My phone is really my lifeline to my friends, and to the online world I spend so much time in. If someone ended up with my phone, they could gain access to all kinds of personal information, and they could probably do a lot of damage with my online accounts. Since my passwords to Facebook, Twitter and my email are saved in my phone, there is no telling what someone might do if they had my phone for a long enough period of time without my knowledge.
Up until now, I never even thought about locking my phone down. It just wasn't worth the hassle to have to put in a pin or password every time I wanted to use it. But since the whole wallet loss issue, I have decided to protect my personal information, just in case. Having to spend a couple of seconds unlocking my phone is definitely worth the security of my information.
My awesome Droid Incredible by Verizon Wireless offers a variety of options for locking my phone. Not only can I use a pin or a password to secure my phone, I also have more high tech options like face unlock or a pattern. The Face Unlock feature seemed the most secure to me. I mean, unless you're my twin, you won't be unlocking my phone. So I decided to set this up and try it out. It was easy to set up. I just went into my security settings and turned on the Face Unlock. Then I let my phone capture my face...
My only issue with this feature is that sometimes I have my husband look at something on my phone. While I would obviously give him a pin number or password, I can't really give him my face. Luckily, when you set up the Face Unlock, you also have to set up a backup unlock, just in case the phone doesn't recognize your face. I used a pin number as my backup.
The Face Unlock works great! It only takes a second to recognize my face, and I don't even have to have the phone directly in front of me. I had my husband try it just to make sure it worked, and sure enough, it didn't recognize his face, so it prompted him to use the pin to unlock it.
Oh, and anyone can answer my phone too. When the phone rings, you don't have to use the unlock feature. However, when you hang up, the phone is locked again and you can't get to anything else until you unlock it.
What about emergencies? What if I wasn't able to use my phone? If something ever happened to me and I couldn't use my phone myself, anyone can still turn it on and make an emergency call without having to unlock it.
I absolutely love this feature of my Droid Incredible 4G LTE, and I feel better knowing that someone can not get into my phone without me giving them my backup pin number. My information is secure, and I no longer have to worry about someone wreaking havoc on my social media accounts, or gaining access to my personal information.
Do you lock your phone? If not, you might want to think about doing so. You just never know...
Disclosure: I am participating in the Verizon Wireless Ambassador program and have been provided with a wireless device and three months of service in exchange for my honest opinions about the product.
11 comments:
yes i have to i did not one time and my 3 year old called 911
I don's own the same type of phone as you do, but I am definitely going to use a pin # or password to lock my phone now! Thanks for sharing!!!
Jeeze, I just typed a fairly long comment, and blogger wiped it out...hate that.
At any rate, thanks for sharing your husband's story. I admit that am currently not locking my phone, but am re-considering that after reading your post. Love the 'face lock' feature you reference. I'm due to renew my phone contract and will look more carefully at the features before I make a decision. Thanks!
Sheilatf52 at yahoo dot com
I tried the face recognition on my phone (Galaxy S2) and I wasn't very impressed. For example, I took the original picture in my computer room in the evening. The recognition worked great in similiar lighting, but if I was outside or near a bright light, it couldn't recognize me. I tried several different pictures with the same result - the lighting really affected my results!
That being said, I use the lock pattern whenever I'm going to be out and about for an extended period of time. Four day rock festival? You better believe my phone was locked down! (And the protection/find via GPS ap was on!)
I am not up with phone technology and it boggles my mind that they have the ability to recognize your face. I do use a laptop and when I am at work I make sure it locked when I am away from it. There is just too much information stored on it and like you said passwords. Not to mention banking info!
I don't lock my phone but I really should. I keep forgetting to set up a security account too.
I always knew about the option of locking your phone with a 4-digit pin but now being able to secure your phone with "face recognition" is so much more secure (as most people can usually decipher your pin with just a few tries). Thanks for the share.
I used to when I HAD a cell. Now, I find life is sooooooooooo much simpler w/o a stupid cell attached to me.. myamurphy@mail.com
I lock my phone. the first smart phone i had was stolen and they bought a bunch of games and music in the 4 hrs before i called it in stolen!
I've never heard of the face unlock feature - this is really cool.
That is so neat that there is a face unlock! Like you said, it makes it difficult for you husband to use your phone, but that's still really neat technology!
Post a Comment