Owning a smartphone comes with as much perks as fears. Yes, you’ve saved up for that new iPhone 11 or Samsung Galaxy note 10. Now, your new worry is how to ensure that you enjoy the phone to the fullest without it getting lost or being stolen. Besides the money you would have lost if your phone gets missing, you would also lose personal files, important photos and other things you would have saved on your phone, so guarding your phone jealously goes without question. Here’s how to ensure your phone does not get stolen.
Use a find my phone app
The same GPS and network connections that help your phone find the best nearby restaurants and the fastest way home can help you find and protect that phone should it go missing. To take advantage of this, you need to install a special free app, which works together with a free service that you can use to locate or erase the phone once it’s gone.
Attach a note
To increase your chances of getting your phone back especially if it’s found by an honest person, simply tape a tiny note on the back of your phone with your e-mail address or a work number. This is more like trying your luck. It may work or not work.
Record your phone’s IMEI number
Smartphones have a unique serial number known as an IMEI (International Mobile Station Equipment Identity) or MEID (Mobile Equipment Identifier). Unlike other identifying information stored on the phone’s removable SIM card, these numbers are etched into its circuits and difficult to alter. Your cell carrier already has this 15-digit number on file and may be able to use it to put the phone on a missing phone list.
Back up your photos and videos
You can also back up your photos and videos on any cloud of your choice as far as you have access to the internet. For example, Google allows users to back up all their data on their cloud. Hence, do not forget to do this.
Use a strong screen lock
This is your first and strongest line of defence. Skip the easy 4-digit PIN and instead create a strong password that contains at least 8 characters that include some combination of letters, numbers, and special characters that don’t form recognizable words or phrases.
By Damilola Faustino
