Practical Ways to Protect Your Mobile Device

There are millions of Americans who have very special relationships with the various mobile devices that are their constant companions throughout the day. The importance of these gadgets revolves around the varied activities and tasks that they allow us to get done. You can use them to keep in constant communication with your family members and friends. You can also use them to access the wealth of diverse information and other resources that the World Wide Web has to offer. In addition to all of these practical uses, the mobile devices that we hold so dear are increasingly playing the role of fashion accessories. They turn heads. They open eyes. They can even create favorable perceptions of us in the minds of others. However, some of the attention that these devices attract can be quite unwelcome. If you own a high-end mobile device, it’s definitely not outside the realms of possibility that somebody with “sticky fingers” has got their beady eyes on it. Here are some of the things that you can do to ensure that they don’t get their hands on it as well.

 

• Be careful where and when you use it

Unfortunately, many mobile devices are magnets to people who would like to steal them from us. This is why it’s so important that you limit the exposure of your smartphone or tablet to these ever-present threats. You need to carefully assess the environment in which you are before taking out your mobile device and placing it in full view of the people around you. This risk assessment requires that you carefully evaluate the social setting in which you find yourself. Where am I? Who are the people around me? These are pertinent questions that you need to ask before taking your prized smartphone from the bag or case in which you have it housed. Are you at a cocktail party where you’re surrounded by socialites? Or, are you in-transit through a part of town with a high street-crime rate? Of course, there are occasions on which the need to expose and use your mobile device overrides any possible safety concerns. (It’s only natural that emergencies will crop up from time to time.) However, as a general rule of thumb, it’s always better to be underexposed rather than overexposed.      

 

• Always ensure that you lock it

Your mobile device’s hardware is obviously very valuable. However, the software and data that’s stored on it is oftentimes even more precious than the beautiful case or shell that you’re able to see. Locking your mobile device is one of the simplest strategies that you can employ to protect the information that you’ve saved. By simply setting up a password or personal identification number (PIN), you’ll be able to restrict access to your data by anyone who isn’t able to input the login credentials required. This initial line of defense can be very effective in a situation where your smartphone or tablet is lost or stolen. Specifically in instances where your gadget is lost, it can prove a solid enough barrier to keep out opportunistic priers. The average person who finds such a locked device might not be inclined to go through the hassle of cracking the access codes and other defenses that you’ve put in place. (Of course, you’re not likely to be so lucky if your device is stolen by a professional whose sole intention is violating the integrity of your personal data.)         

 

• Utilize security apps and services

It’s a very good idea to use the various security apps available on the market to protect your mobile device and the data that’s stored thereon. In fact, in today’s world, it would be foolhardy not to do so. The fact that there are so many threats floating around demands that you utilize all the security resources which are at your disposal. These resources include a wide range of apps that can deploy an additional layer of protection around your smartphone or tablet. Apps such as Find My iPhone and Android Device Manager allow you to use your online account or another mobile device to initiate a raft of security protocols in these worrying situations. Here are some of the protective functions that you can perform once they’re installed on your gadget:

 

 

• Track your device

Many of these apps allow you to use GPS to track your phone or tablet. You’ll literally be able to look on a map and see where your device is located in real-time.  

 

• Reset your PIN

The ability to remotely (and repeatedly) reset your device’s password can give you the upper hand against someone who’s trying to gain unauthorized access to the data that you’ve stored on it.  

 

• Erase your data     

There are rare situations in which your device becomes unrecoverable. When all else fails, you still have the option of erasing (wiping) all the data that you’ve stored on the smartphone or tablet. That’ll eliminate any chance of your sensitive data falling into the wrong hands.

 

There are numerous measures that you can employ to boost the level of protection around your mobile device. Some of these are quite simple and easy to deploy.  

 

Practical Ways to Protect Your Mobile Device