13 Ways to Protect your iPhone

Your biggest fear— it isn’t public speaking, the taxman, not even being buried alive. It’s a waterlogged, dropped, missing, or malfunctioning iPhone. And who can blame you? It has become your lifeline to just about everything that matters to you. It wakes you up at the crack of dawn. It keeps you entertained and up until all hours of the night. It helps you keep appointments. It stores your memories. It answers questions like, “how are my kids doing,” “where’s the restaurant,” and “should I buy more Apple stock?” It keeps you company when you’re all by yourself or all alone in a crowd. Your iPhone is a machine that has actually become your friend. Indeed, you may even find that you’re starting to have “feelings” for it. No wonder you’re so paranoid about its wellbeing. But you really needn’t be. (At least, that’s what I keep telling myself.) No really; there are many ways to ensure the safety of your iPhone and its contents. How do I protect thee? Let us count the ways…

13 – Mobile antivirus: Download an antivirus application right to your iPhone.

12 – Black & Bluetooth: Unknown applications or viruses can attack your mobile phone through Bluetooth so make sure it is not in “discovery” mode unnecessarily and never accept data from sources you don’t trust or know. An even better idea is to just shut it off when you are in unknown areas.

11 – Practice safe downloading: Download content only from reliable websites.

10 – Be cryptic: Use only encrypted wi-fi networks when inputting personal info online. While the free wi-fi at the bookstore may be convenient, you never know who is lurking around waiting for the opportunity to acquire your personal data.

9 – Backup plan: Always keep a backup of your contacts, images, passwords and other important stuff you have on your iPhone.

8 – Lock out password: Creating and using a password will prevent others from accessing your data without your permission (go to: Settings > General > Passcode Lock).

7 – Find My iPhone: Activate GPS tracking so you can locate your misplaced or stolen iPhone.

6 – Lifeproof your iPhone: Get a Lifeproof iPhone case that protects your phone from water damage and accidental drops.

5 – Get shielded: The Zagg Invisible Shield provides form-fitted iPhone screen protection that won’t dim the retina display.

4 – Set parental boundaries: Use iOS parental controls to set restrictions, disable apps and prevent children from accessing and downloading music, podcasts, movies, TV, apps, etc. (go to Settings > General > Restrictions and select “Enable Restrictions”).

3 – Keep it cool: Your iPhone operates best at a 32-95 degree temperature range, so to avoid damage from overheating, keep it out of direct sunlight (at the beach, on your dashboard, left in the car…)

2 – Really, you’re going to carry it in your pocket? Coins and keys will scratch it up quicker than you can say “Oh #**&%@*(!” Resist the temptation to quickly stick your phone in your pocket unprotected.

1 – Put it in the vault: Nothing lasts forever, so you can either lock it away and use it only on special occasions, or buy a warranty / coverage for the phone you dropped a few Benjamins on. ProtectCELL has some iPhone protection options that go beyond iPhone insurance to keep your iPhone covered.

And if you’re at all superstitious, apply only 12 of the 13 safety recommendations above.