[7 Easy Steps] How To Secure Android Phone From Theft?

Summary: Have you lost your phone? Don’t have any idea how to get it back or secure personal data on your phone from being accessed by theft? In this case, you should follow the tricks shared in this post to secure Android phone from theft.

Have you ever imagined what if you end up losing your phone or someone stole it? Just assume that you forget your phone at the store, taxi, restaurant, and it went to the wrong hands. You will not only lose the phone but your personal data too.

Obviously, you are going to be concerned about your stolen phone and stored data as the damage or loss may extend from the device loss. A thief may harm your personal data, such as banking details, documents, photos/videos, etc.

But if you have already taken the important precautionary steps beforehand to secure your Android phone from theft or hackers, then your device would be nothing but a brick to the thief as there will be no way to extract personal information.

So you see, how much is it important to keep your smartphone secure from such threats. If you haven’t taken any such precautions to keep your phone secure from theft, then you must read this article.

Here, in this article, I will show how you can secure Android phone from theft to avoid strangers from accessing your personal information. 

How to Secure Android Phone from Theft?

1: Use Phone Lock

Whenever it comes to securing your phone, the most basic and first thing that comes to mind is setting the screen lock which is a must to do. Doing this will lock your phone and prevent others from accessing the device.

So, if you haven’t locked your phone yet, then you should do it right now. I know it is a basic method of keeping your phone protected from thefts and other threats but the phones without the screen lock are highly likely to get harmed.

Imagine, your phone got snatched or you lost the phone somewhere that has your personal sensitive data, such as card details, important files, etc. if your phone is locked, then it is going to take time to unlock the device. Meanwhile, you can block your cards and take other required actions.

I hope you now understand how important it is to protect the Android phone with the screen lock. There are different types of phone locks, you have multiple options: setting, PIN, pattern, and password. So, choose any of the options to secure your Android phone.

2: Lock Apps & Media on Android Phone

You can also lock particular apps or media files to give an extra layer of protection. If you want to hide media files or apps from another person, use apps like App Lock/File Hide from the Play Store.

After locking your files using App Lock, you need to provide PIN Lock whenever trying to open the locked files or apps.

3: Enable Find My Device Feature

No one can assure you that you will never lose your phone. There could be an instance where you may lose your phone, and in that case, Find My Device can help you to overcome the situation.

Like Google Play Protect, Find My Device is also Google’s built-in protection for Android devices. With the Find My Device, users can trace, lock & erase the device when it’s misplaced or stolen.

This tool also provides a backup plan that will keep the device and data secure from these unexpected situations. To enable the Find My Device, go through these steps:

  • Open the phone Settings.
  • Tap on the Google.
  • Go to the Security.
  • Next, tap on the Find My Device > turn it On.

4: Secure Android Phone from Theft Using IMEI Number

IMEI (International Mobile Station Equipment Identity) or MEID (Mobile Equipment Identifier) is one of the best ways to secure the Android phone from theft. All Android phones come with a serial number called IMEI or MEID.

These unique numbers are etched into the phone’s circuits, and unlike other stored information, it cannot alter on the phone. Your phone carrier already has the 15-digit IMEI number that can be used later to put your phone into the missing list of phones.

Even police departments ask for this number when you FIR for the stolen phone. You can find out the IMEI number on your phone box or in the phone’s Settings. Besides, you can also see it under the battery or get it by dialing *#06#.

5: Set the SIM Card PIN

The next effective way that may help you to theft-proof your Android phone is setting up the Pin for SIM card. It is one of the best ways to secure your phone number from being misused by theft or any other unauthorized person.

By setting up the PIN for your SIM card, you need to enter the password every time you restart the phone or when buy the new SIM card. Obviously, you are not going to restart your phone or buy a new SIM card very often, taking this security measure won’t be a hassle for you.

So, it’s totally worth setting up the SIM card PIN to secure your Android phone from theft.

Now, you must be wondering how does it work and how it will keep your phone secure. Assume that you have misplaced or lost your Android phone and somehow it went to the wrong hand. So, if your SIM won’t be locked, the thief can easily find out your number and use it for malicious purposes.

And they can use your number on websites, and with the SMS from the bank, they can transfer money. So, you see how a simple step can protect an Android SIM card from such threats.

6: Enable On-Device Encryption to Theft-Proof Android Phone

Android phones come with several inbuilt security features that are able to keep your device secure from different types of threats and On-device encryption is one of them.

With an On-device encryption security feature, you can secure your Android phone from theft, leaks, hacks, and data breaches. This feature uses encryption technology to encrypt your phone and keep all of your apps, accounts, and personal data safe.

To use this feature and encrypt your phone, you need to enable this option along with setting up the password, PIN, and Pattern. Once your phone is locked, 256-bit AES standard encryption shields all of your data on the device.

For Android 5 and above users, follow the below-given steps to turn on the On-Device Encryption:

  • Open your phone Settings app.
  • Go to the Security/Security & Location option.
  • Tap on the Encryption & Credentials/Encrypt Phone.
  • Next, you will get some warning messages. Avoid all those warnings.
  • Now, wait until the device encrypted completely.

7: Use 3rd Party Anti-Theft Apps

Apart from the above-stated manual methods, there are some third-party apps that can help you to track your device if it gets stolen and will also help you to secure your Android phone from theft.

Even though Google has a default anti-theft app – Find My Device, several third-party apps secure the Android phone from theft.

  • Cerberus
  • Anti-Theft Alarm
  • McAfee Mobile Security
  • CrookCatcher
  • Prey
  • Where’s My Droid

Conclusion

Nowadays we all are completely relying on Android phones so losing this device is itself a scary thought.

Luckily there are some ways available to secure Android phone from theft. All the solutions discussed in this tutorial are well-tried and tested. So you can try them even if you lost the Android phone and want to track it.

I hope you never get into a situation of losing your Android phone. But if this happens unfortunately then also you know what you have to do.

I hope this article helped you in securing your device. If you found it helpful, then do share it with other Android users, and don’t forget to get connected with us on Facebook and Twitter.