There will be few times when we ask ourselves if our Android phone is totally safe against possible vulnerabilities that ‘hackers’ can find within the terminals with this operating system. Or, if they may even be spying on us through apps or through the different permissions that we have been granting to the applications that we have installed.
For this reason, it is time to see how we can know if any Android mobile is safe or not. However, there will not be many options that we can review from our smartphone. Although, what we can do is achieve greater security from now on if we apply the different methods and tips that we will explain with which you will have more at your fingertips to increase protection on any smartphone with the Google operating system.
What can I control?
As we have been warning you, reviewing the apps and their permissions is something more than necessary. Well, maybe a malicious app is hiding within the entire repertoire of applications that we have installed on the phone. And not only this, but we will also give you the necessary password so that you can check if the passwords you have are totally secure or can be vulnerable to any cybercriminal.
Check installed apps
We may at some point or another have fallen into the trap of installing a malware or malicious application. More than anything, because it will not be the same that they are spying on us through the smartphone to the fact that they have installed a virus that only begins to erase the data from the phone.
For this reason, it is time to try to locate and uninstall any app that we think is suspicious from our Android phone. Of course, we will have to go in great detail, since cybercriminals camouflage apps very well, creating names and icons so that they are as normal as possible. Therefore, go to Settings> Applications and notifications > See all apps and check your list. Although, to identify if there is any improper use, we will have to go to the Battery> Usage details section .
Within this section, we will have to be careful and check if there is any app that does not suit us. That is, if an application has consumed more battery than the account or we have not used it throughout the days … We will have found a malicious app.
Be careful with the permissions
As you may already know, every time we are going to install an application on the mobile , the truth is that it ends up asking us for the occasional authorization to be able to have access to different functionalities of the smartphone itself. And all with the supposed objective of getting to work correctly.
However, we must be careful, since regardless of whether we grant them or not, it will be rare for a game app that does not need the Internet to request the location or, also, access to our gallery. Luckily, we can check if any app has changed its permissions. This tool is integrated into your phone’s own settings. We will only have to enter Settings> Applications and notifications> Advanced> Permission manager. Within this section you will see all the types, as well as the apps that have requested access to the different functions of the mobile. Also, if you enter each of its types, the applications that use these tools will appear. By clicking on each software, you will have the opportunity to Allow or Deny their access.
Check your passwords
In Android , we have the option of saving each of the passwords that we are using, either to log in to a social network or to a specific web page. However, we will have to be very careful with the key that we have chosen, as it can be vulnerable if it does not have enough complexity.
To check security , we must go to the Android password manager. We just have to go to Settings> Manage your Google account> Security and search for Password manager. Within this section, we must test on Check passwords and click again on the button with the same name. At this point, it will ask us to verify our identity, among the options that it will give us to choose with the screen unlocking method or by entering the Google account key. If it is uncertain, it will be shown in yellow. In addition, it will give us the option to change our keys quickly.
Get more security
We will always find different methods, like the ones we bring you today, to increase the security of our Android phones . Therefore, if you consider that the security of your phone is not entirely correct, try these methods.
Activate Google Play Protect
With this tool, Google makes sure that, in some way or another, Android smartphones are not totally stranded on their fate. Therefore, its main functions can be divided into several points, such as the following:
- They check the apps.
- Protection when browsing the Internet.
- Control the data and permissions required by apps.
Most likely, if you have an Android smartphone, you have this software on your mobile. To check it, you just have to enter Settings> Security where we can see access to Google Play Protect . In there, it will warn us that we are protected. Anyway, there are cases in which, although we have a mobile with the operating system of the American company, we do not have that tool for one reason or another.
The first case why we would not have this integrated function is because the mobile has not been certified by Google . Another possible case is that we have a mobile without Google services. As is the clear example of Huawei mobiles, which are affected by the measures imposed in the United States.
Use authentication
Two-step authentication or verification will be a great ally at any time. In this way, we will be able to keep our Android account safe, and even other aspects, such as our accounts on social networks or emails. Being on mobiles with the Google operating system, we will tell you how to get it in your Android account. To do this, we must go to Settings> Google> Manage your account> Security> Two-step verification > Get started.
Then, you must enter your password and follow the steps they establish. From that moment on, a code will be sent to our phone in three ways: text message, voice call or with the mobile phone application.
Have you been ‘hacked’?
The privacy of our mobiles, in addition to security, are one of the most important points that every user takes into account. Therefore, if you want to know how you can discover if your Android mobile is tapped or hacked , we will tell you a method that will be quite effective.
For example, there is an MMI code that will let us find out where our calls go when we do not answer them. This will basically help us to know if someone has activated the forwarding of calls from our phone. To find out, we must go to the Phone app and dial the code * # 62 #. In this way, you will be able to discover if your calls are being redirected to a number.
And not only this, but we can also find out through the IMEI . To do this, we must dial in the Phone app * # 06 # . At that time, the unique identification number of the terminal will appear. In the case that 2 zeros appear at the end of this code, it means that someone would be listening to us. Even if 3 zeros appear, this will be a sign that they not only listen to us, but also have access to our calls, messages, files and photos.