If you own an iPhone or any other high-end smartphone, you will soon learn that your own privacy is very important when browsing, making phone calls or even playing games. This article discusses top of the cream applications for boosting the security of your iPhone 5 device.
Just after the release of iPhone 5 and iPhone 4S, there was a significant rise in the number of apps available for download on the internet. Some of these apps are paid for, others are free, but that is not the focus here. Being software, apps can be used to bolster the security of a user with an iPhone, especially during the current uproar about internet phishing and hacking of people’s social network accounts and many other avenues. Even with the updated iOS 6,users need to install some aps on their iPhone devices to improve their safety. Here are 5 security applications youshould consider installing on your device today.
Find My iPhone
Highly recommended, Find My iPhone App is one of those software applications of their own kind. With a powerful ability to report a stolen iPhone, the app should be among the first ones you install on your device as soon as you purchase it. The app “lo-jacks” your iPhone device to make tracking easy using GPS based location-aware features that come built-in with the iPhone. With this app installed and running, it is possible to track the device using Apple’s website or any other device running on iOS. Although there is almost no guarantee that a tech savvy thief will not be able to disable the tracking ability of your phone, but your chances of recovering your iPhone will always be better once you install the Find My iPhone App.
Find My iPhone App on iPhone 5.
Kryptos
Today, anyone’s security can be compromised especially with the continual use of smartphone devices. If you feel that someone could be eavesdropping on your conversations through interceptions, Kryptos is the right app to install on your iPhone 5 device. The app is widely used by people who run businesses that require tightly safe voice communications.
Kryptos is an app that is intended to provide encrypted phone calls to enhance the security of the information being transmitted. It is designed to provide military-grade AES encryption to voice communication and can be used for Voice Over IP (VoIP) calls. To use the app, both participants in the voice communication must install it on their devices. It comes free, though the service is provided at a fee of $10 every month.
Kryptos App for secure VoIP calls on your iPhone.
Foscam Surveillance Pro
When you want to maximize the security of your house, Foscam Surveillance Pro is one of the top security apps you should look for. You can buy an IP camera and use it with an internet connection together with the app to keep an eye on what goes on at your house while vacationing or out for the night. The app works with quite a number of IP camera models and brands and will allow you to view even up to six IP cameras on your iPhone 5’s screen at one go. One intuitive feature with this app is that it supports the controlling of pan and tilt cameras, so you can use a virtual on-screen joystick to control the movements of the cameras you would like to monitor. With this app, you will stay right at the top of your home’s security.
Norton Snap
The black and white pixelated boxes, also called QR Codes, appear on almost everything including business cards and movie posters of today. Most QR bar codes that are multidimensional can be scanned using the camera of your smartphone and decoded by a respective app installed for the purpose. The decoded message can contain hyperlinks that will be visited by the app automatically. Though designed to improve convenience when using the smartphone devices, the behavior of the apps can prove to be dangerous to your security.
Norton Snap is a free app that reads QR codes and allows you to review the URLs encoded in them before you decide whether or not to visit them. It is also built with a database of malicious links and will warn you whether the links point to malicious sites or are safe.
Norton Snap app on iPhone.
Alarm.com Monitor and Control
iPhone 5 is a device that is supposed to make your life easy, thanks to the many innovative apps that are released every day into the app market. With Alarm.com Monitor and Control App, you are able to control the alarm kit installed in your home even when you are miles away. The app allows users to arm or disarm, check the alarm system and do other tasks of the security system of your home depending on your specific needs.
The app works perfectly with most home security systems such as 2Gig Go Control and many others. Depending on the level of service and the kind of security system you have installed in your home, the security app may allow you to alter the temperature of your thermostat if it is Z-ware enabled. You can also turn on or off the lighting, view feeds from your security camera and even lock and unlock deadbolts if they are compatible with the system.
Alarm.com Monitor and Control App.
For Physical Safety
Even with all these security apps installed on your iPhone device, you are still not guaranteed of total safety from damage. It is outright impossible to install an app that will protect your iPhone 5 from physical damage that may occur from drops to the floor, scratches and even kid’s use as a play toy. Therefore, you need to buy a rugged case for our iPhone 5 to provide the much needed shield from physical damage. Shopping for cases from sellers such as Greatshield.com, VistaPrint, iPhonecaze among others is a good way to go about protecting your phone from physical damage. Cases of all kinds according to material, style and purpose can be easily found.
Andy Goodman owns a mobile phone accessories shop in Los Angeles. Other than learning how to improve the security of smartphone devices using the available technology, he often advises his customers to consider the physical aspects of device safety as well.