7 Simple Steps to Protect Your Mobile Phone
Feb 1, 2010 Tech News
Around 88% of people these days don’t even step outside without having their mobile phones with them. Clearly reliance on these devices means that losing one can be a real nightmare.
But mobile phones have become increasingly compact and lightweight and people often misplace them or they fall out of pockets without our knowledge. In 2008 around 200,000 mobile phones went into washing machines, around 600,000 were dropped down the loo and 55,000 were left in the back of taxis.
We must also consider the very real possibility that a phone may be stolen. More than 2 million mobile phones are stolen in the United Kingdom every year. This means that 1 mobile phone is stolen around every 12 seconds and this worrying trend is on the increase.
Initially, when a phone is lost, there is the cost of buying a new one. There may be significant call charges amassed during the time between when a phone is stolen and when it eventually gets disabled. There are also the problems that can be caused by losing contact details and other data from the phone.
It has been found that fewer than 1 in 5 people who rely on their mobile phones go to the trouble of routinely backing up their phone data. Although most phones come with software that makes it easy to backup data from the phone to a computer few people take advantage of this.
So what steps can we take to help keep hold of our mobile phones?
- The first thing is to make it difficult for a thief to actually steal your mobile phone. Never ever leave your phone unattended in your car and always store it securely.
- Make certain to record the IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) number from your mobile phone. This is a unique number applied to each and every mobile phone that can be used to disable the mobile phone in the event that it is lost or stolen.
- You can set your mobile phone to only operate after a configured PIN has been entered. While it can be a nuisance to have to enter a PIN each time you want to use your phone this simple step will stop a thief from running up significant call charges on your account.
- Another recommendation is to switch your phone to vibrate mode when in busy public places in order not to attract attention when your phone rings.
- You might like to engrave your name and your car registration details onto your mobile phone and its battery. Alternatively you might like to use a system for attaching unique serial number stickers to your phone (as provided by trackitback.com) to your phone which will help identify your phone if it is lost or stolen.
- Get into the habit of backing up your SIM card data as often as possible. If you are adding new contacts and appointments every day then you should be backing up your mobile phone data every day.
- Finally, make certain that you have some mobile phone insurance that provides the protection that you need. Not all mobile phone insurance policies are the same so make certain that the one you choose provides the protection that you need.
Hopefully, by following these simple steps you will avoid becoming one of the lost or stolen mobile phone statistics.
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You may also like to protect your income with income protection and don’t overlook the need to protect other devices with some useful gadget insurance.
Tags: cellphones, mobile phone insurance, mobile phones, protection