Keeping Your Smartphone Safe

Date Posted:7 October 2013 

A number of sneaky software developers have create some very exploitative apps that destroy the users’ privacy. Take the Brightest Flashlight Free app people can download from Google Play. Around 50 million Android smartphones have downloaded this app.

The application activates a phone’s camera light when you launch it. But what users didn’t know was that by default it also had permission to display ads, take photos and video and even track a phone’s location, so the creators behind the app could see what users were doing and also where they were at any time.

So apart from not downloading these potentially harmful applications, there are a few more things you can do to safeguard your smartphone.

1. The first thing to do is turn on the screen lock on your phone. It’s in the settings menu.

2. Turn off the GPS and Wi-Fi when you’re not using them. You can turn these off also in the ‘settings’ menu.

3. While iPhone users don’t really have an option for anti-virus apps, Android smartphone users do, and these can certainly provide you with some extra peace of mind. Some free security apps include Sophos Free Antivirus and Security, and TrustGo Antivirus and Mobile Security. Lookout Mobile Security is a good paid app.

4. Be aware that some fake security apps do exist and often try to mimic the names of the apps just mentioned.