Are you thinking about recycling, trading or handing down your mobile device? After first backing up your data, be sure you do a factory reset, so that the new recipient won’t be able to see anything private personal information you left behind.

You should never leave your device unlocked when you walk away from it. However, we all make mistakes. You can alter the amount of time it takes for your device to lock on its own to add an extra layer of protection. Shorten the timer to as short as you are comfortable — less than […]

Your smartphone contains personal data you want to keep private when you dispose your old phone. To protect your privacy, completely erase data off of your phone and reset the phone to its initial factory settings. Then, donate, resell, recycle, or otherwise properly dispose of your phone.

Avoid connecting your smartphone to any computer or charging station that you do not control, such as a charging station at an airport terminal or a shared computer at a library. Connecting a mobile device to a computer using a USB cable can allow software running on that computer to interact with the phone in […]

Nobody holds onto the same smartphone forever. If you use Google Authenticator and you need to transfer permissions to a new device, open your app on the old phone. Select the vertical ellipsis menu in the upper right corner, and then click “Transfer accounts.” Tap “Export accounts.” The app will generate a QR Code that […]

This is your first line of defense in the event of loss or theft. Set your phone to automatically lock after being idle and use a password manager to store all passwords. With just one master password, a computer can generate and retrieve all your other account passwords.