Your phone and laptop hold more of your life than any wallet ever did. A few minutes of setup turns a lost or stolen device from a crisis into an annoyance.
Set a lock that actually locks
Start with a screen lock. Use a passcode of six digits or more, or a longer phrase, rather than a four-digit PIN or a simple swipe pattern. Then turn on fingerprint or face unlock. Biometrics are convenient, and they mean you can use a strong passcode without typing it all day.
Turn on automatic updates
Most updates are not new features. They are security fixes that close holes attackers already know about. When you delay them, you stay exposed on purpose. Switch on automatic updates for your operating system and your apps so this happens quietly in the background.
Make a lost device findable and wipeable
Every major phone maker has a built-in find-my-device feature. Turn it on now, while the phone is in your hand. It lets you locate the device on a map, make it ring, lock it remotely, and erase everything from a distance if it is truly gone.
- Screen lock set to a passcode of six digits or more
- Fingerprint or face unlock switched on
- Automatic updates enabled for the system and apps
- Find-my-device turned on, with remote lock and remote wipe
Keep a backup you can trust
If you can wipe a lost phone without losing your photos and contacts, wiping it becomes an easy decision. Turn on an encrypted backup, either to your device maker’s cloud service or to your own computer. Encrypted simply means the backup is scrambled so only you can open it.