android tips - PSafe Blog

Here Are the Pros and Cons of Find My Friends

Tue, 01 Jan 2019 22:00:51 +0000

Some people really love the Find My Friends app because the app can help you find your friends whether or not they contact you. You don’t need to wait around for your friend to text you back to see where they are or what they’re doing. But there are some downsides to this app because hackers and thieves can hack into your Find My Friends account and possibly locate you without your permission. Imagine, too, if your phone falls into the wrong hands. Try out the anti-theft feature in dfndr security before thieves have your phone in the event of loss or theft:

Pros of Find My Friends
This app makes it easy and fun to locate where your friends and family are. All you have to do is request for them to add you as a contact on the app, and once you accept, you will be given access to where they are.

There are also many privacy controls on the app that are very helpful. If there’s a moment where you don’t want certain friends to see where you’re located (maybe a surprise party or you’re on a date and don’t want to be bothered), you can mute those friends and they won’t be able to see you. The app is also great because it can help you keep your friends safe. If you’re concerned about a friend’s well being and haven’t heard from them in a while, you can simply use the app to see where they are.

Cons of Find My Friends
One downside to the app is that it does cost money to use. Find My Friends has a small, one-time fee of 99 cents. This fee may deter many people from downloading the app, so the app does have a smaller user base than other popular apps like Twitter and Facebook. Another negative aspect of Find my Friends is that you may get requests from people you don’t know and people you don’t want to have access to your location. This isn’t a big deal often, but it is a bit of a hassle to constantly reject strangers from accessing your location.

Finally, this app has a major downside because hackers can access the app, hack your personal information, and be able to locate you. Once the hackers have your location, they may have access to your address. Think about the pros and cons before downloading this app.

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I Can’t Afford to Upgrade My Phone, What Can I Do?

Fri, 17 Aug 2018 19:44:26 +0000

If you’re hoping to upgrade your phone but dang, your budget is tight, there are still ways to improve your phone’s performance without breaking the bank. With the right app, you can increase your phone’s speed and reduce lag time on a budget. There’s a lot that dfndr performance can do for your device, which we’ll talk about below. But, meanwhile, download it:

Delete Old Files
One of the main ways that devices slow down over time is when you download too many apps, take too many pictures and videos, or save tons of files. There’s an easy way to get rid of old files and clean out your device’s storage capacity — dfndr performance has a handy quick cleaner feature.

The feature helps to remove junk files from your phone, while also cleaning the cache, any temporary files, and other stored data that’s hogging up phone space. By clearing up internal space and on your SD card, your phone will run faster.

Ditch Those Duplicate Photos
We often take multiple pictures of the same object (including ourselves) on a quest for the perfect picture. However, many of us fail to delete those duplicate photos once we’ve posted the image on social media and promptly forget about it. The duplicate photos feature identifies repeated photos on your device and offers you the choice of which ones to delete and which ones to keep. (But remember, the aim is to get rid of pics, so try to keep only 1 copy!)

Use One App at a Time
A common problem that Android users have is there are multiple apps running in the background, which stresses the RAM memory and slows down a device. dfndr performance’s speed boost feature can identify which apps are running at once and close them to speed up your phone. This can also help reduce the amount of lockups and crashes when out and about using your device.

Hate Notifications? We Do Too
We have all dealt with too many notifications popping up on our smartphones. Control which notifications are sent to your “do not disturb” list and have the ability to view and clean junk notifications with one touch with notification cleaner. Activating this will unbog your phone and keep it clutter free. Pretty nifty, right?

With these tips, we hope you’re convinced that a performance app like dfndr is exactly what your budget needs to keep that ol’phone happy.

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Here Are a Smartphone Thief’s 3 Dirty Secrets

Fri, 11 May 2018 00:00:41 +0000

If you’re worried about keeping your phone from being stolen, check out the most common ways a smartphone thief will act below. One cautionary measure to take is by activating the anti-theft feature of dfndr security. This feature can track your phone if it got stolen and allows you to lock it down and stop thieves from accessing your apps or media files. Try it now:

Grabbing It Right Out of Your Hands

The preferred method for many smartphone thieves is to quickly yank the phone from a victim’s grasp. Although this may sound like a crazy idea that would never work, it’s surprisingly effective. Many people have a loose grasp on their phone and aren’t protecting it because they don’t assume someone will take it right from their hand. This also is typically done at concerts and festivals. Phone thieves will run through a crowd during a song and steal and phones that are raised above the victim’s head to record the band. So many people film or record songs during a concert so they make easy targets for phone thieves. These criminals will go through the crowd and steal phones without much of a consequence because the crowd is so tightly packed that it’s almost impossible for the victim to find them or chase after them. Keep a close eye on your phone at a music festival or event.

They’re Looking for Certain Models

You might think that a smartphone thief will grab any phone, but there’s actually phones that they prefer to steal. These phones are more valuable and will get them more money when they sell it. A phone thief will not want to waste their time and risk getting caught just to steal a phone that isn’t valuable. Some of the most valuable phone models that smartphone thieves are looking to steal are the HTC M8, Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge, and Samsung Galaxy S6.

They Look for Victims That Aren’t Paying Attention

The majority of smartphone thieves have done this before and know who to look for. The criminals are looking for victims that are distracted or busy, and aren’t paying much attention to their phone. Be sure to keep track of where your phone is even if you have a lot going on. Never leave your phone sitting on a ledge away from your or outside of your sight.

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Don’t Lose Your Phone, Use These Tips and Tricks

Thu, 10 May 2018 23:00:12 +0000

If you’ve ever momentarily misplaced your phone, you can relate to that feeling of panic in trying to find it. Due to the amount of personal information we have on our devices, the potential loss seems detrimental – videos, photos, and messages could all possibly be gone forever. However, take a deep breath, and a few minutes to prepare your device for the worst. Here are a few tips to mitigate losing or misplacing your phone.

Start with a Powerful Software Offense
dfndr security’s anti-theft feature is a godsend if your phone is suddenly gone. In addition to providing you with the ability to locate your device on a map, you can sound an alarm to track it nearby, or even remotely wipe your device through your Google account. It’s smart to enable the feature as soon as possible, ideally before your phone is gone. Why not do so now?

Safely Store Your Phone
While this might be an obvious recommendation, the truth is we sometimes forget our phones hold precious data and become careless about safe storage. During those rare times you aren’t holding onto your phone, be sure to stash it somewhere secure. If you have a backpack or handbag, place the device inside and zipper it shut. If you choose to store your device in a pocket, make sure it’s entirely inside the pocket and that it won’t slide out. Athletic shorts are a great example of pants that seem to lose smartphones as part of their natural function.

Stay Aware of Your Surroundings
We live in a fast-paced digital world, which can cause us to become stuck in our devices. Whether you’re walking down the street or sitting on a subway train, it’s imperative to remain cautious about your surroundings. Thieves will commonly target individuals who appear unaware and ‘lost in their screens.’ By the time you realize what’s happening, a thief has already grabbed your smartphone and bolted away.

Add a Password
If you ensure that your device is password protected, a possible theft might be avoided. Some thieves carefully watch individuals to see who is genuinely present but also who has an unsecured device. More advanced thieves may not care if your device has a passcode, but still, having one setup can deter the type of thief looking to make a quick buck off a stolen phone.

Any or all of these insider tricks can help you be more conscious of your belongings and still enjoy the benefits of your digital world. Let’s be honest, there are so many!

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If Your Smartphone Could Fry an Egg, Learn How to Cool it Down

Mon, 23 Apr 2018 22:00:00 +0000

You wake up in the morning and pull your smartphone off the night table, immediately checking the news, weather, and all your social media platforms. Throughout the day, you use your phone so much it barely retains a charge by the evening. Sounding familiar? Smartphones have become our daily workhorses, but if you feel like dropping it because the heat is too much, it’s time to look at how to cool down your device.

Not only can a hot device be miserable day to day, but the extreme heat produced could shorten the life of the battery, processor, and other internal components. Let’s look at a few ways your phone might be overheating and how you can improve the situation, so both you and your smartphone can get on with life.

Fancy Ginormous Cases
While some of us love to adorn our phones in leather for its prestige or solid cases for ultimate protection, your choice of a case could actually be stressing out your phone. Materials like leather don’t breath and allow in airflow, while a lighter silicone or rubber case does.

Reconsider the case for your phone and make a switch. We all want a beautiful and protective case, but if your phone is suffocating, it’s likely overheating in the process.

Intense Chatting, Playing or Watching
The advent of the wireless internet is probably one of the best inventions since avocado toast, but it has been and continues to be a power-magnet. If you find yourself engaging in heavy online activity such as streaming video content or scrolling through Instagram for a few hours, there’s a good chance your device will heat up from the work of the chip.

Are you an intense gamer? While our devices have become experts at reproducing previous generation console quality, their form factors were never designed with maximum ventilation in mind. When gaming, you’re challenging both your CPU and GPU to work to their fullest extent.

Similar to when using your Wi0Fi card like there’s no tomorrow, you may find yourself with little battery life and a hot phone in your hand. Take it as a sign to get up, stretch your legs, and have a break from the screen.

Running Endless Applications
In the end, everything comes back to basics. Your phone could just be overheating because it has too many processes running in the background. Android phones have the ability to switch between multiple apps, well before other mobile options on the market did. However, with great power comes responsibility, and your overheating phone might mean closing what’s happening in the background.

Apps hogging up memory and sucking up power is an ongoing problem. Luckily, you can download an app like dfndr security, which includes a cpu cooler feature to cool down your Android by closing background apps with a single tap. If you are a gamer, the function can do double duty to reduce lag time and free up more resources for your epic gaming battles.

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5 Ways to Turbo Charge Your Smartphone’s Internet Speed

Tue, 10 Apr 2018 12:00:17 +0000

The Internet has become a part of our everyday lives, many of us grabbing our smartphones to check our email before we even step out of bed in the morning. With such a digitally connected life, it’s essential that your internet keep up with your life. If you find yourself waiting for waiting for pages to load or game servers to connect, it might be time to see how your speed can be improved.

Here are 5 ways to speed up your slow internet connection and bring your smartphone’s sluggish performance into the 21st century.

It May Not Be Your Phone, But Your Plan
First, let’s talk about the least desirable option and get it out of the way. It’s essential to ensure that your current Internet provider is delivering speeds that you need daily. If you’re skimping by on the cheapest plan and expect to stream Netflix films in 4K, you might need to reconsider your options. Using a free website such as SpeedTest.Net to determine your current Internet speed and have a better understanding of upload and download speeds is a good start.

Chrome or Firefox?
One of the most wonderful features that the Android platform has to offer is choice, and that applies to your web browser too. Due to the nature of Android operating systems, web browsers can vary significantly in speed. Implement different approaches to web browsing. If you find your device is doing fine with Internet speeds in most apps, but web browsing itself is a problem, consider an alternative web browser.

Apps are a Space Hog
Another possible reason internet is moving at a turtle’s pace is due to background apps also attempting to access the web at the same time. You might have a game downloading a patch, an app checking refreshing content, or the system performing an update. An easy solution to this problem is using an optimization app, one that does the work for you. dfndr performance has an accelerate internet feature, which automatically closes down background apps with a tap and increases your Internet speed.

Ensure Your WiFi is Top Notch
If you’re using your smartphone at home, there’s a good chance you’re on a private WiFi network. But if your network is in poor condition, you can’t expect that to translate into lighting fast speeds. Ensure your router is placed in a central open area of the house and that the model you’re using is current and supports at least wireless ‘N’ standards. Lastly, if you still having an issue, try unplugging both the modem and router for 30 seconds to give your network an easy reboot.

Just as humans age, our smartphones also age over time and can start to slow down. There are various reasons for the decline in performance including an outdated operating system, slow internal chips that can’t handle modern content, and older software that has become bogged down over the years.

Consider this thought: if your smartphone isn’t acting too ‘smart’ any longer, it might be time to buy a new one.

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Your Android Device is a Slave to Cryptocurrency Malware

Sun, 08 Apr 2018 12:00:32 +0000

Hackers have quickly discovered that they can infect Android phones with cryptocurrency malware, forcing devices into using precious CPU power to serve them. A new piece of malware, known as ADB.Miner is doing just that. The general term is called “mining for cryptocurrency”. A cryptocurrency is an asset that can be used similar to any other currency, trading for goods or services, but the difference is it’s digitally based and untraceable. The mining process itself allows for the discovery of new bits of digital currency. If a hacker is sneaking in on your device, how might it be affecting you?

Once a piece of mining malware has attached itself to your Android, it will relentlessly use the CPU and battery life to obtain digital currency. In the process, you may find the battery life of your phone draining or even heating up suddenly. Scarily enough, some bits of mining malware have learned to clone themselves, which means the virus can transfer to other devices on a network that your phone is connected to.

Take these tips to heart to better protect yourself from nasty viruses such as the recently discovered cryptocurrency malware attack.

Third-Party Apps Don’t Play Around
While there’s no way to guarantee that malware won’t be nested in the apps you download, you can reduce your chances of infection by sticking to a reliable store such as the Google Play Store or the Amazon Appstore. Just this past January, Google removed sixty different compromised apps from its store. Sticking to reputable app stores is a smart way to stay away from shady sources.

Listen When Apps Are Speaking
When you download a new application to your Android phone, it will typically make you aware of any permissions it requires such as scanning your contacts to modifying the device itself. Determine what an application probably doesn’t need and understand what each permission allows an app to access. Use common sense here, if a calculator app needs access to your camera, microphone, and contact list – something is dodgy. You’re better off deleting the app than taking a risk.

Call in the Virus Scanning Reinforcements
Truthfully, it’s nearly impossible to stay up to date, detect, and avoid every strain of malware out there. The good news is there are antivirus applications that can help. dfndr security is one reliable app that has a full-virus scan feature, which scans your Android phone’s memory and SD card for any threats, removing them completely.

Just you alone can’t fight off these cryptocurrency miners, but having these tips and a strong security app will no longer make you a slave to hackers looking to hog your phone’s power.

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Hackers Target Taxpayers with Ransomware During Tax Season

Mon, 02 Apr 2018 12:00:43 +0000

The wonderful joy of tax season, a fresh honey glazed ham out of the oven and as many jellybeans as you could ever want!

Wait, did I get that wrong? Oh, yes, we’re talking about tax season with receipts and paperwork galore; it may not be an exciting event like a spring feast, but it might lead to a decent refund! However, with hackers waiting for every opportunity to scam the system, ransomware has reared its ugly head again.

An essential start to staying protected should be to use an app on your smartphone such as dfndr security, which provides anti-hacking protection by scanning and blocking any possible malicious links in your web browser, emails, or your chatting/messaging apps. A little piece of security goes a long way.

We keep mentioning taxes, but what does this piece of ransomware have to do with your citizenly duties? The malware itself was found in an email when a hacker pretended to be a representative from the IRS. Ransomware is a type of malicious malware that will install itself on your phone or computer, typically locking down access to any files or material until a monetary payment is made to the cybercriminal.

Granted, this specific scheme wasn’t that slick since he was posing as a US agent sending an email from a UK email address and included a German language document.

This form of attack is known as phishing and tricks an individual into believing they are interacting with a trustworthy source. In this case, the attacker posed as a government official. The multi-continental and bilingual email may have been easy to spot, but there are other online scammers with savvier skills that can trick you into downloading malware.

Unfortunately, once you’ve fallen victim to ransomware, you could pay the ransom with no guarantees your data is returned safely.

It’s important when you receive an email or phone call, to double check the source. Look at the ‘From’ field to see the full email address. In this case, it wasn’t an ‘IRS.gov’ email address, let alone one originating from the US. Read the address carefully and make sure it’s spelled correctly — small typos can be missed.

When it comes to IRS tax season, the agency notes they will never reach out via email to request personal information. If you do come across any email phishing scams from the IRS, forward the email to ‘phishing@irs.gov’ to report it and help prevent others from falling prey to scams.

If you receive a phone call, the IRS suggests writing down the supposed employee’s name and badge number. Then, dial the official IRS number at 1-800-366-4484 to check if the request was authentic.

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The Pros and Cons of Using an Ad Blocker

Wed, 21 Feb 2018 21:00:19 +0000

Using an ad blocker can be useful in some ways, and in others, it may prove to be suboptimal. While people have mixed ideas on this topic, it’s something that many others don’t truly understand enough to make an educated decision on it. Still, most seek out ad blockers for the purpose of removing annoying, phone-slowing ads.

Continue reading to find out what ad blockers are and what the pros and cons are that are associated with its use. You’ll soon learn more so you can make your own decision about this feature!

What’s an Ad Blocker?
An ad blocker is a type of software that has the ability to automatically remove unwanted online advertisements. This includes web banners, embedded audio and video, and pop-up windows. The way this works is that the connection between content providers and third-party networks is interrupted, and tracking scripts are blocked amidst the web activity. This type of software has been around (and evolving) since the early 2000s, becoming more widely used each year.

The Pros
The first pro of this type of software is that it cuts down on annoyance as we browse the web. It’s frustrating when you click on a link only to be bombarded by a pop-up ad that feels impossible to close. Since we all know the feeling, ad blockers have become more and more widely used. In fact, over 70 million people took advantage of them on their devices in 2016. With this software, interruptions are minimal and browsing the net is much more pleasant and seamless. Using this software can also cut down on loading times, help increase battery life, and increase the bandwidth of data usage.

The Cons
To counter those pros, there are also some downsides to using ad blockers. First of all, this software may end up blocking more than just ads. For instance, the commonly used in-app messaging tool Intercom is commonly erroneously blocked by ad blockers. Ad blocking users also report that this feature commonly cuts off their access to YouTube. Additionally, this software has an effect on sites that host ads, which can be damaging to their livelihood as they rely on these ads for income. This is damaging to the economy and could, ultimately, affect the level of free content available to users from venues like news sites, blogs, and so on.

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Why It’s a Bad Sign if Your Apps Keep Crashing

Tue, 20 Feb 2018 23:00:11 +0000

If the apps on your Android device start crashing again and again, it can be a frustrating experience. Besides that, though, it can actually be a bad sign surrounding your device as a whole. While apps crashing may not be all that much of an issue, it can be symptomatic of something larger at play. The first thing you should check for is whether you have a virus on your phone. Try to use the security scan feature in dfndr security to quickly check your phone for malware:

You May Have Too Many Apps Open at Once
If you aren’t good about closing out apps from time to time, it could mean trouble with how seamlessly your phone runs. While killing your apps isn’t something that you need to do all too often, leaving numerous apps running in the background of your phone — i.e., if they’re not being used but are still open and active — for an extended amount of time can cause problems. This ranges from draining your battery to causing those pesky app crashes.

There May be an Issue With Your Software
Something more serious that may be at the root of your repeated app crashes is a problem with the software development of your phone. From time to time, updates to Android software may come out that then prove to operate in a suboptimal way with third-party applications. This means that bugs — such as repeated app crashes — can occur, causing frustration and prohibiting you from using your device the way it’s intended to be used. When you notice these performance problems, report the issue and make sure that you’re completing additional software updates that come out, as they could have useful bug fixes.

It May Be a Data Issue
If you don’t have a lot of extra storage space left on your phone, this could be the culprit behind app crashing, too. If you’re experiencing this crashing, try looking at your available storage and making space if you don’t have much left. You are likely to find that this will help to resolve this issue quickly.

You want to make sure that these issues are not compromising the safety of your digital device and try to be aware when your phone acts sluggish because the last thing you want is to have an infected device!

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How to Analyze Junk Files on Your Smartphone

Mon, 29 Jan 2018 19:30:06 +0000

Before, junk mail would creep into inboxes without notice, often mixing in with your important emails from friends, family, and work. Unsurprisingly, this frustrated many Internet users who fell into Internet schemes and cybercrime. Now, most email services prevent this frustration by filtering out junk mail into a spam folder that’s outside of your inbox. But since smartphones have become more sophisticated, there’s also been an increase in junk files on phones, too. Consider using dfndr performance’s quick cleanup feature to remove junk files from your device:

The quick cleanup feature cleans trash, cache and temporary files to free up internal memory and SD card space. With the rise of email access on different devices like your smartphone and tablet, you need to remember to activate the spam folder. Or, in other cases, it needs to be set up on your phone in general. Below are some basic guidelines for activating, accessing, and analyzing your junk email folder.

Finding Your Junk Email Folder
As mentioned, a junk mail folder will save you many headaches. However, it’s important to make sure that the junk mail is setup correctly. You don’t want important emails going in there! The first step is to find your junk email folder. Finding your junk mail folder is easy. Simply go to your email client of the account requiring the junk mail folder. Bring up the folder list, or whatever shows various folders such as Inbox, Drafts, etc. on your phone. In the folders, you should see a Junk or Spam mail folder. Just click and you’re there!

Customizing Your Junk Email Folder
Moving right along, you’re now in the junk email folder. In that folder, you’ll likely see a lot of messages. Hopefully most of them, if not all, are actually junk mail. As mentioned, you don’t want important emails in that inbox! However, if you do see important emails in your junk email inbox, click on the message or messages in question and find the “Not Spam” button. Click that and those messages should start appearing in your inbox. Additionally, if you have spam or junk messages appearing in your inbox, simply find the “Mark Spam” button. Click and send them to your junk email folder!

What to Do After
Unfortunately, there are often more junk emails than important emails. This means that your entire inbox, not just the junk email folder, can get filled up quickly. This means less storage for important mail. If you notice you’re close to exceeding the amount of space in your inbox, consider investing in an inbox cleaner. Inbox cleaners detect unimportant emails, effectively cleaning them from your inbox. This will save you time, money, and inbox space!

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Change the Speed of Your Android Games in 5 Easy Steps

Fri, 26 Jan 2018 13:00:50 +0000

If you’re a mobile gamer, you know that you’ll do anything to win. That means inviting friends to play, sometimes paying for extra features, or bringing out all the stops to get your own high score. These extra features can put a strain on your phone’s performance. The first step you should take to speed up your games involves using dfndr security’s game booster feature. Click here to reduce loading times and to eliminate lag while playing games on your device:

Besides this juicy tip, did you know that it’s possible to change the speed of your Android games, enabling you to get a higher score and reach new levels? Better yet, you can do it in five easy steps.

Step 2: Change the Mouse Speed
If you didn’t already know, you can change the mouse speed on your Amazon device, enabling you to scroll faster in games like fruit ninja or others that require a quick cursor. While this doesn’t technically alter the speed of the game, increased cursor sensitivity helps to build things up.

Step 3: Change the Animation Scale
This is another feature you may not have known about. In the settings, you can change the animation scale. This means that you can speed up or slow down the animations in the game, which can help to improve performance.

Step 4: Change Your Clock Speed
Another sure-fire way to alter the speed of the games you’re playing is to change your device’s clock speed. Now, your device will think time is running faster or much, much slower. By doing this, you can trick the game into running one way or another, depending on if you need to wait for a long time, or if you need to slow down the clock.

Step 5: Clean Up Your Device
If your games are running slowly, and if you find your phone overheating, don’t panic. Especially if you have an older phone, you may find that games run more slowly or tend to lag when you least want them to. By cleaning out your old files, removing photos, and deleting unused apps and data, you can make your phone run much more smoothly, which means a faster and easier gaming experience. Click here to use quick cleanup to instantly clear files from your device:

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Best Apps for Staying Informed in the Era of Fake News

Sat, 13 Jan 2018 13:00:32 +0000

With recent revelations that Russia purchased bots and spread thousands of dubious articles on Facebook and Twitter before last year’s election, staying informed seems like a greater challenge than ever. The news stories on even the most heavily-trafficked social media platforms might be skewed by algorithms and misinformation.

Fortunately, there are better apps for us to get news delivered to us than social media. Best of all, some news-aggregating apps will cater the news they deliver to each individual user, meaning everyone can rest assured they are receiving reliable news from sites without partisan slants they might be at odds with.

Feedly
Feedly allows users to decide which news outlets they trust, and add blogs and YouTube channels to their assortment of more traditional journalistic sources. The result is a decidedly modern take on receiving news, combining the prowess of your favorite journalists with commentary from your favorite bloggers and YouTube channels. For the business-minded, Feedly also allows users to include industry journals and secure access to information from company sources, meaning it doubles as useful for staying up-to-date with work.

Inoreader
An up-and-coming app, Inoreader has pre-created topics users can choose to follow. These pre-made feeds make it an excellent fit for users who might not know which sources to follow on certain topics. Similarly, it is an excellent option for users who want reliable news but do not want to go through the work of curating which sources and topics they want to follow. It might also serve as a great complement to other news aggregating apps, introducing users to new sources they otherwise would not have thought to add to their personally-curated aggregators. The result is a less fussy, more streamlined app that otherwise provides an experience comparable to that of Feedly.

Flipboard
One of the most visually-appealing news apps on the market, Flipboard offers a customized news-reading experience with an interface that re-creates the experience of reading a magazine or flipping through a newspaper. Best of all, the breadth of topics available makes it an outstanding app to receive feeds from various specialized topics, from the entertainment industry to the latest advances in science. One unique feature is a channel dedicated to articles about leading a more productive life, helping to ensure users will not get so drawn into the experience that they lose track of time. The sleek, flashy design and enormous breadth of topics makes Flipboard a delightful choice among news aggregators.

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Are Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat Killing Your Battery?

Mon, 08 Jan 2018 13:00:33 +0000

If you find that your phone’s battery is constantly dying on you, then you may want to look into your phone’s battery usage by app. Are Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat responsible for your dead battery?

Whether or not they’re the reason, the best way to keep your battery from dying is to take advantage of dfndr’s powerpro. powerpro will make your phone battery last longer by allowing you to see which of your phone’s applications are using the most energy. It can then close the apps that are draining your battery, and offer suggestions for improving your phone’s battery life.

Instagram
You may be wondering how Instagram can be draining your battery even when you’re not using it that often. Many people are not aware that, even though they aren’t looking at Instagram, it is still running in the background. The only way to be sure that Instagram isn’t running in the background is to fully close the app instead of just exiting it. Another aspect of Instagram that could be draining your battery is the location feature. If you have given Instagram permission to your location, then Instagram will be constantly searching for your location even when you’re not using the app. The best way to get rid of this is by going to the Instagram permissions and turning off location.

Facebook
One reason Facebook is draining so much battery is because the app is constantly updating with new information behind the scenes. In order to stop Facebook from draining your battery, you need to turn off the “background app refresh” permission. This “background app refresh” is the reason that every app, particularly social media and news apps, are constantly updating with new information. By turning this off, this will save you battery. App developers like to have frequent updates, so apps like Facebook could be secretly updating all day and draining your battery life.

Snapchat
A great way to reduce how much battery Snapchat is using is by turning Snapchat on “Travel Mode” in the app’s settings. By turning it to travel mode, Snapchat will run less in the background and save you battery. Another thing that really drains your battery is using the snapchat camera all day. The camera uses a ton of battery life and can really drain your phone battery if you have it open for long periods of time throughout the day.

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Secure Your Android Phone with Screen Pinning

Tue, 19 Dec 2017 23:00:57 +0000

Android devices have an easy toggle switch in the settings that allow users to have the capabilities of screen pinning. But what is screen pinning? Screen pinning is when you’d like to keep a person locked into one area of your phone. One of the biggest benefits of this is when a parent hands a child their phone, and wants to keep them locked on that app or webpage. This can be achieved through screen pinning. Keep in mind that when the screen is pinned, you’re unable to receive calls or texts until the screen is unpinned and the phone is back to normal function once again.

How to Screen Pin on Your Android Device
In order to pin to a specific screen, follow the directions that are outlined here. It can benefit you in the long run to have a protected phone.

Go to your phone’s setting options. This can be found in the apps section or in the quick setting option.
Go to the security section in the settings.
Find where it says screen pinning.
Toggle the switch over. It should display as being green, which means it’s on.

Pinning Your Phone
Once you have the screen pinning option on, you can go to the page or the app to be pinned. Once there, click on the pin icon that is shown on the bottom corner of the screen. Click on this to pin the Android device to this specific area. When you click on the pin option on the screen, it will ask you whether or not you’d like to use a password to protect the pin. This is generally a good idea if you’re using it for your children, guests, or others. If you want to pin the page or game that you’re playing, it is not necessarily required. Choose a password that you feel comfortable with and save it. Every time you go to pin a page, it will ask you to enter this information.

Now you can safely lend your device to others that wish to use it, allow children to play their favorite games and apps, or just play a game without having to worry about opening another window or getting interrupted by a phone call. When it comes to being safe, you can never be too safe with the Internet and mobile devices. It is always good to have a locked phone, be wary of unsecured Internet providers, and ensure that you follow the necessary protection protocols.

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Apps and Extensions to Provide Online Trigger Warnings

Tue, 05 Dec 2017 22:00:47 +0000

Are you looking to browse the Internet without exposing yourself to harmful or painful triggers? If you’re browsing in constant fear that you could be set off in reminder of past traumatic events, there are services available. They are designed to provide trigger or content warnings to better ensure that browsing experiences are safe and enjoyable.

The following are some of the top services that are available for blocking certain content or providing trigger warnings. It’s important to note that some of these services are only offered on specific browsers. Others, however, are designed to protect you no matter your Internet or browser preferences.

Warn Me

Warn me is an app that’s available for the Chrome browser. It allows users to set up and create their own triggering words and set up alerts to block said words, topics, or content from their Chrome experience. The program has been well-received and well-reviewed, and it can help those who exclusively browse in Chrome to avoid difficult topics that they might encounter.

Feerless

In the same vein, Feerless is an app that blocks or warns you of potentially dangerous content that users may encounter on streaming services like Netflix. The app has generated a lot of publicity for the ways in which it has helped PTSD sufferers to be able to enjoy content without fear of triggers within the content that they watch. This app uses crowd-sourced data to mark graphic or difficult scenes; the user then will get a notification of this scene whenever they watch a movie or TV show, allowing them to pause or fast-forward. That way, they can still enjoy Netflix while avoiding triggering content.

Soothe

Soothe is another Chrome extension that also works to help block out unseemly or undesired content from the browsing experience. Should you be browsing the Internet on Chrome, this app is highly reviewed and will likely help to block out a lot of the negative experiences that many users might face. Soothe will help you to block hateful social media messages in real-time, filter content, and personalize trigger warnings.

For those looking to better control and limit their exposure to potentially harmful material while browsing the web, these programs are a great place to start. These services can help to protect against traumatic experiences and allow users to confidently enjoy their favorite streaming services, and everything the Internet has to offer, without fear of opening old wounds.

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The Top 3 Causes of Bad Phone Performance

Mon, 04 Dec 2017 23:00:37 +0000

When you get a new mobile phone, you probably love how sleek and smooth it is, how untouched the screen is by your fingerprints, and how quickly it operates. However, it’s unfortunately inevitable that over time, your phone’s performance seems to slow down as you collect more files and your apps bloat. One way to quickly down slim your apps is by using the app manager feature in dfndr security to remove apps you aren’t using. This feature allows you to pick and choose which apps to get rid of and overall, can help towards the speed and performance of your phone.

The following gets to the root of why your phone’s performance may not be up to snuff after you’ve used it for a while. These problems can be frustrating, but they’re not the end-all-be-all of a smoothly running device. Follow the below advice and you should be better equipped for a quick and smooth Android experience.

Bloated Apps
After continued use, apps are some of the worst offenders for affecting the performance of our Android devices. This is because of something called “feature creep,” where new features are continuously added to your individual apps via updates. This leads to apps eventually using up more RAM and CPU, as your phone hardware stays the same. That means a slower performance that you may even be able to notice over time. To reduce the lag that bloated apps can cause, you can start by replacing some of them with more “lightweight” apps like Facebook Lite. Since the most frequent offenders are social media apps, note-taking apps, and so on, this is a great place to start.

Background Apps
Even if you don’t realize it, apps may be running in the background of your device when you’re not actively using them, resulting in a slower or poorer performance on your phone. For example, your email app is checking for new messages even if you don’t physically have the app open. Even things like home screen widgets and animated wallpapers are culprits of these crimes. To help minimize this issue, check your device settings for which apps are using the most battery. From there, change the app’s individual settings so that they’re not refreshing in the background.

Operating System Upgrades
When you first bought your phone, it undoubtedly came with a specific operating system that has perhaps been upgraded time and time again since you first purchased the device. While these operating systems are certainly an upgrade, they were designed with the newer model phones in mind. Newer operating systems are likely to perform better with more advanced hardware. Thus, installing newer software on an older phone can result in a poorer performance.

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The Most Common Viruses of 2017 and How to Stop Them

Mon, 04 Dec 2017 23:00:14 +0000

With such a vast number of different viruses floating about, it can sometimes be tough to know if your laptop or smartphone already has a virus. Viruses can be dormant on a device for years, or else they can be hidden deep inside a device, avoiding detection in order to collect information. The only way to know for sure if your phone is safe is to regularly scan your device for viruses. Use the full virus scan feature in our dfndr security app to check your Android and SD card for hidden viruses:

The full virus scan uses machine learning to update its virus database continuously and help fight new, emerging viruses, which means that your phone will always be protected against the latest threats, in real-time. Learn more about some of the most common viruses from this year.

The Hummingbad Virus

This awful virus has infected over 10 million Android phones worldwide (so far) in 2017. This virus roots itself into your phone’s operating system, collects all of your personal information, and then commits click fraud on your behalf. Click fraud is when a virus makes your phone click on an advertisement repeatedly to generate revenue for the host site. This app is difficult to notice because it doesn’t slow down your phone or give you any reason to think that you may be infected with malware. The virus may be attached to an app on your phone, so be cautious of which apps you download from the Play store.

The Trojan Virus

This virus is tricky because it attaches itself to a harmless looking app or program. However, once the app is installed on your phone, the Trojan virus is activated and begins to spread. This virus scans for sensitive information like account information, bank information, or credit card accounts. The Trojan virus can also hijack the browser, causing your smartphone to send expensive premium rate texts without your authority. This virus is also dangerous because it can deactivate some of the applications you have downloaded or even freeze your phone altogether. A good way to get rid of this virus is by running a Full Virus Scan on your device to remove the virus. In the future, be cautious of which apps you download.

The FalseGuide Virus

This may be the worst virus of them all because once it’s on your phone it cannot be removed. As of now, the FalseGuide virus has infected over 2 million phones. The virus spreads through sketchy Android games in the Google Play store. These “gaming apps” have many different names and are listed under different fake developer names.

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Why You Should Switch Off Your Wireless Connection

Sun, 03 Dec 2017 01:00:11 +0000

As we have gotten more and more reliant on our phones over the past decade, public wireless networks seem to have increased tenfold. The abundant access to free wireless networks, unfortunately, can now just as easily pose a security risk to you and your most delicate information. Fortunately, there are ways to leave your phone more secure even if you do not remember to switch off your wireless connection. The anti-hacking feature in dfndr security will keep your phone protected from malicious attacks on seemingly trusted sites, a tactic you might encounter if a wireless network you are using has been compromised. Try it now:

Security on Public Networks
Even if you do not frequently connect to free public wireless networks, your phone will likely automatically connect to wireless networks you’ve used in the past when you’re within range, unless you diligently forget networks from your phone’s Wi-Fi settings. Your phone will not always tell you when it has automatically connected, so it could happen when you are completely unaware. Even if none of your information was compromised when you last connected to a certain open network, the network’s security could have been compromised since you last used it.

Switching off your wireless connection on your phone will prevent your phone from accessing unsecured networks without your knowledge, therefore also keeping the security of information on your phone intact. Even if, for some reason, you do need to connect to an open wireless network, you can manually switch on your wireless connection, which will allow you to keep track of your connections and trace any suspicious activity back to networks you remember, rather than leaving this up to guesswork.

Turn Off Your Wireless Connection
The sad truth of network security today is that your security might be compromised even when you are connected to networks in trusty locations, like at work or school. While many large, secured networks have advanced protections, they are a more lucrative target for sophisticated hackers because of the very fact that these networks have so many users sharing so much information.

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Does It Matter If You Leave Your Phone to Charge Overnight?

Sat, 02 Dec 2017 23:00:23 +0000

How much thought do you give to charging your phone? Probably not that much, especially if your phone is brand-new and still working rather efficiently. But if you wear out your phone during the day, only to leave it plugged in to charge all night while you’re asleep, then you’re actually shortening the lifespan of your beloved new smartphone. It’s time to pay more attention to your charging process so that you can get the most out of your new phone — and keep it working like new for years. Click here to use Total Charge to monitor your phone’s charging process:

Total Charge shows you which stage of the charging process your phone is in and how long it’ll take to charge your phone. It’ll then alert you whenever it’s done charging, so that you don’t have to worry about damaging your phone. This is important because leaving your phone plugged in after it’s reached 100% can lead to overcharging, which can cause your phone to overheat. It can also cause battery damage, which will shorten your phone’s overall lifespan and how well it works.

The Main Issue with Charging Your Phone Overnight
If your phone seems to be fine whenever you charge it overnight, that doesn’t necessarily mean it is fine. The real issue with leaving your phone plugged in is that doing so can affect your battery’s health. It can reduce the lifespan and quality of your battery — a disappointing reality if you just dropped a lot of money on a new phone. While you may not see the effects of this decision immediately, you’ll start to see it over time. Then you’ll be stuck with a phone that doesn’t hold a charge or continuously freezes when you have a year left on your phone contract.

Is Your Phone Prone to Overheating?
Overcharging used to be a major issue for cell phones, but as technology has improved, it has become less of a problem. However, that doesn’t mean you should leave your phone plugged in for long periods of time, especially if your phone is older or if you’re using an off-brand or cheap phone charger. Pay attention to how your phone responds to charging (with the assistance of Total Charge). If it gets hot after reaching 100%, then you know you need to immediately unplug your phone after it’s done charging to avoid immediate battery damage.

An overheating phone — whether caused by overcharging or a poor-quality charger — could also spark or start a fire. Additionally, you should steer clear of “fast chargers,” which can cause your phone to rapidly overheat, which will further damage your phone’s battery life.

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Can’t Stop Clickbaiting? anti-hacking Will Protect You

Fri, 24 Nov 2017 01:00:32 +0000

The term “clickbait” is all too common online, and it’s often the reason for so many hacking crimes out there. The scary part about this phenomenon is that it’s easy to fall for it. To help you ensure that you don’t fall victim to dangerous clickbait, use the anti-hacking feature to warn you whenever links are unsafe as you browse the web. Click here to use anti-hacking to protect yourself from dangerous clickbait:

How anti-hacking Protects You
anti-hacking takes the worry out of the equation by protecting you against harmful links, sending you the appropriate warnings, and even protecting you from malicious online predators and hackers. It blocks you from phishing attempts and deceptive, fake websites designed to steal your personal information or money. In a world where the Internet could potentially be a scary place — yet remains a necessary one for our everyday use — the anti-hacking feature will protect you from the risks that exist. Continue reading to find out what exactly clickbait is and why clickbait can be dangerous.

What Is Clickbait?
Think of a piece of cheese or a dollop of peanut butter on a mouse trap. The food is the “bait” that lures the rodent into the trap. This concept can be applied to clickbait. Clickbait refers to a hyperlink or web page that somehow entices a visitor to click on the article, even though it could ultimately be harmful to them. These links usually have catchy or provocative headlines that use exaggeration or hyperbole to make someone interested enough to click on the link.

For instance, they’ll use celebrity names, phrases like “the ultimate” or “you’ll never believe this,” the promise of something like “guaranteed ways to save money,” or something along those lines. As you can see, they make the headlines as tempting as possible.

Why Clickbait Can Be Dangerous
There are many dangers and risks associated with clickbait, which is why it’s important to stay informed and protected against it. Typically, dangerous clickbait sites will ask viewers (who fall into the trap) to register for the site, entering personal information. This could include anything from one’s name, address, and date of birth to even riskier information like a social security number or credit card number. This often leads to stolen funds or serious identity theft. These sites oftentimes look legitimate, which is why it’s more important than ever to have the right protection.

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This Mobile App Allows Cybercriminals to Create Ransomware

Fri, 24 Nov 2017 00:00:55 +0000

With hacks and malware becoming more and more common, it’s difficult to know how to truly prevent cybercriminals from stealing your private information. The best ways to keep your phone and private data protected include: being cautious of which apps you download, avoiding suspicious-looking links or ads, and regularly running virus scans on your device. Use the full virus scan feature to scan your phone and SD card for hidden malware, and ensure that your phone is secure:

The best part of this feature is that the database is continuously updated, so your phone will always be protected against the latest threats, in real-time.

An App to Create Ransomware
This malware app is essentially a smartphone application that can be used to make custom ransomware attacks that target Android devices. The app was originally meant to be run from a computer or laptop, but now the app has been reformatted to function on a phone. Many developers call apps like this a “Trojan” or “TDK.”

It’s interesting to note that these apps only can run on Android and can only target other Android phones. The app isn’t on the Google Play store though; the only way you can access this app is by going to China’s Great Firewall hacking forums.

How Do You Use the App?
This app is a subscription-based service, so at least hackers are paying to steal data from you. When you download the app, new users can make a one-time payment for the app. New users also get the experience of communicating with the criminal service provider. This can be a big deal for newer hackers who may want advice on how to use the app. According to malware experts, there isn’t a limit on how many different virus strains a new subscriber can make once they’ve paid the subscription fee.

How to Keep Your Private Data Safe
If you have an Android, it’s really crucial that you keep your information safe from these virus strains. One way to keep safe is to avoid using public Wi-Fi networks. These public networks are extremely easy for hackers to use. They can view your private data because they get between you and the network and watch everything you do.

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3 Tips for Facebook Live Streaming on Android

Thu, 23 Nov 2017 00:00:08 +0000

Facebook Live is a huge phenomenon in today’s world, allowing social media users everywhere to stay connected, to answer questions, and to share amazing experiences in an instant way with their friends, families, and followers. While it may be intimidating to shoot your own Facebook Live, once you start, you’ll find that it’s actually really fun and exciting. Find out some of the best tips below for live streaming your Facebook Live through your Android device to get a clear and crisp picture every time. Before you start, use wi-fi check to check your connection speed:

Wi-Fi check will test the speed and security of your connection to ensure you’re in a spot that’s optimal for streaming. That will really make sure everyone gets the most out of your video!

You won’t want to be in a spot with poor connection or service when you’re streaming a Facebook Live from your Android device. That will result in a delayed or grainy picture, spotty sound, and an overall bad experience for your viewers! Instead, take advantage of a spot that has a strong wireless connection.

Forward Your Calls Beforehand
Before you start your Facebook live, you’ll want to do everything you can to ensure that you’re not interrupted during your session. A great way to do that is to forward all of your calls to go directly to voicemail beforehand. To do so, open your phone app, touch the action overflow icon, and choose “settings,” then, “call settings.” Then, choose call-forwarding and choose “always forward.” Just make sure you remember to turn off call-forwarding after you’re done streaming so you don’t miss the rest of your calls.

Choose the Right Setting
There’s nothing more annoying than watching a video that you have to strain to hear because of background noise, or that you can’t adequately see because of a glare on the screen. Choosing the right setting to film your video negates these issues arising for your viewers. Choose a quiet spot with no background noise for optimal results. You should also make sure that you have adequate lighting for your stream. Don’t make viewers squint to see you; film in a room that has natural light or that is generously lit without being overly bright. You’ll also want to make sure that the camera isn’t pointed directly at a light that will be distracting to viewers.

Planning the perfect Facebook Live takes some work, but it’s worth it to impress your followers and to share a fun experience. Follow these tips and you’ll be the envy of all of your viewers!

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Doubleswitch: The Newest Social Media Hacking Tactic

Wed, 22 Nov 2017 23:00:44 +0000

With the advancements in tech, security, and innovation, hackers are finding new ways to not only compromise credit cards or computers, but also social network accounts and apps. That’s why it’s important to ensure that all of your social media accounts are protected, because they are likely holding sensitive information. Use the social guardian feature to lock your social media accounts with an extra password right now:

The Newest Social Media Hacking Tactic
It was only a matter of time before hackers were able to find newer and more clever ways to take over and steal people’s social media accounts. In this, one of the newest social media hacking tactics is known as double-switching. This is simply when a hacker infiltrates a social media account, alters the user’s name, password, email, and any other pertinent information, preventing the account holder from ever accessing that account again.

Knowing that thousands of companies and important public figures utilize social media accounts, hackers have targeted social media accounts in efforts to spread fake news or their personal agenda. The most popular case of public double-switching has been reported in Venezuela where numerous journalists, human rights activists, and many others lost their social media accounts and could not recover them.

Protect Your Social Media Accounts
Reading this information could cause a stir or worry for anyone on social media networks. It’s important though to make sure that you are constantly updating your password, choosing alternatives that are difficult and near impossible for a hacker to uncover. On top of this, if a social media network, or even an app like WhatsApp, is holding personal information and offers for multiple-authentication methods, it is smart to enroll in these options. By doing so, double-switching is ineffective and counterproductive.

So, the lesson is: use the right protective tools to optimize your privacy and peace of mind while using social apps. There is no greater feeling in the world than knowing that your private information is safe away from the hands of hackers.

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How to Enable a Firewall on Your Android

Wed, 22 Nov 2017 22:00:04 +0000

Any device is susceptible to the prying eyes of hackers and the hands of predators, which is why we have to take every precaution we can to work against these attacks. Those with Android devices are no exception, and taking the measure of enabling a firewall on these devices is a great step in the defense against predators. Doing so will allow users to regain control of their shared data. Read about how to enable it on your Android device below.

What is a Firewall?
For those who aren’t up on tech lingo, here’s a brief explanation of what a firewall is so that you can understand why it’s important. A firewall is a safety barrier between a device — in this case, your Android — and the Internet. It acts to filter communication that attempts to cross it, acting as a gatekeeper to allow only those who are authorized. That means that a firewall on your Android will help filter out which apps are allowed to interact with the Internet and which cannot.

Installing DroidWall
The first Android firewall to discuss is DroidWall. This app requires root access. When you open it, you’ll see a page with a list of installed applications on the device, allowing users to select which apps can and cannot have Internet interaction. This firewall boasts two modes, which are sorted into a white list and a black list. The first allows users to block apps, with the exception of those that were originally selected. The other list allows you to choose what to block. All you have to do on the app to enable the firewall is toggle to “firewall is/enabled” and vice versa if you want to switch it off.

NoRoot Firewall
The next app enables firewall without the user having root permissions. To use this, users must install the app and then tick boxes off to allow apps and features Internet access, and deny access to others as desired. What’s great about this app is that it allows users to create custom filters and manage individual IPs and hostnames.

These are just a couple of the apps that allow Android users to activate a firewall on their device, but they’re certainly two of the best to use in doing so. They make it easier than ever to protect your device and your personal information, so don’t wait to install one of them on your Android to ensure your safety as you use your phone and browse online.

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