Safeguarding your handset is as essential as rising cyber crimes warrant a vigil and the knowledge to overcome such situations. A smartphone is used for storing lots of personal data ranging from email to texts, phonebook entries and private photos. Cnet, a tech journal, shared some good tips for helping smartphone users to protect their device and data.

Lock Code

When bringing along the phone out of your house, always use a lock code. It can be a four-digit PIN or an actual password combing letters, numbers, and characters. This will keep off nosy people from accessing information.

Enable 'Do Not Track' in Mobile Browser

Enable the Do Not Track option so that Web sites surfed will refrain from collecting your data. Google Chrome browser for Android and Safari on iOS will allow to set up the Do Not Track option.

Avoid Answering Spam Calls

Avoid telemarketing services that will call your phone to check if the number reaches a person. Once that happens, it will put it on a list and sell it to other companies. Then spam calls and texts will follow.

Use a Recovery App

Panic strikes when smartphone is not found in your pocket. With recovery apps on Android and iOS, it is easy to track down access your device and find its current location.

Secure Your Calls and Texts

Personal Technology Columnist Geoffrey Fowler of the Wall Street Journal shared some tips to secure your calls and messages. To prevent someone from snatching the stored data in your phone, put a strong password on the phone and encrypt its contents. Apple iPhones offer this as a default facility once a pass code is set. Android phones require turning on encryption and the process may take an hour to activate.

Choose Encrypted Chatting Apps

Since standard calls and text messages can be tracked or intercepted, try to use encrypted conversation apps such as Silent Text, TextSecure or Apple's FaceTime and iMessage.

Update Your Software

Hackers take advantage of loopholes and backdoors if a phone's software is not upgraded frequently. Apple offers iOS updates directly to the users. Google also updates Android frequently. Still Android users get slow updates because the updates have to come through the handset maker.