Hacking, Theft and Loss? No, Never Heard of It

We all live in our smartphones: we use them for work, shopping, keeping in touch with friends, browsing, financial operations and many other stuff. And we usually do not bother to log out of our accounts after completing everything, which means that everyone else that you give your smartphone to has access to all your personal data, i.e. your life in general. MIUI is good at ensuring privacy and security of personal data, but we decided to explore the system deeper to find a few other ways to make your handset more secure. Here they are.

1. Use Screen Lock protection (PIN, password or pattern)

If you do not want people to use your phone, start with lock screen activation. Android has several security options:

1. PIN-lock is your typical numeric password. Forget about typing in the year you were born or something like “11111” and “123456”. MIUI allows you to have a password that will have maximum 16 digits. Try making it as long, as quirky and as different from your other accounts as possible. Make it strong and rememberable, of course.

2. A pattern is unique, but sometimes you can trace it by looking at the smudges on the phone screen. If you are comfortable with this option, we recommend making up fun and futuristic figures, rather than sticking to simple squares and triangles. On top of that, always check if there is a fingertip trace left on the screen.

3. A password will give you the strongest security, unless your password is “password”. You can pick the craziest letter and number combination. It may not be as convenient as PIN, but it is hard to break through.

Set up any option of the three above on MIUI by going to Settings > Lock screen and password.

2. Use App Lock

If you want an extra layer of security than locking certain apps is a solution. When you need to hide sensitive data like messages in Mi Messenger or social network apps, photos in a photo gallery the function will let you add a separate password and even a fingerprint to lock it down.

That can be done in Security > Application lock.

3. Use second space

The feature is inspired by Windows OS where you can create several accounts and thus separate your work from entertainment. A second space in MIUI can have different applications, photos and files in it that gives a feeling of using an absolutely different smartphone.

Go to Settings > Second Space > Enable Second Space to activate the function go 

4. Always update the operating system

If you can see your smartphone right beside you, does not mean it is safe, as it can be infected with malicious software. That is why the MIUI developers regularly release software updates with improvements in the security department. Update your device when it is advised by the developers and you malware will not scare you.

5. Disable GPS for separate applications

Each smartphone has a built-in location tracking function. Mostly it is used by Google Maps, Facebook, Twitter etc. If you do not want others to know where you are, MIUI allows you to prohibit separate applications to determine your location or turn off GPS completely.

Check what applications want to know your location by visiting Settings > Advanced settings > Privacy > Location.

6. Disable Wi-Fi and Bluetooth when you are not using it

By keeping your Wi-Fi active all the time, especially if you use public networks, will let snoopers access your device. If Wi-Fi is active only when you need it, it will reduce the risk of unwanted people getting into your smartphone and stealing data. Moreover, it can boost the autonomy of handset. The same applies to Bluetooth. It obviously takes some of the pain to have to turn it on every time you use it, but that way you protect yourself from nosy intruders.

7. Make phone data backups

Do not forget to make copies of all your contacts, messages, notes, photos from the gallery, etc. once in a while. In case your smartphone is lost or stolen, fortunately, you will have most or if not all phone data on a hard disk or in the Mi Cloud.

You can access the Mi Cloud storage this way: Settings > My account > Mi Cloud > Device backup.

8. Set up your smartphone for remote lock

With the help of remote lock function you can track and even erase your personal data from your smartphone using your computer and the Internet in the event it is stolen or lost.

9. Download and install applications from official app stores

Android-based smartphones have a feature called “Unknown sources”. If you see that it is activated then it means you can install third-party applications from sources other than the official Google Play store. To be certain that your smartphone will not become compromised, stick to official app stores.

Enable or disable this feature in MIUI: Settings > Advanced settings > Privacy.