Something that takes you to a different space of the working system will nonetheless require authentication, after all, however the easy on-off tiles might be tapped and toggled by anybody who’s holding the telephone.
Most of the time, that’s an added comfort. Say you need to flip in your telephone’s Bluetooth for a quick connection, as an example, or flash in your flashlight to search out that stray tacky poof that slipped out of your sticky grabbers and fell onto the ground. With the ability to do these issues with a pair fast faucets and with out having to unlock your telephone can actually be useful.
On the identical time, although, it might additionally permit somebody else to do one thing like change your telephone’s sound settings, disable its Wi-Fi connection, and even put it into airplane mode. And in the event you’re actually aiming for the tightest safety obtainable, you in all probability don’t need that kind of stuff to be potential.
Right here’s the excellent news: Should you’ve bought a tool with a fairly latest Android model, you possibly can take management and switch not less than some of these controls off within the lock display atmosphere. With Android 12 and up, march into the Show part of your Android settings and faucet “Lock display.” Flip the toggle subsequent to the “Use machine controls” possibility into the off place, then make a celebratory squawking sound and get your self a soda.
With Samsung telephones, you’ll as a substitute want to go into the Lock Display part of your settings and faucet the road labeled “Safe lock settings.” There, you’ll discover an choice to “Lock community and safety,” which prevents any network-related toggles from being utilized in that context.
Android safety setting #9: NFC safety
Whereas we’re eager about your lock display, take two seconds to safe any digital switch mechanisms related to your telephone and ensure they’re obtainable solely when your machine is unlocked.
It’s one of the obvious-seeming Android settings, and but, in the event you don’t actively allow it, it gained’t be current — and the whole lot from bank cards to regionally saved information may very well be considerably extra prone to theft because of this.
This feature’s current solely in Google’s core Android software program and not, sadly, in Samsung’s closely modified implementation of the working system.
Should you’ve bought a Pixel or one other telephone that’s utilizing a extra unadulterated Android setup, although, search your system settings for NFC and search for the road labeled “Require machine unlock for NFC.” Flip the toggle subsequent to it into the on place, then relaxation straightforward figuring out no method of wi-fi switch can happen when your machine is locked.
Android safety setting #10: Lengthen Unlock
Safety is barely helpful in the event you truly use it — and given the additional degree of inconvenience it usually provides into our lives, it’s all too straightforward to let our guards down and get lazy after some time.
Android’s Lengthen Unlock characteristic (often called Good Lock till Google lately renamed it to drive us all fully batty) is designed to counteract that tendency by making safety a teensy bit much less annoying. It may possibly allow you to routinely hold your telephone unlocked everytime you’re in a trusted place — like your private home, your workplace, or that weird-smelling restaurant the place you eat barbeque sandwiches nearly disgustingly usually — and even while you’re related to a trusted Bluetooth machine, like a smartwatch, some earbuds, or your automotive’s audio system.
JR Raphael, IDG
The precise placement of this method can differ significantly, so the best factor to do is to go looking your system settings for the phrase lengthen to search out it and discover all of the obtainable potentialities.
And in the event you ever discover the Trusted Locations a part of Good Lock Lengthen Unlock isn’t working reliably, by the way in which, right here’s the 60-second repair.
Android safety setting #11: Two-factor authentication
This subsequent one’s technically a Google account safety possibility and never particular to Android, however it’s very a lot related to Android and your total smartphone expertise.
You recognize what two-factor authentication is by now, proper? And also you’re utilizing it in all places you possibly can — particularly in your Google account, which might be related to all kinds of delicate information? RIGHT?!
Should you aren’t, by golly, now’s the time to begin. Hustle over to this official Google 2FA settings web page and comply with the steps to set issues up.
For most individuals, I’d advocate utilizing your telephone’s personal “Safety Key” possibility because the default methodology, if it’s obtainable, adopted by “Google prompts” and an authenticator app as secondary strategies. For that final half, you’ll must obtain and arrange an app like Google’s personal Authenticator or the extra versatile Authy to generate your sign-in codes.
Should you actually need to take your Google account safety to the max, you can too go a step additional and arrange a Google passkey in your telephone for even stronger safety — or buy a particular standalone {hardware} key that’ll management the method and be required for any profitable sign-in to happen.
It’ll add an additional step into your sign-in sequence, however that is one space the place the minor inconvenience may be very a lot well worth the tradeoff for enhanced safety.
Android safety setting #12: Identification Verify
Other than all of the steps we’ve taken to safeguard preliminary entry to your machine, a comparatively latest Android safety addition can create an additional layer of safety in entrance of your telephone’s most delicate system settings.
It’s referred to as Identification Verify, and it’s a easy toggle that requires further biometric authentication earlier than accessing areas like passwords and your major machine password or PIN. It’ll solely ask for that further authentication in the event you aren’t in a recognized, trusted location. There’s actually no motive not to allow it.
So search your system settings for Identification Verify, faucet the related possibility, and flip its toggle into the on and lively place. It’s one other small piece of a sprawling safety puzzle, and all of those little items completely do add up.
Android safety setting #13: Lockdown mode
Supplied you’re utilizing a telephone with Android 9 or larger (and in the event you aren’t, switching over to a present telephone that truly will get lively software program updates ought to be your prime safety precedence!), an Android setting referred to as lockdown mode is nicely price your whereas to research. As soon as enabled, it provides you a straightforward solution to briefly lock down your telephone from all biometric and Lengthen Unlock safety choices — that means solely a sample, PIN, or password can get an individual previous your lock display and into your machine.
The thought is that in the event you had been ever in a state of affairs the place you thought you may be compelled to unlock your telephone along with your fingerprint or face — be it by some kind of legislation enforcement agent or simply by a daily ol’ hooligan — you would activate the lockdown mode and know your information couldn’t be accessed with out your express permission. No notifications will ever present up in your lock display whereas the mode is lively, and that heightened degree of safety will stay in place till you manually unlock your telephone (even when the machine is restarted).
The trick, although, is that on sure telephones — together with most Samsung Android gadgets — you need to allow the choice forward of time to ensure that it to be obtainable. To substantiate that it’s activated in your machine, open up your Android settings, seek for the phrase lockdown, and ensure the toggle alongside “Present lockdown possibility” is ready to the on place.
Should you’re utilizing a present telephone and don’t see any outcomes for that search, the choice might be simply routinely enabled — and also you shouldn’t must do something to make it obtainable.
Both means, as soon as the system’s up and operating, it’s best to see a command labeled both “Lockdown” or “Lockdown mode” inside the usual system energy menu — the factor that pops up everytime you press and maintain your telephone’s energy button (or press and maintain the facility button and volume-up button collectively, on sure gadgets).
Optimistically, you’ll by no means want it. However it’s a superb added layer of safety to have obtainable, simply in case — and now you know the way to search out it.
Android safety setting #14: App pinning
One among Android’s most sensible settings can also be considered one of its most hidden. I’m talkin’ about app pinning — one thing launched means again in 2014’s Lollipop period and barely talked about since.
App pinning makes it potential so that you can lock a single app or course of to your telephone after which require a password or fingerprint authentication earlier than the rest might be accessed. It may be invaluable while you cross your telephone off to a buddy or colleague and need to ensure they don’t by chance (or perhaps not so by chance) get into one thing they shouldn’t.
To make use of app pinning, you’ll first must activate it by opening that trusty ol’ Safety & Privateness part in your Android settings after which discovering the road labeled “App pinning,” “Display pinning,” or presumably “Pin app” or “Pin home windows.” (You’ll in all probability must faucet a line labeled “Superior settings,” “Extra safety settings,” “Extra safety & privateness,” or “Different safety settings” to disclose it.) Faucet these phrases, no matter they’re in your particular machine, then flip the characteristic on (by way of both the “App pinning” or “Permit apps to be pinned” possibility) and likewise make certain the toggle to require authentication earlier than unpinning is activated inside that very same space.
Then, the following time you’re about to position your telephone in another person’s grubby grabbers, first open up your system Overview interface — both by swiping up from the underside of your display and holding your finger down, in the event you’re utilizing Android’s gesture system, or by urgent the square-shaped button, in the event you’re nonetheless hangin’ onto the old-school three-button nav setup.
On any telephone operating fairly latest software program, you’ll then faucet the icon of the app you need to pin, instantly above its card in that Overview space. And there, it’s best to see the Pin possibility.
JR Raphael, IDG
When you’ve tapped that, you gained’t be capable to change apps, return to your private home display, take a look at notifications, or do the rest till you exit the pinning and unlock the machine. To do this, with gestures, you’ll swipe up from the underside of your display and maintain your finger down — and with the previous three-button nav setup, you’ll press the Again and Overview buttons on the identical time.
Android safety setting #15: Visitor Mode
If you wish to go a step additional and let another person use all components of your telephone with out ever encountering your private info or with the ability to mess something up, Android has an unbelievable system that’ll allow you to do exactly that — with subsequent to no ongoing effort concerned.
It’s referred to as Visitor Mode, and it’s been round since 2014, although most folk have fully forgotten about it. For an in depth walkthrough of what it’s all about and how one can put it to make use of, see my separate Android Visitor Mode information.
Simply word that you probably have a Samsung telephone, that information gained’t do you a lot good — as Samsung has for no obvious motive opted to take away this normal working system factor from its software program (insert tangentially associated soapbox rant right here). On Google’s personal Pixel telephones and most different Android gadgets, although, it’ll take you all of 20 seconds to arrange and prepare.
Android safety setting #16: Discover Hub
Whether or not you’ve merely misplaced your telephone round the home or workplace otherwise you’ve truly misplaced it out within the wild, all the time keep in mind that Android has its personal built-in mechanism for locating, ringing, locking, and even erasing a tool from afar.
Like Play Defend, the Android Discover Hub (previously Discover My Machine) characteristic ought to be enabled by default. You can also make positive by looking your system settings for Discover Hub after which double-checking that the toggle subsequent to “Permit machine to be situated” inside that space is activated.
(Utilizing a Samsung telephone? Samsung offers its personal superfluous, redundant service referred to as Discover My Cellular, however the native Google Android model will carry all of your gadgets — not solely these made by Samsung — collectively right into a single place, and it’s additionally rather more versatile in how and the place it’s capable of work.)
When you’ve confirmed the setting is enabled, in the event you ever want to trace your telephone down, simply go to android.com/discover from any browser. There’s additionally an official Discover Hub Android app, you probably have one other Android machine and need to hold that operate standing by and prepared.
So long as you’re capable of signal into your Google account, you’ll be capable to pinpoint your telephone’s final recognized location on a map and handle it remotely in a matter of seconds.
Discover Hub is a improbable useful resource to have — however in sure conditions, you would possibly get a lacking telephone again even quicker with the assistance of a fellow hominid.
Give folks an opportunity to do the correct factor by including an emergency contact that may be accessed and dialed with a couple of fast faucets out of your telephone’s lock display. To begin, go to both the About Cellphone part of your Android settings or the Security & Emergency part, you probably have it, after which discover and faucet the road labeled both “Emergency info” or “Emergency contacts.”
Comply with the prompts there so as to add in an emergency contact — a detailed buddy, member of the family, important different, random raccoon, or no matter is sensible for you. (Hey, I’m not right here to guage.)
JR Raphael, IDG
Straightforward peasy, proper? Nicely, nearly: The one problem is that the emergency contact information isn’t precisely apparent or easy to search out on the lock display — go determine — so anybody who picks up your telephone may not even discover it.
However wait! You possibly can enhance the chances significantly with one further step: Head into the Show part of your settings and faucet “Lock display” (which can be hidden inside an “Superior” subsection, relying in your machine), then faucet the road labeled “Add textual content on lock display.”
Nonetheless you get there, as soon as you end up dealing with a clean area for textual content enter, enter one thing alongside the traces of: “Should you’ve discovered this telephone, please swipe up after which faucet ‘Emergency’ and slide the bar alongside ‘Emergency information’ to inform me” (or no matter particular directions make sense for the required steps on your particular machine).
That message will then all the time present up in your lock display — and as an added bonus, if there’s ever an precise emergency, you’ll be prepared for that, too.
Utilizing a Samsung telephone? For no obvious motive (sensing a theme right here?), Samsung has eliminated the direct emergency contact system and as a substitute affords solely the flexibility to position plain textual content in your lock display. You will discover that, although, by making your means into the Lock Display part of your system settings and searching for the road labeled “Contact info.”
You possibly can then sort your emergency contact information instantly into that space and hope that somebody finds it and dials it from their very own telephone if the state of affairs ever comes up.
Android safety setting #18: Theft detection
Our subsequent 4 Android safety settings revolve across the worst-case state of affairs of somebody intentionally swiping your machine after which making an attempt to get on the information — whether or not yours or your organization’s — that’s saved inside it.
As of October 2024, Google’s added a trio of recent Android theft detection security measures which can be designed precisely with this chance in thoughts. The primary, Theft Detection Lock, depends on a mixture of your telephone’s sensors and AI to determine motions generally related to a telephone being forcefully stolen.
If such actions happen, Android immediately and routinely locks the machine in your behalf.
The choice ought to be current on all Android gadgets operating 2019’s Android 10 software program and better. To seek out it, head into the Safety & Privateness part of your system settings, faucet “Machine unlock,” and search for the “Theft safety” part inside that space. In Samsung’s Android implementation, you’ll as a substitute go into the Safety & Privateness part after which faucet “Misplaced machine safety” adopted by “Theft safety.”
JR Raphael, IDG
Nonetheless you get there, faucet that line — then make certain the choice for “Theft Detection Lock” is on and lively to allow the added safety.
Android safety setting #19: Offline locking
Going hand in hand with that Theft Detection Lock possibility is one other comparatively new Android safety characteristic referred to as Offline Machine Lock.
It appears to be like for on-screen behaviors that make it seem like a telephone’s fallen into the improper palms — like an unusually lengthy interval of Wi-Fi and cell information disconnection or a sequence of failed makes an attempt at getting previous your lock display. And if any such exercise is detected, it routinely locks the machine to maintain any intruders out.
This feature is in that very same “Theft safety” part of Android’s Safety & Privateness settings. All you’ve gotta do is activate it.
Android safety setting #20: Distant locking
One final late-2024 addition to the Android safety image is one thing Google calls Distant Lock. It’s basically an additional solution to manually and shortly lock down your machine from afar with out having to make use of the full-fledged Android Discover Hub system we went over a second in the past.
As soon as extra, look in that “Theft safety” menu to search out and allow the characteristic.
Android safety setting #21: SIM card safeguard
In case your telephone ever falls into the improper palms and its finder has less-than-honorable intentions, you need to do something you possibly can to maintain that particular person from with the ability to take over the machine solely.
And also you’d by no means realize it, however Android has an often-off-by-default possibility designed to guard you in precisely that means. Or, not less than, some Android gadgets do.
Begin by looking your system settings for SIM. Relying in your machine and your particular configuration, you would possibly see a few totally different choices seem within the outcomes — something from “Verify SIM deletion” to “Lock eSIM settings” or “SIM lock.” Should you see any of these choices, faucet ’em after which comply with the next steps to safe that SIM.
It’s nearly shockingly straightforward to deal with — as long as you’ve the foresight to guard your self earlier than the necessity truly arises.
Android safety setting #22: The safety supermode
Final however not least, if you end up wishing there have been only a single easy change that may allow all of probably the most advisable maximum-protection Android safety settings for you in a single fell swoop, this last possibility is precisely what the nerd physician ordered.
It’s a sweeping safety possibility referred to as Android Superior Safety, and it’s obtainable as of Google’s 2025 Android 16 replace.
With Superior Safety, you fairly actually simply flip one change, and your machine routinely prompts a slew of safety settings for you — together with many (however not all!) of the choices we’ve simply gone over.
You will discover the choice by looking your system settings for Superior Safety.
Flipping the change inside that part is a robust begin. However it’s nonetheless price contemplating all of the particular person choices on this assortment, as among the settings above transcend what Superior Safety will cowl.
Another factor about Android safety …
Now that you just’ve bought your settings optimized and so as, put aside a little bit of time to carry out an Android safety checkup. It’s an 18-step course of I’ve created for the state of safety on each your telephone and your broader Google account — and it’s nicely price doing not less than annually.
One of the best a part of this checkup? It’s fully painless — and in contrast to with most preventative exams, eradicating your pants is solely elective.
Get much more Googley data with my Android Intelligence publication — three new issues to strive each Friday and 6 instantaneous power-ups in your inbox right this moment.
