Luckily, I am very careful with all my belongings, even more so with the cell phones I have owned over the years that hurt so much in my pocket. In fact, none of them are broken either. Well, even with these, I generally recommend being careful about possible theft, theft or loss of our Android smartphones.
What preventative measures can we take to prepare for theft or loss? I’ll explain this to you in this little guide: it is important that we are not caught off guard. And our phone has the necessary tools to close it hermetically: they are the following.
Why it is important to be prepared
I’m waiting for Google to press the Android 15 release button to test an anti-theft feature that promises a lot. Until then, I’m continuing to stick to some measures that will prevent a third party can access data as sensitive as that of banking applications.
Just because it hasn’t happened in the past doesn’t mean it won’t happen in the future, so it’s crucial to anticipate that the consequences of losing your cell phone are not uncommon:
- Loss of access to bank accounts: Anyone accessing your mobile could access your financial apps if they are not adequately protected.
- Exposure of personal data: Photos, messages, documents and other private data could fall into the hands of third parties.
- Improper use of messaging applications: Access to WhatsApp, Telegram or any other communication application to steal your identity.
- Access to social networks: Possibility of someone posting or editing content on your social media accounts.
- Risk of fraud or identity theft: Stored data may be used to make fraudulent transactions or to steal your identity.
- Possible sale or use of the device: If not blocked or tracked in time, the mobile can be resold or used by third parties without restrictions.
Fortunately, Google and other companies behind well-known services such as WhatsAppThey provide us with useful settings and functions that I usually activate every time I change my phone.
Applying them will not take you much time, and it is advisable to share this information with our loved ones: we never know when the moment will come when we will be glad we did it.
Let’s start with the basics: setting up a secure lock
For a while, I never added any security to my phone. In fact, it ignored both PIN codes and passwords. The fingerprint also didn’t convince me because it slowed down the unlocking. Now, more consciously, I protect my cell phone with a very long and secure passwordwhich is behind my fingerprint.
He face unlock It’s not bad either, although there are still few Android phones with sensors specialized in recognizing our faces. As a rule, they use the front camera, which is a somewhat insecure method. In the same way, it’s not useless, and sometimes it’s faster than putting your finger on the fingerprint reader.
From here, a hypothetical theft will not mean an instantly open door to malicious third parties. Of course: do not stay here and continue reading, they could breach your security and access the system.
Protecting my accounts is essential
Android and Google go hand in hand. The main developer of the operating system that we use on our mobile requires us to associate a Google account with it. We can say that This is the basis of an Android smartphone: thanks to it we access the Play Store and countless other applications such as Google Maps. Updates also depend on it in part.
And with so much importance to this device, it is advisable to lock it properly. A sufficiently secure key is an absolute necessity: and saying goodbye to using our date of birth or that of a family member as a password is almost a requirement. Maybe you remember better emoticon combination? They have proven to be very secure in protecting accounts.
What happens with the applications? They also contain sensitive and private information. In the case of WhatsApp, where we share all kinds of files, there are ways to protect our account. In fact, if we lose or steal our mobile phone, it would be the same as if our WhatsApp account were stolen.
This is why I recommend enabling the WhatsApp Two-Step Verification: Follow the path “Settings” > “Account” > “Two-step verification” and in a few seconds you will strengthen your account. Thanks to this, WhatsApp will verify our identity from time to time. It is also worth knowing what to do in case of theft.
For the rest, I use the app lock with password. It depends on the manufacturer whether you will have this feature or not. Of course, there are apps you can download to comply with this company. In my case, I rely heavily on Google Authenticator because 2FA Verifier (two-factor or step) for accounts like X (formerly Twitter). Another alternative is so-called vault apps, which hide other apps behind a simple calculator.
Enable Google Locator
As with the iPhone, Google has a powerful tool that locates our mobileproviding its exact location on the card and offering options to lock and even format it remotely.
Is called “Find my device”: It’s a network that brings together all the devices linked to our Google account. And now it also works offline, which is particularly interesting in case of theft: they can choose to deactivate it.
A backup to avoid losing data
As the name suggests, the backups They allow us to restore the contents of a software on a different medium. In the case of mobile phones, there are applications that allow you to export your settings to a file: in this case, it is recommended to keep an updated version in the cloud and what I do. If we absolutely want to keep everything (files, settings, etc.), there are possibilities to make a complete backup.
For the vast majority, fortunately, you won’t have to back up anything: banking, GPS navigation or streaming applications save our data on servers. One of these exceptions is WhatsApp, which, unlike Telegram, does not synchronize chats. Of course, it includes a function to make backup copies using Google Drive as a storage unit. Now, it takes up space inside but there are tricks to avoid going through the checkout.
Speaking of Google, there’s nothing like the backup offered by Google One. Personally, I religiously pay for my subscription at the cheapest rate, both to have space in Gmail and to use the backup tool. For my photos and videos, Google Photos with the automatic synchronizationThere are also alternatives that will meet expectations.
Never lose sight of the IMEI
Besides the functions and settings I have recommended, there are other important aspects you should know: this is the IMEI: This number specifically identifies our personal mobile phone.
If it happens to be stolen, reporting it will require knowing the IMEI of the smartphone. It is also used to associate a remote block if it comes from an operator. Using the search bar in settings you will find the number.
Cover image | Pepu Ricca for Xataka Android
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