If you’re like most people, your smartphone is everything. It’s your way to stay connected with people in your contacts and with the rest of the world. Calendar, contacts, games and more are built into the phone.
It’s yours to help you make phone calls, send texts, find out what restaurants are nearby, take photos of friends and more, depending on what app you have. Nonetheless, changing the way your phone looks and functions is a great way to make your life easier and use of your phone a lot more enjoyable.
Here are some great ways to customize your smartphone in every way.
Exterior Personalization
The outside of your smartphone may look like someone else’s smartphone. They are white or black and have a touch screen. If you lose your phone and that’s the description you gave for lost and found, you can bet that you’ll never see that phone again.
There are many cases on the market that allow you to make some adjustments. The cases can be hard or soft and depict almost anything. It could be a favorite color, favorite sports team or even featuring a cartoon character. More and more stores even allow you to customize your own image. That way, if you misplace your phone, everyone will know whose phone it is because it will have your cup on it.
Cases can cost upwards of $20 and can be well worth the investment – especially if misplaced.
Personalize Safety Features
When you’re not using your phone, you also want to make sure no one else can access your phone. You’re probably logged into all your social media apps. You don’t want anyone posting on your Facebook page without permission. You also don’t want anyone accessing your email, your bank records, or whatever it is you use your smartphone for.
Regardless of whether you have an Android, iPhone, BlackBerry, or whatever, there’s a lock screen. Some are finger swiped, others require a password or pass lock. You want to customize some uncommon security features. Go ahead and create a password or PIN on the phone so no one can log into it.
If you leave your phone as a generic security feature, you have the same way to unlock your phone as millions of other people. This means that it is not as safe as you think. More phones have a variety of security features to choose from, so you can choose the lock screen you like best.
Content Personalization
The content on your smartphone also needs to be customized. There are some basics that all phones come with – a phone dialer, contacts, notes, and calendar. After that, you may not have much in the apps department. There are quite a number of free apps out there that you can customize your phone without spending a dime. All you have to do is spend about 10 minutes on the app store to download all the apps that will make your life easier.
Think about apps in the following categories:
– Business
– Photography
– Games
– Record keeping
– Social media
– Watch TV/Movies
– Music
– Things to do
You can find apps that will help you organize meetings, let you smash birds into pigs, update your Facebook profile, listen to Internet radio, and even order pizza. When you have more applications on your smartphone, it allows you to have everything you need at your fingertips. Everyone has their favorite apps and you can have them too – as long as you take the time to download them. Your phone won’t have it the first time you buy it.
Customization is important. Smartphones don’t come cheap, so it’s best to spend some time customizing your phone once you get one. A few basic tweaks can go a long way in keeping your phone safe from prying eyes and making it identifiable as your phone and not someone else’s. You’ll probably pick the same make and model as other people you know, so if you don’t want them accidentally walking away with your phone, you should take action to customize it to your liking.
Image Credit : RetailMenot.com
Sarah Hendricks who are security experts in protecting users and businesses from hackers and data leaks. Users at the office, at home, or working remotely can all be attacked.