Many devices now come with built-in fingerprint or facial scanners for authentication. These technologies are both more convenient and more secure than entering your PIN or password each time, so consider enabling them for the safest possible experience.

Lockscreen alerts are useful for conveying at-a-glance information. They’re also possibly risky if your device falls into the wrong hands, as they might give away sensitive details. You can either turn them off and stick to badges and the pull-down alert menu (available on both iOS and Android) or use a phone with facial recognition, […]

Losing a device is never fun. You lose an important tool while also potentially putting your data at risk, too. Services like Find My iPhone provide some recourse, since they allow you to remotely wipe the device, erasing all of its contents and settings so that no one else has access to them.

When you’re on the go, connecting to a public Wi-Fi network or even one managed by a hotel might seem like the best option for internet access. There is significant risk, though, as you can’t be sure the connection is safe. Sticking to cellular is advisable, as is using a virtual private network (VPN) when […]

QR codes are useful for finding more information on something, plus many stores use them for checkout. When you scan them yourself, be wary of any code that doesn’t provide any context on what it will link to. Many will send you to a web page when scanned by your device’s camera, so there’s some […]

Many smartphones now contain NFC chips that allow them to be tapped at point-of-sale terminals. Payment options like Apple Pay are both convenient and highly secure, since they don’t transmit your actual card number to a merchant, only a unique identifier associated with your device.