Let us start from the very beginning. Of course, you have tons of secrets inside your rectangle of glass and metal which is lying in your pocket. For instance, it can be an obscene group chat that you absolutely do not want to share with your Mom. Perhaps, it is the shameful search of the reasons why cats hate cucumbers. We all have our skeletons in the digital closet. The trouble is that letting your friend to see a photo via your smartphone means granting him access to the whole device. It is quite dangerous. And biometric locks are created especially for you to save your social life.
Do you remember watching a scene from the spy movie where a hero was scanning his face in order to open the mysterious box? It seems impossible, however, the biometric lock on your phone is nothing else but a simple technique which opens your applications via facial features or fingerprints. The difference between ordinary four-digit passcode that you best friend knows already and such locking mechanism is obvious. No matter how hard you tried, you simply could not forget your fingerprint at home.
However, what are the advantages of enabling such an access to the apps that you consider confidential? Here are the facts. If you do not use a biometric lock on your banking app or Venmo, then any person who gets hold of your unlocked phone can steal all the money in your account. How awful! Or imagine your younger brother or sister stealing your Minecraft world or posting something weird on your Instagram. While lock screen is the front door of your privacy, app locks are the deadbolt that protects your bedroom from the unwanted guests.
The process of installing the biometric lock on your iPhone is quite easy and painless. Apple offers this opportunity in its devices. You do not need to download any suspicious third-party app in order to lock your application. Just go to your Home Screen and find the application that you want to protect. It can be WhatsApp or Snapchat. First of all, you have to press and hold the application's icon and a window with different options will appear. It looks like you want to remove the app from the phone.
Find the "Require Face ID" button and tap it. Then, your phone will ask you to confirm this decision and scan your face one more time. That is all. Now, each time you click on this application, your phone will compare your face with the information in its database and allows you to open the app. This process takes only few seconds and guarantees you great safety of your daily routine.
For the Android users, there are also several ways to install such biometric lock on your phone. The process will slightly differ according to the model of your phone, whether it is Samsung Galaxy or Google Pixel. However, the basic idea is the same. Samsung has its unique feature named "Secure Folder". It is actually the encrypted separate part of your phone where you can transfer applications. You will be asked to scan your fingerprint or use iris recognition before entering this folder.
If your phone does not belong to the Samsung series, you have to use the "App Lock" function in your phone's security settings. Sometimes it can be located in the "Privacy" section. If your particular phone does not offer this option, you can choose a reputable app called Norton App Lock. Of course, you should make sure that you have downloaded it from the official sources because you definitely do not need the additional problems with viruses.
There is one small disadvantage that you should know about. Sometimes biometric locks are extremely sensitive. In case you wear a mask, sunglasses or there are some troubles with light in the room, your Face ID will not work. It can be quite annoying when you want to answer your friend immediately. Also, if you have a small wound on your finger, your Touch ID can be confused. It is far from being perfect, however, it is definitely worth it.
"The law of unintended consequences" also should be considered in this case. If you decide to secure your apps in such way, you have to tell about it to your parents. They should know that you have locked your banking app in order to avoid possible troubles in case you lose your phone. It is important to talk to them because it shows that you are able to take care of your business in the proper way.
Think of the mathematics. Four-digit passcode has only 10,000 combinations while a fingerprint has one in a million or even more. So, it is much harder to counterfeit your thumb print than to guess "1234". The use of biological characteristics to protect your phone is a really smart decision.
Moreover, it speeds up the process of unlocking your applications. After you get used to it, passwords become something really old-fashioned. It is like switching from the slow Internet to fiber-optic. So, you will get instant access while others have to wait.
Spent just a few minutes finding the applications on your phone that you should protect. Enable this option and protect your applications. It is a short step but it brings a lot of useful results. You will feel yourself like a secret agent each time you open your messages. And frankly speaking, it is quite a heroic deed to save memes and money.
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