4 quick ways I protect my smartphone privacy

• Setting a complex passcode with quick auto-lock
• Using two-factor authentication (2FA)
• Restricting app permissions to the minimum necessary
• Updating software as soon as possible

There’s a large industry out there devoted to selling you privacy — everything from protection against data brokers and identity theft, to screen protectors that block people peeking over your shoulder. It’s not entirely unwarranted, since — of course — identity theft happens all too frequently, and with many online services, your personal info is the product. It’s why services like Facebook and TikTok are free — they’re a vehicle for targeting you with custom-tailored ads.

On a day-to-day basis, though, there’s usually no need to pay anyone extra to protect yourself. A variety of simple tactics can keep you safe, and reduce your digital footprint online. So, I’m going to tackle some of the core principles I apply to my smartphone; they’re not the be-all and end-all of security, but they should put you on the right track. In some cases it should be easy to extrapolate to other areas of your digital existence.

Setting a complex passcode with quick auto-lock

Don’t give thieves a chance

You almost certainly have a passcode on your phone, since it’s encouraged by companies like Apple and Google, and virtually mandatory given the amount of sensitive data your phone contains. It would be reckless to allow access to your credit cards and saved passwords without anything more than a swipe.

Any passcode should be six digits or longer, though. That’s more difficult to brute-force than a four-digit code, and hopefully, harder for a thief to guess from the jump. I say “hopefully,” because some people make the mistake of using an obvious numeric or geometric pattern. Remember — if it makes it easier for you to unlock your phone, it’s going to make it easier for someone else, too.

iPhone users can make passcode changes by going to Settings > Face ID & Passcode > Change Passcode. The Android equivalent is usually Settings > Security > Screen lock, though exact labels can vary from device to device.

Remember — if it makes it easier for you to unlock your phone, it’s going to make it easier for someone else, too.

Almost as important is that your phone be set to auto-lock as quickly as you can live with. A five-minute window might be convenient at home, but if someone rips your phone out of your hands on the street — or simply picks it up when you step out of your office for a moment — that may be all the time they need to glean an important piece of info, or keep your phone awake until they can do something more. I’d suggest shrinking the auto-lock window to three or four minutes, or maybe even two if there’s a serious risk of pick-pocketing or grab-and-run robberies.

Enable facial or fingerprint recognition as well, if you can. Phones will usually default to your passcode when biometric authentication fails, but it’s another delaying tactic against thieves, and increased convenience for yourself.

Using two-factor authentication (2FA)

Now more than ever

It’s hard to stress this one enough. While criminals probably aren’t going to be able to steal your Apple, Google, or Samsung account details directly, it’s not too hard for them to discover an associated email, and try pairing that with a password that’s been exposed elsewhere. That’s why you’re encouraged to use unique passwords for every site and platform, however impractical that may be without a password manager.

Two-factor (a.k.a. two-step) authentication mitigates the threat of remote attacks by requiring a second form of authentication beyond your email address and password, hence the name. Typically, this is just a prompt on another trusted device, but other options can include SMS messages, dedicated authenticator apps, or even physical security keys. I’d actually recommend against a physical key unless you need maximum protection — you’ll be in trouble if you lose it — but just about any 2FA method will be enough to prevent an attack from succeeding.

A brief web search can fill you in on how to turn on 2FA for your particular device. In fact, you may also want to turn on 2FA for every third-party app or service that supports it, since that will shrink the number of accounts attackers can infiltrate.

Restricting app permissions to the minimum necessary

Be selective about what’s on your phone in the first place

Realistically, most of the apps you download need the permissions they ask for. Google Maps, for instance, isn’t going to be helpful for in-car navigation if it doesn’t have constant access to location data, and Instagram needs access to your camera roll to upload photos and videos. But you should always take a moment to think about permissions before granting them, especially if you’re not familiar with an app or its developer. Apple and Google do try to vet app releases for privacy, but the less data that’s headed out your door, the better.

On Android devices, you can limit or completely block an app’s permissions by going to Settings > Apps > [app name] > Permissions. The process is almost identical on iPhones, only missing the separate Permissions menu.

Another important piece of advice: if you’re no longer using an app, delete it, no matter how much free space you have. Some apps will continue recording data in the background. Usually, this is relatively harmless, but you shouldn’t let a company have access to anything on your device without good reason.

In fact, if an unused app has a proprietary account associated with it, you may want to figure out a way of permanently deleting that info if there’s no chance you’ll return to the app in the future.

Updating software as soon as possible

Close those security holes

Honestly, the main reasons I update my phone as soon as possible are access to new features and increased reliability. But there’s also an awareness that phone and app makers are often patching security vulnerabilities, discovered either by themselves or by third-party researchers. No, you probably won’t have your private data stolen if you wait a few days, weeks, or even months to update something — but the longer you wait, the more likely it is that vulnerabilities will be exploited. Don’t be that person still running iOS 18.0 or Android 15 when your phone is perfectly compatible with iOS 26 or Android 16.

You can check for iOS updates via Settings > General > Software Update, and Android releases using Settings > System > Software updates. As for apps, Android defaults to updating them automatically, and you can set the same for iPhones by going to Settings > Apps > App Store and toggling App Updates under Automatic Downloads.

Both platforms wait for ideal circumstances before triggering anything — Android, for example, will normally avoid updates until your phone is idle, charging, and connected to Wi-Fi. You can allow updates over 4G or 5G cellular if you want to.