Personal Mobile Safety

• Set your web browser to private or incognito mode so that pages you visit don’t appear in your history (note: if there is spyware on your phone, browsing is never secure).
• Create a strong, easy-to-remember passphrase for each of your accounts, containing three or four words, some capital letters and punctuation.  Try not to use the same password/passphrase for all your accounts.
• Don’t allow your device to remember passwords/passphrases or sign-in to accounts automatically, and keep log-in details to all of your accounts private and safe.
• Auto-lock your mobile device with a passcode.

Smartphones can track and may sometimes share your location without you even knowing it. To minimise location sharing we recommend that you:

• Check the location services in your mobile device’s settings and know which apps are accessing your location.
• Turn off geo-tagging for photos.
• Control which apps can access your location.
• Decline location access wherever possible when downloading new apps, unless you’re sure that the app needs to know your location for basic operation.

• If you have an Android, limit your phone’s ability to download apps or software outside of the Google Play store by turning off “Allow installation of apps from unknown sources” under Settings, Security.
• Use two-step log in for your accounts. Two-step log-in, or two-factor authentication, provides an extra security measure that asks for a security code, which is sent to you via email or mobile. This means that if an unauthorised user tries to access your account, they won’t be able to, even if they know your username and password.

Most sites and apps allow users to limit what others see. So regularly check the privacy settings on all your online accounts, especially social media.
 

And to stay safe, don’t share your location when posting, nor ‘over-share’ details about your identity, life or location.

Most smartphones have an email account associated with the phone. For iPhones, this is your Apple ID (iCloud). For Android phones, this can be your Google Account.  These accounts can be linked to multiple devices that could access your personal information. Check to see if other devices are connected to your account and remove unknown or unwanted devices.

• Turn off Wi-Fi and/or Bluetooth if you aren’t using it.
• Log out of accounts when you are not using them – whether you logged in using the web browser on your mobile or through an app.
• Close apps when you are not using them.

It’s possible to block unwanted calls straight from your device.

For iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, you can block and manage phone numbers, contacts and emails. Here’s how to block phone numbers on your Apple device.  

For Android devices (other than Samsung devices), you can block and manage phone numbers by using ‘Phone by Google’ app which is installed in all Google Pixel phones and can be installed in other Android phones from Play Store.  

Here’s how to block a phone number on your Android device using the Phone by Google app: Block and unblock a phone number using Google Phone app

For Samsung phones, you can use your phone app for blocking unwanted calls. Here’s how to block and unblock phone numbers.