Security

Your phone is your life. It's got your contacts. Your pictures. Your emails. Your text messages. Things you wouldn't want just laying around in public. And, more and more, your phone contains your company's secrets. Who your company does business with. Strategies. Financial information. Or, perhaps more important, customers' private information.

You need to keep your Android phone safe and secure. We can help.

The good news is we've got more tools than ever at our disposal should something bad happen to your phone or tablet. There's absolutely no reason for you to lose data anymore. Nor is there any reason for you to fear the security of your data should your phone be lost or stolen. And if you're using your phone for work as well as personal business, there's no reason why your company should have to worry that its data is secure.

There are plenty of options.

For personal use, you've got to start by putting a lock code on your phone. Be it a simple PIN, pattern, password or facial recognition, you simply can't afford to have your business spread out where anyone can see it. (In fact, stop what you're doing and check your phone. If you don't have a lock code on it, here's how to add one.) But that's only half the battle. We recommend using a password manager that helps you create and store unrecognizable passwords — gibberish, really — to keep scammers from simply guessing their way in. And then we demand that you start using two-step authentication — a password and a unique, one-time code sent to your phone — for your most trusted accounts. That means Google. That means Facebook. That means Twitter.

You simply can't afford to.

For businesses, you've got things like Samsung's SAFE and KNOX, which help provide walled gardens for apps or data, under company control and completely separate from your personal stuff. That means your stuff is yours, their stuff is theirs, and never the twain shall meet, all on one device. And there are other options, too, from many other providers.

It's an old wives' tale that Android isn't secure. It's only not secure if you don't bother to make it secure. And we'll help you through it.

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