Use a PIN code or pattern lock
Newer versions of Android include a feature called Face Unlock that
lets you use the image of your face to unlock your phone. Sounds
futuristic; unfortunately, it's not a secure system, and can be
circumvented with something as simple as a photo.
To more securely lock your device, you should instead use a pattern lock
or a PIN code. Pattern locking has you draw a specific pattern on the
screen, while a PIN code has you enter a numeric code to unlock the
device. Both methods are relatively secure, but they share one low-tech
soft spot: smudges. If you unlock your phone and then look at it from an
angle, you will likely see a trail of smudges showing what your pattern
looks like, or what digits your PIN code consists of.
Of course, even if someone knows the four or five digits in a PIN code,
that still leaves room for thousands of permutations. (Is it 1234, or
4213?) Still, for even better security, it's best to give the screen a
quick wipe after unlocking it, or even to randomly run your finger
across it in crazy patterns (it's fun, too). Another option is to pick a
pattern that doubles back on itself (swipe up, then back down, then
left, and then right), leaving a smudge that won't be useful to any
would-be attackers.
Install an antivirus app and track your phone
A modern Android antivirus app does more than just scan for malicious
apps; it's a veritable all-purpose tool that can protect your phone from
all sorts of threats. It looks out for dangerous links you may tap on
by mistake, lets you know which apps could be spying on you, and can
even kill tasks to keep your phone running at its best.
Two of the best free mobile antivirus apps are AVG's AntiVirus Free and Lookout. They don't offer the same exact set of features, but both are solid and reliable options.
Besides protecting you from malicious apps or links, both Lookout and
AVG contain features that let you lock down your phone, track its
location via GPS, and even remotely wipe it (if you've lost all hope of
recovering it and you just don't want your data to fall into the wrong
hands). If you think you just misplaced the phone nearby, most antivirus
apps can have the phone give off an alarm to alert you to its location.
Selectively enable device administrators
Some applications let you set them as device administrators. This gives them special powers, and makes them more difficult to uninstall. This can be a good thing—in the case of Lookout or other antivirus apps—but most applications should work without the extra permissions. As a general rule of thumb, you should only set an app as a device administrator if you trust it and have need of its extended features. A security app may ask to be made an administrator to help better protect your phone, but games and the like have no reason to make the same request.
Administrator access is also used by large enterprises to enforce security policies on their employees' devices, and for allowing access to Exchange servers. In those cases, you won't have much choice over whether or not to enable an application as a device administrator, but you can likely trust it. To review your list of device administrators, access Settings > Security > Device administrators.
Android apps are packaged and distributed as APK files. You can take an
APK, put it on your device, and install it directly. Some users do this
to pirate apps and games, or to install apps not available on the Google
Play store. By default, Android is set up to block third-party
installations; however there are cases where you'll want to disable this
option in order to install apps from trusted sources such as the Amazon
app store. Unless you're consistently downloading apps from a trusted
source, though, you'll want this feature turned on.
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