Which Phone Lock Should You Use?

October 11, 2018 / by Joji Samuel
Which Phone Lock Should You Use?

In our current era of ever developing technology, with the number of photos, chats, documents, and all other personal and private information our smartphones hold, securing our devices is a necessity.

Risks are not only limited to external factors like cyber attacks and hacking. We often misplace our phones, forget them at a restaurant, at the office, or on the train. Let’s face it, one of the biggest and most common invasions of privacy is when you – albeit willingly –  hand over your phone to your friends to show them a photo! They can hold the phone one millisecond and they’re already snooping around, or can even unwillingly come across a previously opened page that you forgot to close!

But no need to worry, it is so simple to avoid and remove these types of risks. You just need to use the lock that suits you best!

Let us start by exploring some ways you can lock your phone:

  1. Password Lock

Passwords are very secure, and the more complex they are by adding special characters to them, the more difficult it will be for someone to crack your code and access your data!

However, they do come with some downsides, such as the hassle of having to retype them every time you want to unlock your own phone, or having to keep changing them after some time (or from one device to another) which requires you to keep track of remembering each new different code with every change.

  1. Pin Code Lock

Pin Codes are a good and easier alternative to Passwords, and it goes without saying that the longer your Pin is, the more difficult it will be to crack.

Having said that, the majority of us does tend to keep using the common 4-digit codes, which does not have to present a high risk as long as you keep it unpredictable (avoid using your/your family’s birthdates, birth-years, or repeat numbers).

  1. Pattern Lock

Patterns are one of the most commonly used locks for Android users. Users draw a pattern on their screens by connecting dots, which makes it a very easy and quick way to lock or unlock your phone.

However, this type of locking is not highly secure as anyone can recreate your pattern just by observing you from only a few meters away, especially that we do tend to draw simple patterns like initials or basic shapes.

To increase security, it is advised to complicate your pattern by making sure to include many nodes.

  1. Fingerprint Sensor Lock

This is one of the best and safest features and is now deployed on many devices and brands.
The reason behind its success and why it is preferred by a lot of users is that it is easy, practical, fast and very secure. The only downside is that the slightest finger cut or smudge can make it difficult to scan your fingerprint!

  1. Facial Recognition Lock

Though it is the quickest way to unlock your phone, this technology is still not completely secure, as there have been many cases where devices would unlock just by using the owner’s photo. And we are not talking about using it at night or in the dark!
It is set to be the lock of the future but we still have to wait a little bit longer before being able to use it to its full secure capacity.

Using a phone lock is one of the easiest and simplest ways to make sure your private data remains secure and away from wandering eyes. There are many types of locks available and many applications that you can use to reach higher security levels, so don’t hesitate to give us a call if you need some advice!