How To Keep Your New Smartphone Safe And Secure

 

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When it comes to buying a new smartphone, you'll likely just want a simple device that lets you make and receive calls and stay in touch with loved ones and friends through various messaging and communications apps.

As you will have no doubt gathered by now, the best smartphones on the market aren't cheap, and when they get damaged, for instance, they can be costly to repair. Likewise, if a smartphone ever got lost or stolen, they are not cheap to replace if they aren't insured.

If you're going to buy a tech item like a new smartphone soon, it makes sense to bear in mind some tips for keeping your new purchase safe and secure. Take a look at the following inspirational ideas to get started:

Get Your Phone Insured

It doesn't matter whether your new smartphone costs £50 or £500. The last thing you want to do is spend the same amount of money again buying a replacement smartphone if something happens to the one you've purchased.

That's why it makes sense to consider getting mobile phone insurance. Such policies don't cost much, and they cover things like accidental damage, loss and theft.

You'd only have to pay a few pounds each month for your cover, and you can usually claim whether something happened at home or when you were out and about.

It's worth checking if your household contents insurance policy covers mobile phones as you don't want to pay for such cover if you've already got it.

Buy A Protective Case

Most smartphones are of a "slab" design rather than a "clamshell" layout. One thing you'll have noticed about virtually all of today's slab-style smartphones is that they have large glass screens that can easily crack if they get dropped from a height.

Accidents like those happen occasionally, but one practical way to avoid accidental damage to your new smartphone is by investing in a phone case.

There are many different designs and styles on the market, but you should ideally look at ones that completely cover the rear and sides of the phone for ultimate protection.

Install A Smartphone Tracking App

What happens if you misplace your smartphone when you're outdoors? Also, what would happen if your phone got stolen? You'd have to claim on your mobile phone insurance or potentially spend lots of money buying a replacement smartphone in those situations.

Did you know that you can use smartphone apps to track where your device is in case it ever gets lost or stolen?

As this article shows, a simple smartphone tracking app that silently runs in the background on your device can help track where it is, wherever you are in the world. Most smartphones come with built-in tracking apps, but you can use third-party ones too.

Avoid Using Your Device In The Rain

Most of today's smartphones have some degree of protection from water, and a few examples can even survive being submerged in water up to a specific depth for a period of time.

With that in mind, why should you avoid using your new smartphone outdoors when it rains? You might not know it, but some devices have hidden internal markers or dyes that become apparent when they contact water.

Smartphone manufacturers can refuse to repair such devices under warranty as they will claim the damage got caused by the owner rather than through an existing fault that occurred from the factory.

Use Only Genuine Chargers

If you tend to visit family members a lot or even stay over at their homes sometimes, you'll need to charge your smartphone at some point.

When you buy a new phone, you only get a single charger or charging cable, so buying another one you can use whenever you travel makes sense.

However, don't make the mistake of buying a cheap, unbranded charger and the reason is that some generic chargers are unsafe and can be a potential fire hazard. Always stick with genuine branded chargers.

Use Strong Passwords For Your Apps

Last but not least, there will be some services or apps on your new smartphone that will require login credentials to access, such as mobile banking or email.

Using strong passwords for each of those services makes sense to reduce the risk of your login credentials getting fraudulently used by nefarious members of society.

Also, ensure you only use secure Wi-Fi networks when apps or services require you to log into them. Ideally, use mobile data connections instead of unsecured or public Wi-Fi networks for increased password protection.

This is a collaborative post.