5 Security Tips to Make Your Smartphones Safer

We all worry or should worry about the security of our smartphones. After all, the 'smartphones' are still miniature computers constantly connected to the internet where we install apps, download files and from which we manage almost all our 'online life'. We must pamper our security and privacy, and for this, it is essential to have a series of guidelines that we must always follow. In this article, we provide five tips that will help you be more secure when using your smartphone. They could be summed up, like everything that has to do with security and privacy, in two words: common sense. Also, if your mobile device is infected with viruses or is damaged then going for a cell phone repair, instead of using it that way, is highly recommended. Because using your phone in damaged condition might wipe out all your data. So, are you ready? Below are the top 5 tips to make your smartphones more secure. 1. Do not download applications from outside Play Store or App Store The first tip, and the most obvious, is that you don't download apps from unknown sources. Google Play has a series of filters that analyze all the apps that are uploaded to the store to ensure they are safe and do not carry any risk for users. It is true that it is not a perfect system, but it is much more reliable than downloading a file from a website that you find on the internet. Installing an app on your smartphone from a third-party site is a leap of faith. It can go well or it can be fatal. You run the risk of becoming infected with malware, adware or even a cryptocurrency miner. That doesn't mean you have to have blind faith in Google Play. Always check the developer and the opinions of other users. When in doubt, caution. 2. Check app permissions Does a flashlight or camera application really need to access your contacts or your location? Possibly not. If an application asks you for more permissions than required, be suspicious and don't grant them. If you have already done it, calm down, because you can remove them. To do this you just have to go to Settings> Applications, find the app in question and, in the "Permissions" section, uncheck the ones you don't want to have. A camera application is normal that asks you for access to the camera and microphone, but not necessarily to your location and messages. Remember that "Accept everything" is not safe. Read well and, when in doubt, ask. 3. Avoid connecting to public Wi-Fi networks We agree that connecting to the public Wi-Fi of a subway station or an airport is more interesting than spending our mobile data, but these networks are not secure. These connections are usually not encrypted, and anyone with a basic knowledge of networks can capture all the traffic that circulates through them and see what you are doing. In fact, there are apps that allow you to do it from the smartphone itself. It is better to spend less data than to expose your privacy to anyone with bad intentions. The best Wi-Fi connections are the ones you know for sure, such as those in your home or those in the homes of your friends. 4. Always use different and complex passwords, pins and patterns When you enter a password make sure it is as safe as possible by adding special characters (&, %, $ ...), numbers and letters in upper and lower case. Another option is to use a password manager. LastPass, for example, has a strong password generator and autofill function. Once you start using it, you won't be able to live without it. As far as lock patterns are conce ed, try not to make them obvious. Try to make complicated shapes that use all the available points and, of course, clean the screen after entering it. Fingerprints can reveal your pattern. XG Repair reports that more tha 67% of people use the same passwords and same patterns at multiple places. 5. When you buy a new smartphone, update your phone It is useless to have the best smartphone in the world if it does not receive a single update. Having a mobile with the latest versions of Android and security patches is essential if we want our device to be a 'strong impregnable' for malware. To check which security patch and Android version you have installed on your device, just go to Settings> About Phone. There you will see the model of your device, the OS version and the Android security patch level. The more recent it is, the better.