5 Easy steps on how to protect your device from viruses

By Sumai de Beer / Ramish Zafar

Smartphones are great. They’ve managed to give us an unprecedented level of freedom and accessibility any where right at our fingerprints. What's even better is open source software, not limited to any particular device. And the market has responded accordingly, with Google’s Android have the greatest market share in smartphone Operating Systems.

But with such popularity, threats are natural. Just like Windows and the PC, hackers and programmers with malicious intent are busy coding software and hacks to harm the everyday smartphone user.

So naturally, if you don’t use your Android device safely, or within limits, you’re exposing yourself to unnecessary threats. But you’re not always at risk. Take a couple of precautions, follow a couple of steps, and your Android device will be as safe as the president.

Okay well maybe not. But at least you’ll end up greatly reducing the risk of installing software with malicious intent on your Android device. So take a look below, and make your device and your data more safe.

1. Download An Anti-Virus

In Android, the apps you install on your device are sandboxed. This essentially means that they have limited access to your device, should they by chance decide to wreak havoc on it.

But installing an anti-virus is never a bad option, whatever the device may be. All the popular antivirus programs such as AVG and Avast are available for android as well.

5 Ways To Make Your iOS Devices More Kid-Friendly And Child-Safe

By Sumai de Beer / Sofia AK
Kids born into the tablet generation are exposed to more gadgets, devices and Internet tools than any other generation before theirs.

Toddlers can navigate their way in a mobile device like a duck takes to water but they have little to no way of knowing how to be responsible with what they do to the contents of tablets and smartphones.

Anyone who has had lent a child his or her device, would sometimes find apps missing, or files displaced, or even worse new purchases that were made without parental or the owner’s consent.

While it is necessary to talk to them about handling these devices more responsibly, you can always fall back on the options available in iOS devices to better handle these mishaps.

Here are 5 tricks on how to turn your iOS devices into kid-friendly devices (applicable for iOS 6 and above).

1. Block In-App Purchases

If you have a lot of games on your iOS devices you will need this. With your credit card linked to your Apple ID, you really don’t want to make a purchase as easy as tapping a button, especially when the person tapping it does not understand what a ‘purchase’ means.

To block in-app purchases:

Tap on Settings > General > Restrictions.

If this is your first time using the restrictions feature, tap on Enable Restrictions.

You will be asked to set a 4-digit passcode. Enter the passcode twice for confirmation.

Scroll down until you see the ‘Allowed Content’ section.

Under ‘In-App Purchases’ toggle it OFF.

Future purchases will require the use of the passcode you have just set to proceed.

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5 Easy steps on how to protect your device from viruses

5 Easy steps on how to protect your device from viruses

1. Download An Anti-Virus

2. Download Apps From Secure Sources Such As Play Store Or Amazon App store