There’s little debate over the recent headlines which have highlighted – on several occasions – the rising threat to Android users’. Threats such as hacking attempts, data theft from stolen phones, and malware are only a few examples of the many threats to your Android phone. Thankfully, the following set of tips can help you keep your Android phone away from harm’s way.

Download only trusted apps:

The foremost thing you can do is to be vigilant when it comes to downloading apps on your Android device. The key to staying safe is to avoid downloading applications from non-trusted sources such as torrents and other external websites – only download apps from the Google Play Store. Apps published on the play store are thoroughly tested and screened for malware and other security threats, so every time you download an app from the Play Store, you can be confident that it’s safe.

Use Antivirus software:

All too often, Smart phone users neglect the security of their Smart phones by not installing Antivirus software. Even though, the Play store pre-screens all apps before they are approved, it’s usually not enough to prevent viruses from infecting your Android Device – as more than often – Android user tend to download applications such as APK files from unknown sources, despite knowing of the risks associated with external sources. Thus, this is where antivirus software becomes a necessity. Though, not all antivirus apps can be trusted fully, therefore, users should be picky about which app they can trust to offer them reliable protection. Thankfully, there are plenty of trustworthy antivirus apps available for free download, such as AVG, Avast, Norton, Kapersky and lookout are great examples of the most popular and dependable antivirus applications on the Play Store.

Lock away sensitive files:

Statistically, smart phones contain more personal information about us than any other personal device. Thus, this makes smart phones a hot target for thieves – your personal information and the device itself can be a real steal, literally. To make matters worse, chances are higher of you losing your smart phone compared to other portable devices, because we tend to carry our phones with us almost everywhere. Therefore, locking your personal images, videos, PDF documents and other private information is essential to prevent your delicate data from leaking into the wrong hands, such as your girlfriend, your boss, or worse – identity thieves. Consequently, there are plenty of free applications available to download on the Play Store, perhaps the most comprehensive of all file locking software is Folder Lock.