Stop Thief Keep your phone and data safe from burglars

With mobile phone theft at an all time high, security is a subject that nobody can ignore. Common sense measures like not leaving your phone or tablet unattended will go a long way, but that’s just a start. We’ll look at Android features, third party apps and products that will make your devices harder to steal or, if the worst does happen, improve your chances of getting it back. The risk of theft doesn’t end with the loss of your device. Increasingly, the data on your phone is more valuable than the handset itself. Your photos have sentimental value, but if a thief gets hold of your emails or any spreadsheets relating to fi nance, the consequences are worrying. So we’ll also look at ensuring your personal data doesn’t fall into the wrong hands

How do I know if a house has good signal before I buy it ?

Good signal is atough thingto quantify. You can get greatcall signal in an area, but no 36 whatsoeye|L, while someone on Vodafone can be enjoying superfast 4G speeds and someone else on EE netxt tothem canteven load Twitter. This is because mobile sigialtrayelsinwavesthat arethen disn.ipted byhouses and hills,or absorbed in brickwork. Mobile phone carriers operate on different wayelengdis, sothose using a can'ier that n.ins a low wavelength will gt better signal indoors than someone with a ligh wavelength. Howevehtnnse on a ligher wavelength will get stronger,faster signalon tl"|E occasions that it reaches the phone. |fyou‘re won'ied that an area you’re going in might not get good signalespecially ifyou use your phone forwork, you can clack itout at ofoom.org.ul

How do I improve my launcher ?

My launcher is so heavy it takes aga to load up. How can I speed it up?

Teuchter Loon via Facebook We're afraid there's not a lot you can doto reducethe size ofyourlauncheras it comes in its own package. |“,rou".*e got a rootec phone anc v.-ant to celere some launch apps,then that could save you some time and spaoe. Butthe best solution will almost certainlybe downloading an alternative launcher and running that instead. We imagine you're currently running something like TouchWizor Sense. which do take a fairwhile to boot up. Sooneofa numberof alternative launchers from the Google Play store should be enough to dothe business. our favorite launcheris almost oertainlyNova Launcher. This is a su|:-erlightweight and basic launcher that should oomfortably load guicker than whateverstandardlamcher you‘re ri.nnirg atthe moment. The apex Launcheris another excellent option that will enable you to have upto nine homescreens. it's also a smooth operator. |t’s a shame thatyou can‘t really customise the stock launchers. beyond addirg andremoving widgets, but it is luckythatthere are ple nty of altem atives out there for you to choose from

Sound the alarm Set off a siren if someonepicks up your device

We’re used to car alarms that sound if a vehicle is tampered with and the very same is available for Android devices. This way you can protect your phone when you’re out and about, without having to watch it like a hawk at all times.

Get Anti Theft Alarm
Install Anti Theft Alarm and make sure you pick the one from Mmaps mobile as there are several with the same name. Without any setting up, you’re ready to activate one or both of two alarm conditions.

The motion alarm 
To use the motion alarm, select the motion icon and touch ‘Activate alarm’. A countdown starts so put your phone on a solid surface before it expires. Touch Stop Alarm before picking it up, otherwise the alarm will sound.

The charger alarm 
The charger alarm sounds if the phone is unplugged from its charger. Select the charge icon and touch ‘Activate alarm’. When it’s unplugged, the alarm sounds unless you’ve disabled it first. If it sounds, touch the button to turn it off.

Make it more secure 
Often a burglar will not hang around to try and turn off an alarm, but he might run off with your phone. Make it more secure using a PIN or pattern to silence the alarm. Touch ‘No protection’ and then select Pin or Pattern from the menu.

Top tips to keep your Android safe

1. Don’t advertise to a thief 
It doesn’t take long to take a phone out of your pocket if a call or text comes in, so don’t keep it always in your hand in full view to a potential thief when you’re walking down the street.

2. Pick more than one 
Here we look at several ways of protecting your phone and data, but you don’t have to pick just one. Use several methods to foil a burglar, certainly include at least one to protect your hardware and another for your data.

3. Take a picture of your thief 
Although Android has a built-in Device Manager to track down a stolen phone, third party apps like Prey do much more. With this app, for example, you can grab a photo of whoever is using your missing phone.

4. Report it stolen 
If your phone is on a contract, report it stolen as soon as you notice it’s missing, otherwise a burglar could rack up a huge bill in calls for which you’d be liable. Keep a contact number for your network at hand for this purpose.

5. Insurance 
Make sure your phone is insured. Check up whether your devices are covered on your household policy when they’re out of the house and, if not, consider a policy specifi cally for mobile devices.

Hardware anti theft solutions

Apps are great, but accessories can help keep your phone physical secure

Mark Gear Invisibly
Smart Water (smartwater.com) mark gear witih an inivible liquid, detectable in UV light. Each batch is unique so the police can fi nd who the stolen objects belong to.

Lock It Down
Laptops have slots for security cables to fasten them to immovable objects. Phones and tablets don’t have slots, but Maclocks sell add-ons.

A Proximity Alarm
The Kensington Proximo Key Fob (kensington. com) contacts your phone via Bluetooth. If your phone is separated, an alarm sounds. Only works with Samsung Galaxy phones.

Here’s what else you can do

While a security patch is the only way to fi x the Stagefright bug, there are a fewother defensive measures that you can take

Disable auto-fetching
While you can’t stop your phone from receiving MMS messages, you can stop your ' phone from automatically downloading video and giving hackers easy access to your data. In GoogIe’s stock Messenger app, go to Settings > Advanced and toggle Auto-retrieve to Off. In Hangouts, go to Settings > SMS and untick Auto retrieve MMS from the list of options

installing CyanogenMod 
If you’re phone is not due to be patched for a long time, orthe manufacturer hasn’t ‘ announced any update I plans at all, one = alternative to consider is installing CyanogenMod. This popular ROM has already fixed the Stagefright bug, but just make sure you‘re running CMl2.0 or 12.1 nightlies. However, to install CyanogenMod you will need to root your Android.

Install antivirus apps 
While Lookout make a point of saying they can’t patch the Stagefright bug, the mobile security and theft protection service do recommend antivirus software. This way, services such as Lookout will alert you when they detectany malware sent via MMS. Lookout is free to download and includes a two-week free trial, but costs £19.99 a month after that.

Get zlPS Protection 
Zimperium, the company that discovered the Stagefright flaws, were quick to patch their a cyber-protection software, called ZIPS Protection. Unfortunately, their suite of security tools is only available for businesses, rather than individual users, but if you own a company that relies on Android products and you’re worried about being targeted, this is worth considering.

How can I move apps on to the SD card ?

l need to clear some space and heard you can move apps to the SD card, but how do you do that ?

SD cards are vital to the smooth running of most Android phones because it's so easy to run out of storage space. You are able to move your apps to your SD card vvithjusta fevv clicks. Head into your Settings, then tap on Apps. Find the apps you vvantto move over, games vvill probably be the best option, and tap on the app name. Once you're in the app details screen, you should see the option to move the app to the SD card. Tap on that and it vvill shift the app and all the accompanying data across.

How do I manage my battery life ?

Should I wait until my battery is nearly zero before recharging it ?

AH, U19 GIG DBIIQFY conundmm. For a longtime peoplethought it was best to let their battery wind clown as close to zero as possible before charging it back up. This is mainly because it was belieyedthat a battery 'remembers' where it started getting charged from and takes that as its new zero per cent. Howeyer, it's now generallyaccepted thatyou should tryand keepyour phone regularly topped upthroughoutfl-ie day. keeping it between 50 and BL‘ per cent as much as possible. Around once a month you should drain it right down to calibrate the battery. but in generalyou want to keep it as far awayfromthe red line as possible. Regular mini charges will not only keep it from u sing up the limited supply of charge cycles, but it will also prevent it from getting too hotwhen charging from Dto “IUD. Heat also spoils battery life, so avoid that at all costs. Also, it means you're unlikelyto runoutofjuioe forwhenyou really need it!

How safe is rooting ?

I'm slightly nervous about rooting my phone. What are the dangers?

There are a few dangers involved with rooting. However, it's only dangerous if something goes wrong. lfyou follow the steps carefully and have all the correct software, it's an incredibly useful process. The biggest problem is that if you do the slightest thing wrong, your phone will become bricked, which is the Android community's word for rendering a phone so useless it's essentially a brick. The other thing to note is it will certainly invalidate your warranty, so you have no line of defence should things then go wrong. It's perfectly lega l, but the manufacturer won't shell out for a replacement.

Five ways to avoid storage issues

Get an SD card 
The easiest way to up your storage capacity is to buy an SD card. These can add dozens of gigabytes of storage to your mobile and can be boughtfairly cheaply online. This should suit all but the most ardent power user.

Purge your pics
Every now and again, have a little delete-spree. You probably take loads of photos without realising it, especially now Burst mode is on lots of phones, so see which ones can be deleted. Remeber that videos will also gobble up your storage capacity.

Universal export 
If you don’t want to delete your data, the best option may be to export it, either to Dropbox or to your laptop’s hard drive. This will clear a lot of space on your phone and this way you won’t lose any of your important files.

Head in the cloud 
lf you do quite a lot ofwork on your phone or tablet, it may be wise to save all ofyour files straight to the cloud or to a Google Drive account. This will save space on your mobile as well as then being available on any other synced device at your convenience.

Clear data
Every time you use an app, some data is cached. This is generally useful as it means that it will load up more quickly next time you open it, but each piece ofcached data will eat away at your phone’s storage. Delete cached data and you should free up some space.

What does a factory reset do to my phone ?

I keep seeing the phrase ‘factory reset’ when repairing a phone, but what does that mean?

Essentially a factory reset will wipe all the data from a phone and return it to the same state it was in when it left the factory, hence the name. ‘r’ou'iE usually perform this action if your mobile is malfunctioning or you are selling it on. In the first scenario, the factory wipe wilt be enough because it will remove all the apps you've downloaded and any data that may be causing an issue. Bear in mind though, that this should be a iast resortas you wril lose absolutely everything, including contacts and messages. In the second scenario, however, your aim will be to get rid of all your data so other peopie can't access your varrous accounts and phone numbers. Linfortunateiy, a factory wipe isn'tguite enough as hackers can stili get to your data. When performing a factory reset, the phone merely designates data to be available for overwriting, rather than actually deleted. This means that hackers can extract your important data from the hard drive. So you'll need to encrypt your mobile before wiping it as this makes it incredibly hard for someone to extract any kind of meaning from your data even if they have accessto it.

ls there a way to sort multiple contacts in Android ?

I've got loads of people in my contacts list twice or even three times. Can I quickly delete the duplicates without trawli rig through them all

Contacts can be easily duplicated on your phone, leading to an unnecessarily bulky contacts list. Whenever you sync your phone with you’ Gmail and social media accounts, those contacts get added to your list, whether they're alreadythere or not. Also, when you switch phones or SIM cards, contacts that are saved on your phone appear alongside those saved on your SIM card and vice versa. This results in that bloated contacts list that takes ages to scroll through. Vlos: Android phones will offer you the option to streamline your contacts list in Settings. This will be a manual action, but you should be able to specd through your list quickly as deleting the duplicated contacts is as easy as checking a box. However, should you wantto delete your copied contacts without scrolling through hundreds of e'ttries, there are a number of apps that will find them and delete them on your behalf. Onc othcr way to get rid of duplicated contacts is to unli nk your Google account from your contacts list. You'll still be able to use all of your normal Google services, but your contacts list will purely be for phone numbers, not for email addresses and the other data that syncing with Google provides.

Why Is My Camera App so slow

My camera is so slow to launch. ls there any way to speed it up?

A slow camera app is an enormously irritating thing, especially ifyou're rushing to capture the moment. A launcher that has a quick-start for the camera in one corner would help, as would a phone that lets you snap a quick picture with the power button, such as the Samsung Galaxy S6. H owever, if you don't want to get a new phone, there are a couple of options. There are a number of lightweight camera apps that don't have bells and whistles attached, but can launch in a flash, such as Fast Camera or High-Speed Camera. These will boot up at pace so you can take that perfect shot. The c-therthing you can doto speed up your camera launch time is to have it already open and all of your other apps closed. As already mentioned in this feature, apps build up a cache so which enables you to launch thern rn ore quickly. Keeping the app open speedsthis up yet further. Closing other apps will reducethe demand on the processor, freeing up RAM that can then be put towards opening the carnera app as quickly as possible.

Can I delete system apps Android

“I hate half of my storage being taken up by apps I don’t use. How can I delete the bloatware?

A big problem for many Android users, especially those that own phones from the budget end of the market, is bloatware. These preloaded apps can be a constant source of frustration because they take up valuable storage space while sitting unused in your app drawer. What makesthings worse, is that there is no easy way to delete them. The only real way to get rid of these unnecesslary pre'installed apps is to first root your phone. Yl"is will enaole you to get deep into the developer settings of your cleyitre where you can then customise your handset to your l'l

Why can't I delete apps?

I keep trying to delete apps olf my Samsung Galaxy S3, butihey wont go. Why not?

There cm be a number of reasons whyan appyoiire tryingto get rid of refuses to go. The most oommonreasonwillbe that itis a pre installed appthatyotr phone won't letyou get rid of. The solution hothis can be found on the previous page. However, anythird party app that you've downloaded can be deleted. so it mightjust be a question of how you're deleting the app. ifyoure tappingthe app, holding and dragging ittoRemove,this is onlygoingto deletethe widget on tl‘|E screen. |t'sthe same situation When tryinghopress and hold straight from the app drawer. Fiernove is simply not going to do the business here. What you need to do is press the menu button, select Uninstaii fifid then press the minus sign in the corner otthe app ioon. ityou are n.inning Lollipop, however, you can just press and hold from the app stare. Meanwhile the upcoming Android 6.0 update is Set to let you uninstall apps from the homescreen.

What can I do to speed up my sluggish phone ?

Defrag your phone 
One major problem when using your smartphone is the fact that data can get placed in a variety of places, which makes it tricky for your phone to readdata as it has to take it fromlots of different areas. Download a defragging app.

Perform the defrag 
Load up the app and you should see two options appear: one for internal defragging and one for external defragging,whichwill sort out the storage on your SDcard. Tapon eachone in turn toget your data inorder.

Use root 
If you are a power user and have rooted your phone, there is also the option to use root in your defrag. This will allow the app to delve down further into your phone and order even more of it for a faster user experience.

Can I change my keyboard android ?

“I really don’t like the keyboard on my HTC One (M8). How do I change it?”

Download keyboard app 
The stock Android and Sarnsung keyboards can be pretty rubbish, but luckily there are plenty of alternatives on the market. Head tothe Google Play store and download a keyboard, such as SwiftKey Keyboard + Ernoji or Google Handwriting Input.

Use your keyboard 
Type away on your new keyboard to test it out. If you aren't happy with that particular keyboard, pull down on your quick settings rnenu. Tap on Choose input method and then select

Set up the keyboard 
Follow the instructions on the app to set up your new keyboard. There will be several steps, but it will lead you through and it's only a matter of ticking boxes. Once you've activated it, head into your messages and check it's active.

Use the settings
 If you aren't using the keyboard, that option wont be available. Instead, head into the Settings viathe quick settings menu and tap Language 8. Input. You should see all of your keyboard options listed, select your chosen keyboard from there.