security is generally considered to be a boring subject, but neglect it and you might pay the price of data loss, being hacked, and worst of all, e-banking theft.

Huawei has been booted off the Android OS platform because of alleged spying activities through unauthorized ‘backdoors’. Elsewhere, other data breaches, such as phishing attacks happen every day, threatening the privacy and security of Android users.

With Android devices making up the bulk of smartphones in the market today, it becomes very important to ensure the safety of your device at all times – both online and offline.

Here are several ways to beef up your basic defenses.

1 Embrace 2FA for Google accounts

Android devices have been fashioned so that everything in them is tied back to the Google accounts they are registered with. This means anyone looking to go after your data would be very interested in hacking your Google account.

Thus, it is not surprising that the first place we are starting from is the Google account.

Enabling two-factor authentication (2FA) on your accounts means that someone with only your password doesn’t get access to the account if they don’t have the other factor. Many people prefer to receive text messages (which is the most convenient but can also be the least secure) as compared to the Google Titan Bundle Key or the Authenticator app.

You can activate 2FA on your account by following this step-by-step guide.

2 Using a Strong Password

Android phones come with two form of biometric authentication. The phone comes with a fingerprint scanner or bundles a facial unlocking system.

While those are great, they could make you pass setting a strong password.

What you might not have considered is that anyone with access to your phone does not need your biometric details when they can simply crack your password. Their chances of doing that increase with how weak the password is in the first place – emphasizing why you should make it something that is not easy to guess or crack.

3 Disable App ‘Sideloading’

Google made the Play Store available so they could regulate all the apps that go onto your phone. By doing so, they take on the task of ensuring those apps are safe, secure, and do not contain any malicious code that could hurt you.

To keep the platform transparent, though, Google also kept a feature that allows you to install apps from unknown sources.

If you have enabled this feature in the past, now is the time turn it off again.

Called ‘sideloading’, installing apps from sources other than the Play Store means you don’t have any proof of the app being what it says it is. In other words, the app could contain malicious code to spy on you, steal your information, alter your device’s settings, and so much more.

If the app is not on the Play Store, you might be better off without it.

4 Enable ‘Find My Device’

It is never a good feeling when you lose your phone. You have put a lot of time and energy into setting up that phone to meet your tastes and your needs. Besides that, you have also put a lot of files and information on that phone that makes it worth more than what you paid at the store.

With ‘Find My Device’, you might have a shot at locating the unit. If that doesn’t work, though, this feature could be the only saving grace in ensuring your data doesn’t get into the wrong hands.

Google has made it possible to remotely wipe all files on the unit when you lose it. This is important for those who keep sensitive information on their devices. Because you can get most of your files from backups (we’re assuming you have backups enabled on your device), it won’t really be a loss.

Just get another device and resume your Android lifestyle as if nothing happened.

5 Get a VPN

While keeping yourself safe offline, keeping your devices safe while connected to the internet is also as important.

There are different measures by which hackers and unauthorized individuals might get access to your Android phone. Some of these tactics are, but not limited to, browser fingerprinting, man-in-the-middle attacks, rogue Wi-Fi network attacks, and so much more.

There are also companies that will track, monitor, and record your data for either personal use or sale to other companies/bodies. The Facebook and Cambridge Analytica scandal is a prime example.

Fortunately, you can use an Android VPN to encrypt your internet traffic. Coming with a slew of servers which will obfuscate your data anytime you are online, you can always get out of the ever-monitoring eyes of whoever is looking in on your internet traffic.

Wrap Up

Securing your phone doesn’t have to be an expensive or time-consuming project. With the simple tips above, you can keep your Android device safe from the prying eyes of anyone who shouldn’t be looking at your data in the first place.