Nokia recently unveiled its Nokia X family of Android-based smartphones, and the company has now detailed the handsets' security options.
Having security features in a smartphone has become increasingly important, as it can play a major role in keeping your personal and work-related data private and safe. Security features can help you avoid losing all data stored on the phone, or having that data compromised by someone else.
When it comes to the Nokia X family of devices, the handsets use the Android Open Source Project (AOSP), which is not Google-certified. This means that Nokia X users don't have access to the Google Play Store, but they can still side-load Android apps from any third-party source. This, in turn, could pose some security threats. In this regards, Nokia advises users to only rely on trusted apps/ game stores. Aside from apps, it is also advisable to add as many security features as possible.
According to a recent post on the Nokia Conversations blog, however, the Nokia X handsets have all of the required security features to protect data stored on the smartphone. Users don't have to download third-party security apps, the Nokia X has all it takes.
As Nokia's Adam Fraser explains it, the three main ways to protect content stored on a Nokia X smartphone are the screen security, encryption, and SIM card lock. The screen security feature comes with two options - PIN and password. Users who prefer a password can select a combination of numbers, letters, or both, while the PIN option consists of a four-digit numerical code.
Encryption, meanwhile, encodes the messages, accounts, images, videos, and data stored on the phone in order to make them accessible only by authorized users. More specifically, once the Nokia X data is encrypted, the only way to decrypt it is to perform a factory data reset, which will erase everything. Nokia further notes that the encryption process on the Nokia X takes roughly one hour to complete.
Lastly, one of the easiest ways is the SIM card lock, found on many phones. Nokia X users can access their phone's security settings and enable the SIM card lock option, which will block others from accessing the SIM card once the feature is turned on.
"Setting a lock on the device is one thing, as it prevents people from accessing stored data, but you can also protect the SIM card and your account - and therefore your wallet. Turning on a SIM lock means people won't be able to remove your SIM card, put it in their phone and make calls," Nokia explains.
Do you think these three measures are enough to keep your data secure? If not, what other security features do you use to protect your device?
