St. Patrick’s Day is right around the corner, which means that people up and down the country are getting their costumes sorted, pulling out the green food colouring, and preparing their bodies for a night for partying. As is common around the world, but especially in the UK and Ireland, St. Patrick’s Day is basically just an excuse to drink to excess and paint everything green – two things that don’t fly in day-to-day life.
But within all the revelling it can be difficult to ensure that your gadgets – specifically your smartphone – are properly protected. So, to make sure you have a happy, incident-free St. Paddy’s, let’s like at some of the responsible steps you can take to keep your smartphone, and yourself, safe whilst out on the town.
Change your background image
If you have a bit too much, the chances of losing your phone will only increase, therefore it’s important to take steps to ensure that, if you do lose it, there’s some recourse. A really simple way of making it easier for you to get your phone back is to change you screen background to your personal information. This can include your name, an alternative number, an email, your address, or even your Twitter handle – whatever is the easiest way to get hold of you if it’s found.
Use a passcode
This one may seem obvious, but you’d be surprised at how many people still don’t have some form of passcode on their devices. While installing a password doesn’t prevent your smartphone from being stolen, it makes it a lot more difficult for would-be thieves to access your data – such as your personal info and banking details – and commit further crimes with it.
There’s also a chance that having a passcode acts as a deterrent. For example, if you’re specifically targeted for the information on your phone, there’s no point stealing it if the thieves can’t get access to it! Thankfully, phone thefts are declining in the UK, but you should take every step available to ensure your St. Paddy’s Day party doesn’t end filing a police report.
Phone Insurance
If you’re really worried about keeping your device protected whilst out partying, a sure-fire way of doing so is to investing mobile phone insurance. Not only will this protect your device from loss or damage on a night out – so you don’t have to panic if your phone somehow ends up in a pint of Guinness – more comprehensive plans will also insure your device against theft too.
What’s more, some insurers will also cover accessories, meaning that if you lose a bag, rather than just a single device, you won’t lose money on expensive smartphone-related gadgets, such as earphones and external chargers.
While insurance is a comparatively expensive step to take compared to other options – the ones listed above are free – it does offer you the most holistic protect, so you can celebrate St. Patrick’s Day worry-free.
Turn off networks / Bluetooth
One of the corner tenants of celebrating St. Patrick’s Day is making it to as many pubs, bars and clubs as humanly possible in one night. That’s all well and good, but it does present some dangers to your smartphone.
Most establishments will have an open Wi-Fi available for customers, which may or may not be fully-secured. If it’s the latter, and your phone is automatically connected to it, it could leave your device vulnerable to attack from cyber criminals, who can infiltrate your phone through the Wi-Fi signal, steal data and leave, practically undetected. The best way to ensure that your phone is protected is to stop it from automatically connecting to public Wi-Fi networks or turning off the connectivity altogether, just to be safe.
Similarly, thieves can access your device remotely through Bluetooth connections. However, because of the limited range, the danger is slightly mitigated, but if you’re not paying attention to your device, it could still be at risk. As with network connections, the best way to negate this is to turn off automatic Bluetooth connections.
Hopefully with all this information, you’ll be able to go out and enjoy St. Patrick’s Day without worrying about the safety of your smartphone.
