7 tips to secure your mobile

Mobile phone and phone accessory theft on London Underground trains has quadrupled according to British Transport Police (BTP) data obtained via Freedom of Information request by MoneySuperMarket. 

Mobile phones are the most stolen item on the London Underground with , a 405% increase from 2021 (1,621). 

If you’re worried about your mobile ending up in the wrong hands, here are seven ways to secure your device that you probably didn’t know about. 

1. Get a tether 

Most thieves will strike when their victims are distracted, so the best method to keep your phone and other belongings safe is to be aware of your surroundings and keep your valuable belongings hidden when you are not using them. 

If you do need to get your phone out in public, you can use phone cases with straps or lanyards that attach to your wrist to help keep you connected to your phone.  

They aren't fully secure but can serve as a deterrent. 

2. Lock down your photos 

Mobile phones contain all kinds of valuable personal information that can be used by thieves to steal money or potentially your identity. 

Do not store photos of official ID on your phone whether in photo albums or in messages. Thieves who can unlock your phone – or get their hands on it while it is open – could then use pictures of your documents to steal your identity or even access bank accounts. 

If you must have this information on your device, consider adding additional security measures for your apps. 

On Apple phones you can make the most of Face ID lock in iOS 18, so that you're asked for biometric authentication whenever any app is launched whether photos, WhatsApp, social media etc.  

If you’re on an older phone with Touch ID, you can use that instead. 

Here’s how to do it: Long-press on an app icon to bring up the app menu. Tap Require Face ID to lock the app with Face ID. The following pop-up menu will ask you to confirm by again tapping Require Face ID. 

If you own an Android phone, most let you lock your apps using the settings menu. But if your phone doesn’t have a built-in feature to lock apps, you can download third-party locking app.  

3. Hide your valuable information 

You can add an extra layer of security by hiding banking and messaging apps in a secure folder, protecting them with biometrics.

If you have a Samsung Phone, go to System Settings, then Security & Privacy. Click on More security settings and select Secure Folder. 

Here you must enter your Samsung Account details or create a new account if you don't have one. Then select Reset with Samsung Account option. Select lock method among Pattern, PIN & Password and tap Next then choose lock method and tap Continue. 

• Set up a Private Space with a Google phone or other Android device through the Settings app. 

• Tap Security and privacy. Under Privacy, tap Private Space. 

• To unlock, authenticate with your device screen lock. 

• Tap Set up and then Got it. 

To hide or lock apps with an iPhone you’ll need iOS 18.

• Locate the app you want to lock on your home screen.

• Touch and hold the app icon until the Quick Actions menu opens. 

• Tap Require Face ID (or Touch ID or Passcode),

• Authenticate using Face ID (or Touch ID or a Passcode),

• Then tap 'Hide App'. The app should then disappear from your home screen.

4. Secure your SIM 

If the phone is locked when it’s nicked, thieves will remove your SIM card and put it in another device enabling them to receive messages, including two-factor authentication codes and password resets, send messages and make calls posing as the phone owner. 

To protect your Apple SIM card or eSIM, you can set up a SIM PIN. This will automatically lock your SIM every time you restart your device or remove the SIM card, requiring a PIN to unlock it. 

5. Set up functions to protect your phone remotely 

To make sure you can take remote actions to secure your phone, you need to set them up before your phone gets lost or stolen.  

With Apple's 'Find My Phone' or Samsung's 'SmartThings Find', you can use another device, like a computer or another phone, to see where it is on a map. 

If your Apple device runs on iOS version 17.3 or later, turn on 'Stolen Protection' in your settings to block a thief from accessing your Apple Wallet and going on a spending spree. 

With this protection in place, your phone will ask for Face ID or Touch ID if someone tries to access items in your Apple Wallet outside of designated ‘familiar’ locations, like home or your place of work. 

This can prevent thieves who might know your PIN from accessing your digital wallet.

This protection also adds an hour delay to action certain settings changes, like changing your password. This gives you extra time to access your phone remotely and report it stolen before thieves can lock you out.

If you think you won’t get your phone back, you can erase all the data on it remotely. Just remember to back up your phone regularly so you don’t lose important stuff like photos and videos. 

For Samsung and other Android phones, you can lock your phone by logging into the SmartThings Find website as well as remotely back up or wipe the device. 

6. Double down on your lock screen 

Make sure your phone doesn't display the content of text messages when it's locked, as thieves could see important security codes without needing to access your device.  

Banks and other organisations often send push notifications or security codes to your phone, which may appear on your screen even when it's locked.  

This allows thieves to view personal information or security codes without unlocking your phone. 

To prevent this, disable 'preview notifications' so that a thief would need to unlock your phone to access any security codes. These codes can be used to change passwords or make purchases. 

7. Tighten up your control screen 

Even if your phone is locked when a thief gets their hands on it, it might still be possible for them to access the ‘Control Centre’ on an iPhone. This will allow them to put the device on airplane mode, which makes it untraceable. 

To prevent this, go to ‘Settings’ then ‘Face ID & Passcode’ and turn off ‘Control Centre’.  This prevents anyone from accessing settings when the phone is locked.