Seven Things to do to Look After Your Mobile Phone
Statistics show that around 88% of us don’t leave home without our mobile phones. Given that most of us rely on these ubiquitous devices every day losing one can be a disaster.
As mobile phones have become increasingly small and lightweight they’ve become easier to lose, drop or misplace. In 2008 around 200,000 mobile phones went into washing machines, around 600,000 were dropped down the loo and 55,000 were left in the back of taxis.
Then there is the growing risk of theft. There are over 2 million mobile phones stolen in the UK every year. This equates to around one every 12 seconds and this figure is on the increase.
Initially, when a phone is lost, there is the cost of buying a new one. But there may also be phone bills accrued by a thief between the time the phone was stolen and the time it was eventually disabled. Then there are the problems that will arise as a result of losing contact details and other valuable data stored on the mobile phone.
It is estimated that fewer than 2 in 10 mobile phone users keep their phone SIM card data backed up to a separate device. Although modern phones come with software that makes it simple to transfer data to a computer still people don’t take advantage of this simple facility.
So what steps can we take to help keep hold of our mobile phones?
- The first thing is to make it difficult for a thief to actually steal your mobile phone. Keep it somewhere secure and don’t ever leave it unattended in the car or anywhere else.
- Make certain to record the IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) number from your mobile phone. This is a unique number associated with every mobile phone that can be used to disable the phone if it has been lost or stolen.
- Most moble phones can be configured to only operate after a PIN has been entered. While it can be a nuisance to have to enter a PIN each time you want to use your phone this simple step will stop a thief from running up significant call charges on your account.
- Another simple step is to switch your phone to vibrate mode when in a busy public place in order to ensure that nobody else is alerted when your phone rings.
- You may like to engrave your name and maybe your car registration details onto your phone and its battery. An alternative is to use a system for attaching unique serial number stickers (as provided by trackitback.com) to your phone which will help identify your phone if it is lost or stolen.
- It is worthwhile getting into the habit of backing up your SIM card data frequently. As a general rule you should back up your phone data as often as possible which should be every day if you are updating your contacts or appointments every day.
- Finally, make certain that you have some mobile phone insurance that provides the protection that you need. Remember that not all mobile phone insurance policies are the same so be certain to read the details and ensure that you get the cover that you want.
By following these steps hopefully you and your phone will not become part of future lost or stolen mobile phone statistics.
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You may also like to protect your income with income protection and don’t overlook the need to protect other devices with some useful gadget insurance.
