By the second quarter of 2024, Android had a 71.65% percentage of the global market share over IOS. As one of the most widely used operating systems in the world, keeping your data safe on an Android device is more important than ever.
As the digital world continues to evolve and advance at a rapid pace, so does the ever-growing array of online threats out there. However, there are also many ways to keep your Android device safe when in use and in general. Here are some crucial tips to protect yourself and your Android devices.
Use a VPN for Secure Connections
A Virtual Private Network (VPN) helps secure your internet connection by encrypting the data you send and receive. According to tech writer Jacob O’Shea, 60% of Android users have some kind of concern over the security of their online privacy when using their devices. To combat this, he suggests that users browse the best VPN services for Android to ensure they have peace of mind whether using their devices for online shopping, social media, work, play, or just staying in contact with loved ones.
The advantage of these services is that they make it difficult for anyone to track your online activities or intercept your sensitive information. Using a VPN is especially crucial when connecting to public Wi-Fi networks, which are more vulnerable to attacks. To make the most of this, O’Shea recommends choosing a reliable VPN service that prioritizes user privacy as these encrypt your data and secure your internet connection but can also be used to bypass geo-restrictions for access to a wider range of entertainment services.
Keep Your Device and Apps Updated
By ensuring your Android devices and crucial apps are always updated, users can protect themselves against a range of cyber threats. Updates perform a crucial function as they include vital security patches that fix bugs and vulnerabilities on security layers that can be exploited by scammers and hackers.
Setting up automatic updates helps you stay protected without having to think about it or manually perform them yourself for every app. However, users can still manually check for updates by going to their device’s settings, finding the “System” or “About Phone” section, and selecting “Software Update.”
By installing pending updates, users secure their devices against any new threats that may have emerged since their last update. The same applies to apps; developers regularly release updates that fix potential security issues. To update these, users can simply open the Google Play Store and enable auto-updates for all their apps to stay ahead of risks.
Be Cautious with App Permissions
App permissions can become a chore at times for Android users who use a multitude of different apps for various aspects of their lives. As each of these apps may require various permissions to run smoothly and serve their purpose, users are required to constantly grant these for every app they use.
While not every app requires a wide range of permissions to work correctly, granting these permissions allows these apps and their developers the ability to legally access various private areas of your devices. For instance, photo editor apps require permission to access your gallery and can basically view your private photos and videos depending on the extent of the permissions granted to them.
To ensure you aren’t granting more permissions than are necessary, review what each app is asking for before granting access to your device’s data or features. This can prevent apps from gathering more information than needed.
Managing app permissions is easy. Go to your settings, select “Privacy” or “Apps,” and review the permissions for each app. Adjust permissions that seem excessive. Being cautious ensures your data stays safe and minimizes the risk of data misuse.
Use Strong Passwords and Biometrics
Good password habits are among the most important ways for any digital user to stay protected online. In today’s world, we often have snapshots and crucial information about our entire lives stored on our devices. However, despite all the risks Android users are exposed to, a strong password is a simple and powerful way to protect a device.
To make the most of them, avoid common passwords like “1234” or “password.” Create a password that contains a diverse mix of alphanumeric characters to make it harder to guess. Using biometric security features such as fingerprint or facial recognition adds another layer of protection and makes unauthorized access more difficult.
To set this up, go to your settings and choose the “Security” option. From there, you can create or update your screen lock with a password or set up biometric security. For online accounts, a password manager can help create and store complex passwords safely.
Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)
To augment good password habits and drastically reduce the risk of having your Android devices broken into, adding two-factor authentication (2FA) to your online accounts increases security significantly. It requires an extra form of verification, such as a code sent to your phone or generated by an app.
This is used in addition to entering the correct password. However, a simple extra step like this makes it much harder for someone to access your accounts, even in cases where someone has your password.
To set up 2FA, go to the security settings of the account you wish to protect and choose the option to enable 2FA. You can use authentication apps like Google Authenticator or Authy to receive verification codes. This extra layer is particularly important for accounts with sensitive information, such as banking or email accounts.
Install Apps from Trusted Sources Only
Android devices come standard with access to the Google Play Store. With approximately 3.3 million apps on the Play Store to choose from, Android users can rest assured that there’s an app out there for virtually any service they may need or any kind of game they may want to play.
However, downloading apps from sources outside the Google Play Store can be extremely risky. The main perk of only getting your apps from the Play Store is that it has measures in place to verify the safety of apps, reducing the chance of downloading malware or other malicious software. Apps from unknown sources may not have the same checks and could expose your device to threats.
If you must download an app from a third party, ensure that you scan it with a mobile antivirus tool first. Always check the app’s user reviews, ratings, and the reputation of the developer before downloading. This step helps protect your device from potential malware.
Back Up Your Data Regularly
In today’s world, the data stored on our Android devices usually comprise a collection of the most important aspects of our lives. From our private photos and videos to contacts, work info and servers, emails and messages, banking information, and social media apps, losing our data can be a tremendous inconvenience.
In worst-case scenarios, this can even cause massive security concerns for our professional and personal lives. However, regularly backing up your data ensures that you can recover important information if your device is lost, stolen, or compromised. Having backups in place reduces the risk of losing essential files, photos, or app data.
Use cloud storage services or external drives to create backups and enable automatic backup features when possible. This step not only protects your data but also makes it easier to restore your device in case of an emergency.
Conclusion
Staying safe on your Android device requires a proactive approach. Simple steps like using a VPN, updating your software, checking app permissions, and enabling 2FA can protect your data from potential threats. These measures, combined with caution when downloading apps, will help you maintain control over your digital security.
