Changing phones? Five important things to know

Most UK adults rely increasingly on their mobile phones to help manage every aspect of their lives. In fact, mobile phone users in the UK now spend an average of three hours every day on their mobile devices.

So changing your phone can feel like a huge step to take. No matter how easy your friends and phone company say it’s going to be, there’s always the worry that things won’t work as they should, and that something will get lost along the way. Particularly if you use your phone not just for emails, social media, and storing photos but for banking and other financial transactions, and perhaps also for apps that control different aspects of your home.

So if you’re about to change your phone, here are five important things you need to know:

Back up your old phone to the Cloud

Many phones do backups automatically, but you need to be absolutely sure of this if you are about to change phones.

The procedure varies depending on the type, make and model of phone. But typically on an iPhone, you will find iCloud under Settings and either your account or General. Ensure that Backup is switched on, and your phone will then automatically be backed up once a day as long as it’s connected to both wi-fi and power. For an Android phone there should be a Backup option under Settings – System which will back up your phone’s data to your Google Account.

The above procedures should back up your contacts, passwords, photos and any other data stored on your phone, so that when the time comes to set up your new phone, it should all be available to download automatically onto the new phone.

If you use Bluetooth devices such as speakers or earbuds, you will still need to pair these with your new phone. You can do this on an iPhone via Settings and Bluetooth, or on Android via Settings – Connected devices – Pair new device. 

Protect your phone handset

There are two ways to protect your phone handset. The first is from physical damage and the second from unauthorised access.

• Protection from physical damage

If you have got a brand new phone it makes sense to keep it in the best possible condition. So spending a few pounds on a case or screen protector is well worth it. This will both protect it from everyday wear and tear, and also reduce the chance of the screen cracking if it’s dropped.

Also make sure that you have one or two safe places at home where you will normally put your phone when not in use, rather than just leaving it lying around anywhere and risking it being accidentally damaged.

• Protection from unauthorised access

The simplest way to protect your phone from unauthorised access is to always know where it is, and keep it safely tucked away and out of sight unless it’s actually being used. This is particularly important when you’re in a public place or on the move and it could easily be snatched.

It’s also important to add 2FA – Two Factor Authentication – to your phone and different apps on your phone. This enables you to access your phone and apps in different ways but can prevent someone else from doing so. For example, you could set up a PIN or passcode, but also add either facial recognition or a thumb print so that it has to be you that accesses your phone.

Minimise the risk of losing your phone

When your life is on your phone it would be a disaster if your phone got lost or stolen. But did you know that there are three things that you can do in advance to help you if the worst should happen?

• Set up Find My Phone / Find My Device

Both iPhones and Android phones have an inbuilt Find My Phone or Find My Device feature. Check under settings to see how to set up and use this feature on your phone and make sure that it is enabled. Through this Find feature, you can link one or more other devices to your phone so that if you do lose your phone, you can use another device to try and track where it is.

• Create a message on your lock screen

A great way to increase your chances of getting a lost or stolen phone back is to put a personal message on your phone’s lock screen, for example with a name and number to contact if found.

Most smartphones enable you to customise your lock screen. The process varies but typically could be done by either adding a one-line message, using a customised photo with text, or through an app. Check your settings or Google your phone make and model online for further help. 

• Register your phone

The UK has a national property database called Immobilise where you can register valuable items for free. This increases the chances of getting them back if they are lost and stolen. 

You can register your phone on Immobilise and will need its IMEI number to do so. The IMEI number is a 15-17 digit identity number, and you can find this out either in your phone settings or by texting #06# to reveal the number.

Get your phone insured

It’s a good idea to get your new phone insured as soon as possible. This will cover your phone for loss, theft or damage. As well as the financial peace of mind, it also means that there is someone knowledgeable to call on for help if something happens to your phone, which can make it all much less stressful. 

Before taking out mobile phone insurance, just check whether you already have it, for example through either an existing home insurance policy or a bank account extra. 

And once you do have insurance, remember to keep the insurer up to date with your personal details and also details of your phone, so that there is no delay in sorting things out if the worst should happen.

Keep your phone up to date

Last but not least, make sure you keep your new phone up to date. Phone updates are continually being released, and it’s likely that even since your phone was packaged at the factory, something has changed.

Update notifications can often feel like an inconvenience, and it’s easy to ignore them. But it’s important to keep your phone – and the apps on it – up to date, as updates not only fix bugs and glitches, but are also important to keep your phone and data secure.

So if you get an update notification, take a few minutes to let it update your phone rather than ignoring it. It will enable your phone to function as efficiently and securely as possible.

We hope that the above information is useful if you are about to get a new phone or have recently got one. We’d encourage you to take some steps now – while it’s fresh in your mind – to protect your phone from damage or loss, and to ensure that you are well placed to get things sorted out should something bad happen.

And if you are currently considering a personal loan to buy a new phone, remember that Loans 2 Go offers online loans that may be able to help. 

Do visit us here again soon for more lifestyle and financial tips from Loans 2 Go.