Privacy and Security For Android User

Lock and locate your lost phone

With Find My Device you can locate, ring, lock and erase your Android phone.

1. You can locate your device by signing into android.com/find, and ensuring your current mobile device is selected.
2. From here, you can see the approximate location of your device. You can also lock the phone, erase your data, or ring your device. Your phone will ring for up to five minutes even if it's on silent.
3. To quickly find your phone in the future, you can always ask Google to "find my phone."

Toggle location settings

Control when and how you share your location

1. Open your devices Settings app.
2. Under "Personal," tap "Location" to open your location settings.
3. At the top of the page, toggle the button adjacent to "Location" to the 'off' position.
4. To turn location back 'on' again, toggle the button to the right.

Control which apps have which permissions

Manage app permissions in Android Marshmallow so they can only access what you choose.

1. Open your device's Settings app. Under "Device," tap "Apps" to see your list of installed apps.
2. Tap the icon for the app you want to manage. On the app info page, find a list of current permissions assigned under "Permissions."
3. Tap "Permissions" to change permission settings. Toggle the button to the left to turn existing permissions 'off'. Toggle the button to the right to turn those permissions back 'on'.
4. Note: Some apps may not be fully functional if certain permissions are turned off. You can change these settings at any time.

Share your phone but protect your info

Use Guest Mode to block your email, texts, etc. from view when a friend uses your phone.

1. Swipe down to open Quick Settings.
2. Tap the user icon on the top right and select "Add a Guest" to start Google Guest Mode. Your phone will switch to the guest mode and your information will be protected.
3. When you get the phone back, end Guest Mode by tapping the user icon and selecting "Remove Guest."
4. Tap "Remove" to delete all apps and data from the guest's session.

Share your locked phone with access to one app

Pin a single app to your phone for sharing when your phone is locked.

1. Swipe down to open Quick Settings and click the settings (cog) icon in the top right.
2. Under "Personal," tap "Security" then scroll to the bottom of the list and tap "Screen Pinning". Toggle the switch right to turn pinning 'on'.
3. Open the app you'd like to pin to your locked screen and tap the square overview button, then tap the pin icon. To unpin the app from your locked screen, hold down the back button (triangle) and overview button (square) at the same time.
4. Note: On some phones, Screen Pinning may be located under "Lock screen and security" > "Other security settings" > "Pin windows."

Put your screen on lockdown

Secure your phone by setting a screen lock with a PIN, password, or pattern.

1. On Android, open your device's Settings app and under "Personal," tap "Security."
2. Under "Device security," touch "Screen lock."
3. Touch the screen lock you'd like to use and follow the instructions.

Unlock your phone with your fingerprint

Touch your fingertip to the sensor and your phone unlocks fast.

1. If your Nexus device has a fingerprint sensor, open your device's "Settings" menu and under "Personal", touch "Security".
2. Touch "Nexus Imprint" and follow the on-screen instructions. If you don't already have a screen lock, you'll be asked to add a backup PIN, pattern, or password to unlock your device.
3. Finally, you'll scan your fingerprint. After you successfully add your fingerprint, you can add additional fingerprints for other fingers on either hand.

Keep your data safe if you lose your phone

Locate, ring, lock, and erase your device with Android Device Manager

1. Ensure your devices are registered on Android Device Manager: https://www.google.com/android/devicemanager.
2. If you lose your phone, visit Android Device Manager to locate, ring, lock, or erase your device from your computer.

Give your device a security refresh

Help protect your device by updating your security settings.

1. On Android, open your device's Settings app. Under "Personal", tap "Security."
2. Select and manage settings like screen security, encryption, and device administration.

Stay away from fraudulent apps

The Google Play Store ensures all the apps you download are legitimate & secure.

1. Open the Google Play Store app when you want to download a new app.