Current Ways To Protect Your Android Phone (2023)
Android is a popular operating system for mobile devices nowadays. Almost all mobile phones on the market use the Android operating system. It is popular and widely used because it has many advantages, such as being easily customizable and modify it, from aftermarket Custom ROM to overclock possibility.
Besides, the Android OS is available on a wide selection of hardware specifications. It ranges from low-end hardware specifications to high-end hardware specifications.
However, Android also has flaws. One of them is prone to dangerous cyber attacks. The malware usually enters the smartphone through the medium of the application as the entrance for more significant offenses.
OS developers often provide updates to improve the security of the OS. Just not enough to avoid viruses and malware.
Then how to protect your Android smartphone from this malware attack? We have summarized some effective ways or tips to secure and protect your Android device.
1. Keep the system and apps up to date
Google regularly releases security updates periodically, then passes it to the OEM. Ideally, install the update. The new system always makes several security enhancements, including fixes to specific security issues.
2. Avoid rooting your Android devices
Since the Android operating system is a Linux system, it has vast possibilities of customization. It is so powerful that it is also possible for you to lose your data if hackers compromise your system when it’s rooted, because rooting gives the administrator level to do anything to your device. Better avoid it on your daily driver.
3. Only use the official Android store
The Play Store is a safe place to find and install Android apps because Google always monitors the security of those apps to prevent malicious files from being present.
To make sure, you can also do it yourself by scanning through the Play Protect feature. Open the Play Store, select Menu, and Play Protect. After that, you can see the security statuses of the apps installed on your device.
4. Avoid downloading and installing APK from 3rd party
One advantage of using Android is the support for installing apps from outside the Play Store. However, please note that the security of third-party app stores is questionable. The reason is most of the 3rd party app stores do not implement strict quality control, including security problems. Make sure you don’t download and install APK files unless it’s from Google Play store because the APK possibly had been modified and contains malicious code that could put your device in danger.
5. Read the reviews before installation
Another way to tell apps’ safety is to read reviews from other users. This way, you can find out if an app has problems based on other users’ experiences with the app. Also can use this method to ensure that the application has no functionality other than the description.
6. Double-check the app permissions
From Android Marshmallow, users can review the access permissions of an app on the device. This way, you can find out what access the app needs to work optimally. Therefore, be sure to first read the permission of an app before installing it. From that request, you can also specify whether an application requires permission according to its function.
7. Lock apps and lock the device
The privacy and security of data is everything. Make sure you use a password as the screen lock instead of a PIN. Avoid using smart locks or additional security uses such as fingerprints or face recognition are weaker. The hacker or any professional can copy the fingerprint from the glass you used to drink or fool the camera with your photograph. You can also use the app to lock apps. Not practical, but this is an excellent way to protect your Android device from hackers.
8. VPN is a must
A VPN gives you a full online privacy and anonymity protection by creating a private network from a public internet connection. VPNs help to mask your internet protocol (IP) address, so your online activities are untraceable. Most important, VPN for Android services establish a secure and encrypted connections to provide greater privacy and security under the public Wi-Fi hotspot. Most VPN client will use bank-level encryption to protect your traffic, so it’s nearly impossible for the 3rd party to peek at your online activities, let alone steal your credentials.
What is the best way to protect your Android phone?
Google Play Protect is Google’s built-in malware protection for Android devices. Play Protect scans apps in the Google Store daily to verify they remain free from malware. It also identifies and removes malicious apps from the store before they are downloaded onto devices.
Is Android 9 safe in 2023?
If you already have a phone running android 9 then it is okay to continue using it for another year but it is no good to buy a new phone that is stuck at android 9 operating system. Also do not root it or download shady apps if you don’t know what you are doing. Is it possible to update Android 8.1. 0 to Android 12…?
