What is phone encryption?
Phone encryption is the process of scrambling sensitive data on your phone with cryptography so that it’s unreadable to outsiders. Most modern phones use 256-bit encryption, which is virtually impossible to crack, even for the world’s savviest hackers.
If you want to unlock the encrypted data, you’ll need to use a PIN, passkey, or biometric identifier that proves you’re the phone’s owner. If someone steals your phone or tries to open it without permission, they won’t have the encryption code and won’t be able to unlock it.
Many people store valuable data on their smartphones, including addresses, credit card details, and work-related files. Using encryption is necessary to protect this information from hackers. Luckily, both Android and iOS devices offer encryption options.
Why should you encrypt your phone?
Let’s explore some of the benefits of encrypting your phone, especially if you use it to store sensitive data.
Advantages of encrypting your phone
Encrypting your phone offers many helpful security benefits because it:
- Protects your personal information. You can feel confident that all the personal information stored on your phone is hidden from cybercriminals who might want to steal it.
- Keeps your photos and videos safe. Even if your photos and videos aren’t particularly sensitive, criminals could still use them to blackmail you or impersonate you online if your phone falls into the wrong hands. Encryption helps keep your photos and videos secure.
- Helps work phones meet compliance standards. If you handle customer data with your work smartphone, encryption may be required to meet data compliance standards and avoid frustrating fines.
Disadvantages of encrypting your phone
The benefits of encrypting your phone will outweigh the downsides. However, you should still be aware of some cons before you encrypt your phone:
- You need to remember the encryption key. If you forget your PIN or password, you’ll lose access to your encrypted data.
- Encryption can slow down old devices. On older smartphones, encrypting your data can slow down performance. However, newer phones are designed so you won’t experience any difference in speed with encryption.
- Encryption doesn’t protect against all security risks. Encryption is a powerful security measure, but particularly savvy hackers could find ways to work around it with malware or other threats.
How to encrypt your Android phone
Most Android models offer encryption features for added security. Let’s take a look at how you can implement encryption on your Android phone.
What do you need to encrypt your Android phone?
Many Android phones, including the Google Pixel, are encrypted by default. This means that the PIN you use to log into your phone serves as an encryption key.
Start by checking to see which Android model you have and whether or not it has built-in encryption. If you have an older Android device, you’ll still be able to encrypt it, but you’ll need access to the system settings.
Step-by-step instructions to encrypt your Android phone
If your Android phone doesn’t have encryption automatically enabled, follow these steps to turn it on:
- 1.Open the “Settings” app.
- 2.Type “Encryption” in the search bar and click on it.
- 3.Select “Encrypt my device” from the results and follow the instructions provided.
- 4.Set a PIN or other form of authentication.
Keep in mind that some Android models have slightly different settings, so these steps may look different on your phone.
How to check if encryption is enabled on your Android phone
First, search online to see if your Android model comes with encryption automatically enabled. If it doesn’t, go to Settings, then Security & Privacy, then look for an encryption option. If encryption is enabled, it will be clearly labeled.
How to encrypt your iPhone
In most cases, iPhone encryption happens automatically, so you don’t need to do much to secure your data.
Automatic iPhone encryption
iPhones automatically encrypt the data you save on your device. Your phone’s passcode, Face ID, or Touch ID serves as your encryption key. You don’t have to turn this feature on because it happens by default.
iPhones also have encryption built into their hardware, which means that hackers can’t download malicious apps to your device.
How to check your iPhone encryption status
To check your iPhone encryption status, open the Settings app and navigate to “Face ID & Passcode”, or “Touch ID & Passcode” on some older models. You may need to enter a passcode to access the settings. Then, scroll to the bottom of the screen. If you see the phrase “Data protection is enabled”, your iPhone is encrypted.
How to add extra security measures on your iPhone
In addition to encryption, you can add further security measures to your iPhone to protect your data. One of the easiest ways to do this is by turning on stolen device protection.
Stolen device protection adds extra layers of iPhone security when the phone is away from trusted locations like home or work. For example, your iPhone could require Face ID or Touch ID with no passcode backup option in these unfamiliar locations. To turn on stolen device protection, go to “Settings” > “Face ID & passcode,” enter your passcode, then toggle on this feature.
If you have an additional smartphone available to you, you can also add two-factor authentication to your iPhone. This is a great option if you’re using an iPhone for work and want added security. To use two-factor authentication, go to “Settings” > “Sign-in & security” > “Turn on two-factor authentication,” then enter a phone number to use to receive passcodes.
Additional encryption tools for your smartphone
You can add extra layers of encryption to your smartphone with third-party security tools, such as apps that offer end-to-end encryption for messaging and data storage. However, this isn’t necessary for most people. Both Android and iOS devices have very strong built-in encryption, along with support for multi-factor authentication.
The exception to this is if you’re using a phone for work and are concerned about compliance. Adding an extra layer of encryption to your phone could be beneficial in this instance, especially if you’re working with sensitive data directly on your phone and want to ensure end-to-end encryption and stronger authentication methods.
Can you use NordVPN’s VPN encryption in addition to the phone encryption?
Yes, you can use NordVPN to encrypt your traffic when you surf the web on your phone. Your Android or iPhone encryption protects the data that’s on your device, while VPN encryption is meant for your activity online.
To do this, download the NordVPN app for Android or iOS, log in and turn on the VPN for protection. You’ll be able to choose from a wide network of global servers and use a VPN on an iPhone or Android device.
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