You spend almost every minute with each other, are always side by side and go through thick and thin together. Day by day you entrust him with new secrets – but what do you actually know about your companion? The speech is not from a friend or a friend, but from your smartphone! We introduce you to your companion a little closer.
Whether as an alarm clock, for self-organization or for entertainment on the way: Our smartphone is no longer just a phone, but our constant companion in all situations. But are you really aware of what your smartphone knows about you?
Of course, the information about your mobile I depends on which device you own and which apps you have installed. Which programs have certain information about you, or which other apps they access, can be viewed and managed in the app settings of your mobile phone. But there are some features and sources that have a large number of smartphones in common. We would like to introduce you here.
Where you are on the road?
Even if you can surf the net of your mobile phone at home, you usually move from one location to the next during mobile surfing. Wherever you are right now, the GPS (abbreviation for Global Positioning System) of your smartphone can be read and used. Obtaining a location via GPS is of course important if your mobile phone is lost or stolen and you need to locate it. Even if you use your mobile phone as a navigation device, the GPS use is elementary.
But reading your location can also be used for other purposes. For example, if you’ve turned on ‘Location Information’, all of your photos will be assigned a specific location. For example, you can use your phone to find a specific route while traveling and conveniently group photos by location. If you now post or send these photos via social media, the location will be handed over as well. What seems harmless at first sight can help fraudsters and criminals to paint a very concrete picture of you. You can use vacation photos and tagged photos of your place of residence to tell you where you live and that you are currently on vacation.
In recent years, the use of location information is being further developed. For example, you might receive promotional offers from companies as you walk past a store, and you will be asked for a review after a restaurant visit, without you having actively told your smartphone that you were there. The use of location information can therefore have advantages and disadvantages. If you do not want your location recognized, you can easily turn it off.
What interests you?
Access to knowledge and mobile entertainment has become so easy. With search engines like Google, the question that leaves you in peace can be answered within seconds. All your searches are stored by the company and used to personalize your smartphone. If you’re using an Android device, you’ll need to sign up for a Google Account. But even as an Apple user, it can be natural that you use a mail address or other services provided by Google. In this account are extremely many information about you available, especially about your surfing and search behavior.
Your personal usage history allows you to see which search queries you made during a certain period of time. Not only does this type of request know your phone, but also the web pages you have visited. These can be viewed – as well as on the home computer – in the course of your smartphone browser. About cookies data will be stored there in addition. Especially with your mobile phone, with which you are constantly on the move, you should take particular care that these services can not be used without problems. If you do not want to document your surfing behavior and save your personal information, you may want to surf in private mode or periodically delete history and cookies.
What habits and appointments you have?
Many smartphone owners use their device mainly to have their appointments fully on the way. But not only if you actively use the mobile as an organizer, your smartphone can get insight into your habits and appointments. For example, it may be that your mail account is linked to your mobile phone’s calendar. Appointments such as a flight or a hotel booking are taken from the booking mail and automatically transferred to the calendar. What seems practical at first glance may reveal more about you and your habits than you might like.
… and what if your phone should change hands?
You do not like your smartphone anymore? A new model has come on the market? If you want to sell or share your mobile phone, it is advisable to remove your personal information beforehand. To back up files like music and pictures, you can create a back-up of it in a cloud . Many of the newer smartphones also offer you the option of transferring the data from your old device to your new one via a specific app.
Once the data is backed up, you can remove it on the old device. First of all, you should be aware of whether you use additional storage space such as an external micro SD card. You can easily remove these and, if necessary, continue to use them in your new smartphone. Now you can reset your phone to the factory settings (also: Factory Reset). The device has now forgotten all information again and can be easily used by the next owner and filled with new information.
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