Encryption and Backups
Protecting and backing up your phone's information
Encryption turns your device's information into unreadable code without the right key, so even if someone physically gets hold of the phone, they won't be able to read your photos, messages or documents. The good news is that today most smartphones enable it automatically when you set up a PIN or fingerprint, but it's worth confirming in the security settings. Backups are the natural complement, because they protect against different scenarios, such as theft, a drop in water or a system failure that erases everything without warning. Setting up automatic cloud backups, reviewing what's saved and how often, prevents you from losing valuable information from one moment to the next. A frequent oversight is assuming the backup works without ever checking it, so it's worth checking from time to time that the latest copy is recent and complete.