Google is very much aware of the importance mobile devices have gained in today’s tech savvy society.
Furthermore, the search engine giant is fully knowledgeable of the fact that hackers are all over the internet, trying to break into these devices that actually carry very personal and valuable information to the owners.
What this means is that since we store things like passwords, photos, videos, messages and lots of other personal information on mobile phones, it is important that we keep them extremely secure and away from prying eyes. This year, Google wants to be your closest partner in taking care of your personal data by granting you additional storage space on Google Drive in exchange for proceeding with their security check tips on your Google account.
There is no doubt that Google is very much aware of the security issues that have been facing its Android system. While it has always found a way to take care of these issues, the company now wants to ensure things are much safer. Even though the Android owner is doing everything to ensure that users stay secure, answers to all the problems do not always come from their side. There are quite a number of things users can do from their end to better their devices’ privacy. Google is offering free 2GB of storage to anyone who is willing to conduct the quick five-step security check on their accounts.
The security check up will confirm all the recent security events, user recovery information, connected devices, account permissions as well as two-step verification settings.
Google security tips for Android users
Google has a number of security recommendations for users of the troubled Android operating system. The first thing the company warns about is downloading APK files when installing apps. The company instead wants users to get apps from the Google Play Store. This is true because apps that are published in the Google Play go through thorough reviews by the Android Security Team to ensure that they comply with the company’s regulations/policies.
In case of any violations, the app will not be published in the store, hence the need to get them as APK files. There are chances that these apps have some suspicious motives that necessitated Google’s decision to keep them off the Play Store. Downloading and installing them to your phone might be the onset of issues on your device. In short, avoid installing apps from outside the Play Store on your Android device.
Google further advises Android users to activate both screen lock and Android Device Manager. These are very helpful when you lose your device as they prevent any attempts by the stranger to access your personal information. It is even possible to remotely locate, lock as well as wipe your personal data from your device as long as the Android Device Manager is activated.
There is the option of encrypting the stored information such that strangers only access an unreadable form of the same. All of these options are available under the Security Settings menu of your Android device.
Google also recommends that users take note of the permissions they grant apps. Those with Android 6.0 Marshmallow devices are better off thanks to the new Permissions System that allows users to toggle on and off individual permissions. This is not true for older versions of Android OS.
This is actually the second consecutive year Google has offered the same deal on world’s Safer Internet Day.