Should I use a password to turn on phone & should I allow browser to remember passes ?

Scott111

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Jan 6, 2014
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For example if I log into my hotmail or websites like moviefone,gamespot etc... I'll be asked if I want to the phone to remember my user/pass is this bad ideal for me to do ? By the way I don't use any lock for my phone. To turn on I simply just press the power button and it goes to the home screen. I dislike having to put in a code of sorts. I guess I shouldn't do the remember password for banks/papal but it would be okay for everything else then ?

What happens if someone does steal someones phone but the phone has a code/pass in place to prevent access to the home screen, what does the thief do with the phone can they still get passed the password protected and still get to the home screen access ?

What do most do ?
By the way I have a LG G2 phone.

Last quick question does keeping the WIFI on all the time really drain the batteries that much faster ?
 

Rukbat

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Getting past a locked home screen is a minor annoyance, not a problem.

Saving login/password combinations for games or forums is a minor problem if someone steals your phone. You can always change the password on the site and/or ask the admin to change your login.

Saving a login/password to, say, your bank account is a bad idea. It takes the thief 5 minutes to transfer a large amount from your account to his account, then to some offshore account, then to some account in a country we have no banking agreement with, then back to a usable account of his in the US. Now he has your money and there's no paper trail for the police to follow.

The general rule is to not save passwords for things you can't afford to lose. If someone got my login to Android Central, I could probably get it back in a day or so. I can afford to lose my forum account here. (I wouldn't like it, but I'd survive.) If they got my login to one of my larger 401k accounts (none of them are accessible online), I'd have to change my retirement plans. I couldn't afford to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars without a MAJOR lifestyle change.

What do most people do? The equivalent of leaving the front door key taped to the outside of the front door with a note that says "this is the key to this door". 99% of people using computers who actually give any thought to security (which is probably about 1% of people using computers) fall into one of 2 classes: 1) Computer break-ins are a myth. No one is going to break into your computer. 2) No matter what you do, someone is going to break into your computer, so trying to keep them out is a waste of time.

Most people give more thought to disguising the fiberglass "rock" they hide their front door key inside than they do to securing their wifi router or phone. (And using something like that to keep a door key in is a MAJOR security breach.) Just look at how many people run into the store to grab a newspaper with the keys in the ignition, the engine running, and their child strapped into the seat. If you're not worried about having your CHILD stolen, how security conscious are you likely to be? But these same people don't leave their cellphone on the seat when they run into the store. The phone is more important than the child? "Priorities" isn't a word made up to fill a blank spot in the dictionary.

Wifi may or may not drain the battery a lot faster, it depends on how you have your wifi set up. You should have it set to NOT always scan, and you should keep it turned off when you don't need it. Same with Bluetooth, GPS and 3G/4G data. Do you leave your car engine running 24/7? Why leave your phone radios running 24/7? Using apps that turn wifi on when you're in a location with a wifi signal that you can connect to is another waste of battery. (As are "battery saving" apps, most of which just turn off the things you aren't using, which you can do manually without using a battery-eating app to do it.)
 

srkmagnus

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I suggest using the password to unlock the device for the added security. If you have information that is private it's better to be safe than sorry: text messages, phone logs, photos, contacts, address book, notes left on apps, emails, etc.

To make it convenient when connected to the home network there are apps that detect the connection and automatically disable the security measure when home.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using AC Forums mobile app
 

anon(394005)

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It's really about security versus convenience and how you wish to balance them. They're inversely proportional to each other; the more you choose one, the less you get of the other and vice versa.

Myself, I go with more security over convenience. I don't have any passwords remembered (on any device, mobile or PC). I actually turn off that feature in the web browser. I prefer to keep passwords only in my head. :) I also always use a site's log out option and then clear cookies, cache, and history to ensure any other site visited afterword can't try to use them.

For the device, I use a PIN lock (locks after 10 minutes of inactivity or immediately by pressing the power button). At a minimum it keeps out nosy family members and worse case if lost prevents someone from getting easy access to everything on the device. If they really want to get in, they'll need some hacking tools, time and knowledge. Most probably wouldn't mess with any of that and instead may just try flashing a ROM to get a working device again (which would wipe out any of your data on the internal storage).
 

Rukbat

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For the device, I use a PIN lock (locks after 10 minutes of inactivity or immediately by pressing the power button).
I never noticed that last (first in the list) option. Thanks. That, along with a changing PIN, means at least adb to break into the phone, even if you watch me unlock the screen.
 

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