We’ve discussed time and time again how important it is to maintain good smartphone security. While the basics and fundamentals may not always seem important, they often go the longest way in ensuring you stay safe.
One of those basics is setting up lock-screen protection on your Android device, so you can be sure you’re the only one who can access your phone (you know, just in case you have some sensitive information or other bits of data that you don’t desire others to say). So how’s it done? It’s quite simple, actually, so let’s just jump right into it.
Most people will have one of three different ways to protect their phones from unwanted eyes. There’s some debate as to which ones are more or less secure, though that’s an entirely different story for an entirely different way. For now, it’s important to just know your options:
It’s important to think carefully about each one, and take care to choose which one is best for you. If the password method is too long and clunky, then consider the PIN or Pattern. (Chances are you won’t need THAT much security, anyway.)
Decided on which one to go with? Great! To access these options, follow these brief instructions:
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No matter which option you chose, you should now be asked to enter your pin every time you wake your device. From here, you’ll want to explore different options you have for making it less annoying to access your phone.
Some phones might have even more options for lock-screen security. Most newer phones with front-facing cameras should have an option for Face Unlock, though it might not be as practical for typical usage (for instance, you may have trouble unlocking your phone in low light, and someone with a photo of you could simply use that to unlock it).
Some special phones — such as the HTC One Max — even give you a fingerprint scanner. We won’t go into detail about setting some of these options up in this article, but consult your device’s manual to figure out how to take care of all of that.
Check for settings that will allow you to set a time limit that will keep your phone unlocked until that timer is up. You should also have settings for locking the device anytime the power button is pressed, regardless of what you have the timer set to.
This is useful for those times where you anticipate checking your phone often in a short period of time (for instance, if you’re texting back and forth with a friend), but don’t want to have to use access codes to unlock your phone every single time.
One last thing before we wrap this up — know your Google password. Know it well. If you don’t know it, then go recover your account and set it to something you can remember. This is important because if you ever forget your PIN, password, or pattern, you’ll be locked out after a number of incorrect tries, and your only option to get back in is to use your Google password (otherwise, you’ll have to resort to a factory reset, which wipes all your data).
That’ll do it for you, folks. Whether you need peace of mind that your children won’t call people in your address book or you want to keep prying eyes away from those naughty pictures you’ve been exchanging with your significant other, these tips will help you keep a pretty nice padlock on your phone in the event that it gets into the wrong hands.