Today, smartphones contain large amounts of information which can be easily used to identify you, together with the fact that smartphones can easily be lost or stolen, securing these devices should be a priority. Both Android and iOS have their own way of tackling device security, iOS gives you a very straightforward route where as Android has a more of a do-it-yourself methodology. Standard and well known security techniques such as pattern locks and PIN codes are all fine and usable but both platforms let you do more for your device security. If you want your friends to stay out of your information or whether it’s sensitive information that needs to be kept private, this is what you need to keep in mind.
Access to the Device:
The foremost thing you need to put into play is the devices lock screen. No doubt the device manufacturers may have created a very interesting and useful interface for the non-secure lock screen but you have to let that go to gain more security. For example with Android, the pattern lock has been part of the platform, however that too may not be the best option for you. If you make your way to your devices security options there you will find a number of ways through which you can lock your device. For the pattern lock, you will be presented with a 3×3 grid of dots and here you can create the pattern which will be used to unlock your device. Though once your device is unlocked everything on your device is up for grabs, and finger marks on the devices screen makes it easier to figure out the pattern to unlock your phone.
In contrast to this, pin or password locking are far more secure but can be a bit of a headache when youre in a hurry to wake up your device. Android 4.0 ready devices are the only devices that support face unlocking. This is probably the easiest way to unlock your phone however it is also one of, if not the least secure. With face unlock, you are required to look at the phone so that the device can learn your face, together with this you can also set up a secondary pass which you will use in the case that the device cannot recognize you. Within the security menu, you also have the option to train face unlock to identify you in different lighting conditions. Though the only thing it takes to easily by pass this device security set up is a picture of you.
With Apple devices, there isn’t such a large variety of options to secure your device with, the most commonly used is the normal pass code. Every time in order to unlock the device this is the pass code that needs to be entered. For those that may be more concerned about their devices safety there is the option to limit the amount of tries that can one can make to unlock the phone. If you switch on the Erase Data option, after 10 incorrect tries to unlock your phone the device resets. You loose everything stored on your phone but then again no one else gets it either.
iOS can also let you push security up a notch by disabling simple pass code in the security menu. With this option turned off you will be able to select a pass code using letters, numbers and special characters. With a pass code that has a combination of different characters it may be a little harder to enter but it will greatly enhance the devices security.
About the Author
Beth Janick has been playing with Cell Phone Spy Software technology for as long as she can remember. She’s from a rare breed of writers that pick up on technology before it becomes popular. Her readers can rely on her for the hottest news from the cellular apps world.
I read a study that on nearly half of the smartphones that are lost, the person who finds the phone tries launching at least one of the phone’s banking apps.
It goes to show: While smartphones are convenient, securing them is more important than ever.