With all the data we have on our phones, it’s vitally important to take steps to keep it safe. Fortunately, Samsung phones come with a host of features dedicated to protecting your privacy and strengthening the security of your device.
Here are the top six ways you can make your Galaxy phone more private and secure – they’re built right in, so you won’t need to install anything else. Let us begin!
1. Set up your Samsung account
Creating a Samsung account is the first thing you need to do when setting up your Samsung phone. Doing so unlocks many Samsung services, such as the Find My Mobile feature, which helps you locate and control your device if it’s lost or stolen.
You also need an account to back up your data to the Samsung Cloud so that you can retrieve it later when you upgrade to a new Samsung phone, factory reset your current device, or simply want to clear some of the internal memory by sending files ancient to the cloud
Also, if you ever forget your lock screen password and the fingerprint sensor doesn’t work, Samsung won’t be able to help you unlock your device if you’re not signed in to a Samsung account. And don’t forget that many Samsung services require an account to work.
We could go on, but you get the idea. If you don’t have a Samsung account yet, you can create one by going to Settings > Accounts and backup > Manage accounts > Add account > Samsung account and following the account creation process from there.
2. Use Samsung Internet Browser in Chrome
Although most Android users use Chrome as their default mobile Internet browser, our detailed comparison of Samsung Internet and Google Chrome makes it clear why the former is more private and secure.
With Samsung Internet, you can block pop-ups and automatic downloads, prevent sites from reading your browser history, lock secret mode (the app’s incognito mode) with a password, and monitor your privacy panel.
This difference is not surprising. After all, Google is an advertising company first and foremost, and its business is based on collecting your data to better understand you and show you more relevant ads. By contrast, Samsung makes most of its money by selling hardware and is therefore more private.
3. Move sensitive files to a secure folder
If you have sensitive files, such as confidential business documents or private photos and videos that you don’t want anyone to see, you can set up and use Secure Folder on your Samsung phone to lock them down.
Secure Folder is a special, secure environment that is password-protected (including biometrics) and uses Samsung Knox security to protect your data. The data inside the Secure Folder is encrypted, is never backed up to the cloud, and is stored separately from your regular files where it enjoys additional protection.
This means that even if your phone is stolen or hacked, no one can access the files inside the Secure Folder. Not just files, Secure Folder also allows you to clone apps so you can use multiple accounts on one device.
4. Use Private Share to send files
Samsung phones come equipped with a rather underrated feature called Private Share which, as the name suggests, allows you to share photos and videos privately. Files shared through Private Share are encrypted using blockchain technology and can only be opened by a designated recipient. They are also screenshot protected and cannot be shared with other parties again.
As the sender, you can set an expiration date for shared files, revoke access to sent data at any time, and remove location metadata from photos before sharing. You can send up to 10 files at a time, but the total size must be less than 20 MB.
Follow these steps to share a file using Private Share:
- Open the Private Share app from your app drawer and tap Share files.
- Choose the type of file you want to send, select your file and touch Done.
- Tap select from contactschoose who you want to send this file to and touch Done.
- Set an expiration date for how long the recipient can access this file and tap Send.
- If the recipient does not have Private Share, you can invite them via SMS, QR code or other applications. Once they accept the invitation and install the app, the files will be shared.
5. Remove Unused App Permissions
You’d be surprised how many apps on your phone have permission to access things like your microphone, location, contacts, camera, and more. Although Android 12 added privacy flags that let you see when an app is using your microphone or camera, there are no such flags for other permissions.
One of the ways to prevent your phone from tracking you is to simply remove permissions from apps you don’t use. To do this, go to Settings > Security and privacy > Privacy > Permissions manager and check all the permissions one by one. Under each permission, you’ll see a list of apps that use it.
If an app uses an irrelevant permission, remove it from the list. For example, it doesn’t make sense that a calculator app would require access to your microphone, but it makes perfect sense that a navigation app would need access to your location.
6. Use Pin Windows to lock apps on the screen
If someone has borrowed your phone, for example, to make a phone call, and you don’t want them snooping through your personal files and photos, you can pin an app to the screen.
This way, they can’t access any app other than the one pinned on the screen, eliminating the risk of privacy being invaded. The Pin Window feature is not enabled by default.
To enable it, go to Settings > Security and privacy > Other security settings and activate pin windows. The function is already activated. Go to the Recents page, touch the app icon and touch Pin the app. Unpinning an app requires your fingerprint or the lock screen password.
Protect yourself with Samsung privacy features
In the Android space, Samsung phones are the most trusted when it comes to protecting user privacy. You can use Secure Folder to hide your files, Private Share to share files securely with others, Samsung Internet to browse the web safely, and Pin Windows to prevent people from opening apps they shouldn’t.
Be sure to keep your phone up to date for the latest security patches and new privacy-focused features added to One UI. In fact, if you recently bought a new Samsung phone, you can expect it to receive up to five years of security updates, the most of any Android brand.