Losing a device is never fun. Your losing an essential tool while also possibly putting your data at risk, too. Services like Find My iPhone for Apple and Total Defense Mobile Security for Androidprovide some recourse, since they allow you to remotely wipe the device, erasing its contents and settings so that no one else […]

Side-loading is the practice of downloading applications that have not been sanctioned by the operating system’s official app store. It’s ordinarily not worth the risk, as there’s no guarantee these apps have been scanned for malware. Best to only use the official channels.

Passcodes and facial recognition might not keep a thief out of your accounts, apps and personal media on a stolen phone. We highly recommend wiping the device entirely if you’re sure you can’t get it back. Here’s how to do so on Android: Visit android.com/find. Sign into your Google account associated with your phone’s main […]

Manufacturers issue updates as they discover vulnerabilities in their products. Automatic updates make this easier for many devices—including computers, phones, tablets, and other smart devices—but you may need to manually update other devices. Only apply updates from manufacturer websites and built-in application stores—third-party sites and applications are unreliable and can result in an infected device. […]

The Android operating system has certainly not had the same reputation for security as iOS or desktop systems. Of course, that does not imply it lacks any useful protections, though. On many devices, you can first set up a PIN and then go to Security -> Settings and enable the Encrypt Phone option. Please note […]

For apps that you haven’t used in a long time — or some of the ones that came preinstalled on your device — you may not have ever looked at what permissions have been allowed. It’s worth taking some to check through these to make sure you’re not giving away too much of your personal […]