How to Secure Your Phone Against Hackers

Quick Take

Your phone contains more sensitive personal information than your wallet ever did — from banking apps to email accounts that can reset all your passwords. Securing it properly is one of the most important steps you can take to protect your identity.

This guide will walk you through the essential security settings that actually matter. You’ll spend about 45 minutes to an hour setting everything up, but once it’s done, your phone becomes a much harder target for identity thieves and hackers.

Before You Start

What you’ll need:

• Your phone (obviously)
• A trusted email address you can access from another device
• Phone numbers for two trusted contacts for emergency access
• About an hour of uninterrupted time
• A pen and paper to write down any backup codes

Why this matters for your identity security:

Your phone is the gateway to everything else. Most password reset emails go to your phone. Your banking apps live there. Your two-factor authentication codes arrive via text. If someone gains control of your phone — either physically or by taking over your account — they can often reset passwords for your most important accounts and lock you out of your own digital life.

The techniques I’ll show you here are the same ones I recommend to identity theft victims who need to secure their devices after an attack. They’re not complicated, but they’re incredibly effective.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Set Up a Strong Lock Screen

For iPhone users:

• Go to Settings > Face ID & Passcode (or Touch ID & Passcode on older phones)
• If you already have a passcode, enter it. If not, tap “Turn Passcode On”
• When prompted to enter a passcode, tap “Passcode Options”
• Select “Custom Alphanumeric Code” — this gives you the strongest protection
• Create a password that’s at least 8 characters with a mix of letters, numbers, and symbols
• Scroll down and turn OFF “USB Accessories” — this prevents certain hacking tools from working when your phone is locked

For Android users:

• Go to Settings > Security (or Settings > Lock Screen on Samsung phones)
• Tap “Screen Lock”
• Choose “Password” rather than PIN or pattern
• Create a strong password using letters, numbers, and symbols
• Find “Smart Lock” in your security settings and turn off any options you don’t absolutely need

Important note: I know passwords are less convenient than fingerprints or face unlock, but they’re much harder for someone to bypass if they steal your phone. You can still use biometric unlock for daily use — just make sure there’s a strong password backing it up.

2. Enable Find My Device and Remote Wipe

For iPhone:

• Go to Settings > [Your Name] > Find My
• Turn on “Find My iPhone”
• Turn on “Find My Network” — this helps locate your phone even when it’s offline
• Most importantly: Turn on “Enable Offline Finding” and “Send Last Location”

For Android:

• Go to Settings > Security > Find My Device (location may vary by manufacturer)
• Make sure it’s turned on
• Test it by going to android.com/find on a computer and signing in with your Google account

This feature lets you remotely wipe your phone if it’s stolen, preventing thieves from accessing your apps and data.

3. Secure Your SIM Card with a PIN

This step prevents sim swapping attacks, where criminals convince your phone carrier to transfer your number to their device.

For any phone:

• Go to your phone’s main Settings
• Search for “SIM” in the settings search bar
• Look for “SIM Card Lock,” “SIM PIN,” or “SIM Security”
• Turn on “Lock SIM Card”
• Enter a 4-digit PIN (don’t use 1234 or your birthday)
• Write down this PIN — if you enter it wrong three times, you’ll need to contact your carrier

Your phone will now require this PIN whenever it restarts, adding an extra layer of protection against SIM swapping.

4. Review App Permissions

Many apps request far more access than they actually need. Here’s how to clean that up:

For iPhone:

• Go to Settings > Privacy & Security
• Tap through each category (Location Services, Contacts, Photos, etc.)
• For each app, ask yourself: “Does this app really need this access to function?”
• Turn off access for apps that don’t have a clear reason to need it

For Android:

• Go to Settings > Apps or Settings > Application Manager
• Tap on each app you use regularly
• Tap “Permissions”
• Review what each app can access and turn off unnecessary permissions

Red flags to watch for: Flashlight apps that want access to your contacts, games that want to access your camera, or social media apps that want access to your microphone when you’re not actively using voice features.

5. Turn Off Lock Screen Notifications

This prevents sensitive information from appearing on your screen when your phone is locked.

For iPhone:

• Go to Settings > Notifications
• Tap each important app (banking, email, messaging)
• Turn off “Show on Lock Screen” for sensitive apps

For Android:

• Go to Settings > Apps & Notifications > Notifications
• Tap “Notifications on lock screen”
• Select “Don’t show notifications at all” or “Hide sensitive content”

6. Enable Automatic Updates

Keeping your phone’s operating system updated is crucial for security.

For iPhone:

• Go to Settings > General > Software Update
• Tap “Automatic Updates”
• Turn on both “Download iOS Updates” and “Install iOS Updates”

For Android:

• Go to Settings > System > System Update (path varies by manufacturer)
• Turn on automatic updates if available
• Also check Settings > Apps > Google Play Store > Settings > Auto-update apps and select “Over Wi-Fi only”

Verify It Worked

Here’s how to confirm your security settings are properly configured:

Test your lock screen: Lock your phone and try to access notifications or control center without unlocking it first. You shouldn’t be able to see sensitive information.

Test Find My Device: Use a computer to visit icloud.com/find (iPhone) or android.com/find (Android). Sign in and make sure you can see your phone’s location.

Check SIM PIN: Restart your phone completely. It should ask for your SIM PIN before connecting to your carrier network.

Verify automatic updates: Check your update settings one more time to ensure they’re enabled. You should see options for automatic downloads and installation.

Common Issues and Fixes

“I can’t find the SIM lock option”: Some carriers disable this feature. Call your carrier’s customer service and ask them to enable SIM PIN protection on your account. Explain that you want to protect against SIM swapping attacks.

“Find My Device isn’t showing my phone’s location”: Make sure location services are enabled for the Find My app specifically. Also check that your phone has internet connectivity (Wi-Fi or cellular data).

“I forgot my SIM PIN”: Don’t guess — contact your carrier immediately. They can provide you with a PUK code to reset it. Enter the wrong PIN too many times and you’ll lock yourself out completely.

“My banking app stopped working after changing permissions”: Some banking apps require certain permissions to verify your identity. Re-enable permissions one at a time until the app works, but question whether each permission is truly necessary.

“Two-factor authentication codes aren’t coming through”: If you enabled aggressive notification filtering, you might need to allow SMS notifications from unknown numbers or add your bank’s text number to your contacts.

What to Do Next

Now that your phone is more secure, consider these additional identity protection steps:

Enable two-factor authentication on your most important accounts — banking, email, social media. Use an authenticator app rather than SMS when possible, since text messages can be intercepted.

Review your phone bill regularly for unauthorized charges or new lines. SIM swappers sometimes add new devices to your account before transferring your number.

Set up account alerts with your wireless carrier for any changes to your account — SIM card swaps, address changes, new device additions.

Use a password manager to create unique passwords for all your accounts. Since your phone is now more secure, it’s a safer place to store a password manager app.

Consider identity monitoring to catch signs of identity theft early. Services like IdentityProtector.com can alert you if your personal information appears in data breaches or on dark web marketplaces where criminals buy and sell stolen data.

FAQ

How often should I update these security settings?
Review your app permissions every few months when you notice new apps requesting access. Check for software updates weekly, though automatic updates should handle most of this. Change your lock screen password every six months or immediately if you think someone might have seen you enter it.

Is it safe to use biometric unlock like fingerprints or Face ID?
Yes, biometric unlock is generally secure and much better than no lock at all. Just make sure you also have a strong backup password, since biometrics can sometimes be bypassed by sophisticated attackers or may not work if you’re injured.

What should I do if I think someone has accessed my phone?
Immediately change the passwords for your most important accounts — banking, email, and any accounts with stored payment information. Check your recent activity in banking and credit card apps for unauthorized transactions. Consider filing a police report if you suspect criminal activity.

Should I use public Wi-Fi if my phone is secured this way?
These settings make your phone more secure, but public Wi-Fi is still risky because your internet traffic can be intercepted. Avoid accessing sensitive accounts on public networks, or use a VPN if you must connect.

My teenager says these security settings are too restrictive. What’s reasonable?
Start with the basics: lock screen password, Find My Device enabled, and SIM PIN. You can be more flexible with app permissions for games and social media, but banking apps and anything with personal information should have minimal access. The goal is building good security habits, not making the phone unusable.

Conclusion

A properly secured phone is your first line of defense against identity theft. The steps you’ve just completed — strong lock screen protection, remote wipe capability, SIM PIN, reviewed app permissions, and automatic updates — address the most common ways criminals gain access to your personal information through mobile devices.

These aren’t the only security measures you should take, but they’re among the most important. Your phone is now significantly harder for criminals to compromise, whether they steal it physically or try to take over your accounts remotely.

Remember that identity protection is an ongoing process. As new threats emerge and technology changes, staying informed and maintaining good security habits becomes even more valuable. IdentityProtector.com helps individuals and families stay ahead of identity threats with comprehensive monitoring, real-time breach alerts, and dark web scanning that catches your information before criminals can use it. Combined with the phone security measures you’ve just implemented, professional identity monitoring gives you multiple layers of protection and expert recovery assistance if the worst happens.