Tip of the Week: Turn Off Bluetooth on Android When Not in Use

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Bluetooth technology is something that many of us use on a daily basis. For many new Android users, enabling and disabling Bluetooth can be a challenge, but today we’re here to share one of our top user tips to help you make the most of your mobile devices. We’ll also discover why you should turn it on and off and if it’s really something that’s necessary to do when not in use.

How to Enable Bluetooth on Your Android Device

The quickest way to turn it on with an Android device is to head to the quick access panel which you can find at the top of the Android screen. When you swipe down, you’ll see an option for Bluetooth at the top. Some mobile devices do require you to swipe down twice in order to access these settings, but once you get there, you’ll just tap the Bluetooth button to switch it on. You’ll then need to connect it to another wireless device in order to start using this handy feature.

The other option for enabling it is to select the following: Settings > Connected Devices > Connection Preferences > Bluetooth.

How to Turn Off Bluetooth on Your Android Device

There are many reasons why you might need to turn it off, but the good news is that it’s quick and easy to do this when needed. You’ll just follow the steps we shared above for switching it on, but carry this out in reverse order. Swipe down on your mobile device’s screen either once or twice, and then hit the Bluetooth button so that it switches off. You can also follow the instructions to go through the Settings feature, making sure your Bluetooth toggle shows it’s off instead of being left on.

Why Would You Want to Disable Bluetooth?

After reading our user tips for this week, you might be wondering why you would even need to switch off Bluetooth in the first place. The main reason to consider doing this is you don’t want your personal device to just connect to any mobile devices with Bluetooth enabled. With so many concerns surrounding cybersecurity and hackers, you never know what could happen to your phone or tablet as a result of this. You’ve no doubt heard news stories over the years about these security and data breaches, so we recommend always switching off Bluetooth when you don’t need to use it. On top of that, always try and keep an eye on your phone to make sure it never automatically connects to any devices that are nearby.

We hope this week’s tip of the week has been a great help for anyone using an Android device. Make sure you subscribe for more tips each week to help you make the most of your technology for business and personal uses.

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Tip of the Week: Disable Wi-Fi Calling on Your Android Device

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As mentioned in the title, this article is for Android users and Wi-Fi calling. As an Android user, you probably noticed the Wi-Fi calling option you get when you make or receive a call while connected to a network. This can be a great tool to use if you ever find yourself without cell service. On the other hand, there are situations where you might not want Wi-Fi calling enabled. 

Why Would You Disable Wi-Fi Calling?

Of course, there are times where you may want to utilize Wi-Fi calling, such as if you’re loading a long video or downloading something that is quite large. Other times, a slow Wi-Fi connection can mean choppy and interrupted phone calls. Also, the connection might not be secure if it is done over your Wi-Fi. Sometimes, it is just better to use your mobile data over Wi-Fi. 

Continue reading to learn how you can disable Wi-Fi calling on your Android device. Some of these settings may vary, depending on your operating system, but they should typically be very similar.

How to Disable Your Wi-Fi Calling

To disable your Wi-Fi, you can do this by going to your Settings app and finding your Wi-Fi & Network options. You would then select SIM & Network. From there, select SIM Card, turn off your Wi-Fi Calling, and then slide the slider to the Off position. This will disable your Wi-Fi calling on your Android smartphone. 

If you ever need to disable your Wi-Fi quickly, you can do this easily from the call menu by clicking the Wi-Fi calling button straight from the menu. This should ensure that the quality of your call is good throughout. 

For any additional information or for help with your technology and its connections, contact our professionals at AE Technology Group at (516) 536-5006.

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Security Issues You Can Encounter on Your Mobile Device

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Many businesses provide their employees with a mobile device to help with their daily work tasks. When it comes to mobile devices, not many people are aware of the security risks that come along with using them. You want to be able to provide enough security for mobile devices to protect against external security threats without hindering productivity or your employees feeling overly restricted by your policies. To help you find appropriate mobile security practices, we put together a list of the three top issues you should plan for and how you can properly address them.

Malicious Applications

Applications are similar to the software of programs you download on your computer. Some applications can offer many services, from communication to data storage or communication. While many apps you shop for on both Android and iOS are legitimate, there are apps developed by cyber criminals designed to disguise themselves as credible apps that can provide you with a solution. You never want to download apps from developers you are unfamiliar with or that you don’t recognize. 

Unsecured Connections

When people use their mobile devices, they usually don’t want to burn through their data, so they opt to connect to whatever Wi-Fi is available. The big problem with Wi-Fi networks is that most publicly accessible Wi-Fi networks are unsecured. When they are secured, they aren’t appropriately secured. Using an unsecured Wi-Fi puts users at risk when sending data to and from devices. Hackers can easily steal information in transit. They can even mimic public Wi-Fi to trick users into connecting to it to steal their data. 

Lost or Stolen Devices

Mobile devices can be easily misplaced or stolen when they leave the office environment. Losing a personal device can cause a lot of stress, but losing a device with sensitive company data can be more stressful. It can be impactful to not only you but your company if anyone gets a hold of your device and can easily access the stored data.

Security Solutions

With such a diverse range of malicious mobile threats, you want to be sure you are optimizing security while still getting the most out of your mobile device. An effective solution needs to be able to detect and respond to security threats quickly and still provide a positive experience. These security solutions can help you safeguard your devices and data from external threats while ensuring your users can remain productive on their devices.

Mobile Device Management: Comprehensive MDM solutions allow you to control app downloads on devices and remotely wipe lost or stolen devices should the need arise. MDMs make it easy to track account access and information about the devices through a remote MDM tool.

Virtual Private Networks (VPN): One big way to protect devices is through a virtual private network or VPN. A VPN creates an encrypted tunnel between your device and the data it’s accessing, meaning hackers cannot simply observe or steal data being sent to or from each location.

To get started with any of the above security measures, contact AE Technology Group at 516.536.5006.

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Make Sure Your Mobile Device Management Platform Has These Features

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Your mobile device management strategy is going to bleed into every other part of your business, especially in the realms of security and productivity. It is of critical importance that you ensure that your mobile device management platform is working toward your company’s operational goals, but it can be challenging at times to look at this type of technology with its many complications. Let’s dive into what makes for a solid MDM platform.

Now, we know that there are a ton of great features with mobile device management platforms, but there are some that you absolutely should never leave home without, so to speak. Here are just a few of them.

The Ability to Lock and Remotely Wipe Data

While you certainly hope that you never need to wipe your data, this feature is still necessary. If employees lose devices or if someone else steals them, you need to have a plan in place to respond to them. This includes wiping the data from these devices. This ensures that your data privacy remains intact.

Whitelisting and Blacklisting Apps

If your business has employees using mobile devices for company purposes, you should make sure that they are not downloading whatever applications they want. With a company policy in place that governs the use of applications on your mobile devices, you can control the flow of data to external applications and help to minimize data leakage. Plus, if an employee has a list of acceptable applications, they will be less likely to look for their own solutions to specific problems.

Device Tracking and Inventory

Your mobile device management platform should give you the ability to track devices and to know who is using which devices and for what purpose. With the right solution, you can collect information on how the devices are used. It can also provide you with paths to connect with employees should you discover anything about the device that presents a security problem. At the end of the day, you’re not out to breathe down your employees’ necks about how they use their devices; you just want to make sure that the device is being used for the right purposes.

Enforcement of Security Features

Mobile devices, due to their nature, should be protected in as many ways as possible, but don’t stop short at the password. You should also implement features like multi-factor authentication, including biometrics, and powerful encryption tools that can keep data located on such devices locked up tight and safe from prying eyes.

If your business wants to fully leverage the potential of its mobile device management platform, AE Technology Group can help. To learn more, reach out to us at (516) 536-5006.

Disposing of Connected Devices: What You Should Know

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Unfortunately, technology does not last forever, and today’s culture of upgrades means that users of smartphones and other devices are constantly updating even when they don’t need to. This practice can extend to businesses, too. Businesses need to have a strategy in place that they can use when it is time to upgrade from older devices, including the way that you dispose of them. Disposing of connected devices should be done effectively without sacrificing the environment and your data privacy/security. Read on to learn how to do so.

First, let’s establish why you might want to work with a trusted technology professional to help you dispose of your old connected devices.

It’s Good for the Environment

What happens to your device when it gets thrown away? More often than not, it will find its way to a landfill in an off-shore country where it will sit and eventually contaminate the environment. Devices are manufactured with parts that contain precious metals and hazardous or harmful materials. There is a better way to dispose of these devices, one that is less wasteful and much better for the environment.

If you work with a managed service provider, your device will be less likely to find its way into a landfill. Depending on the age of the device and its functionality, your device might even be able to be recycled, repurposed, or donated to someone else who might still get some value out of it.

Data Privacy is Critical

The big thing that you want to keep in mind with disposing of your organization’s devices is security and data privacy. If you fail to dispose of devices with security and privacy in mind, your business could be putting itself at risk of a data breach or fines down the road. Even if your device is not found by a hacker, you could face costs associated with data privacy in much the way Morgan Stanley was in 2020; for failing to properly wipe devices, it was fined $60 million.

Simply deleting files on your devices will not be enough. Due to the way that data and files are stored on devices, you want to have a professional involved in this process so that there is no chance of data remaining on the device when it comes time to dispose of them.

Understand Your Technology’s End of Life Timeline

People often upgrade their devices even when they don’t need to. Everyone tends to jump on the bandwagon, leading to upgrades and new technology implementation even when there is little-to-no value in doing so. This naturally leads to people throwing out perfectly fine devices even when they don’t have to, just for the sake of having a brand new device.

On the other hand, some organizations wait far too long to upgrade their technology, hoping that they can cut costs by waiting until it’s absolutely necessary to do so. Some even wait until the device or operating system is no longer supported! This is a dangerous practice, as hackers are always on top of software and operating systems that are vulnerable to threats. You want to make sure that you can upgrade your devices before you put your organization at risk by using unsupported devices.

AE Technology Group can help your business while properly disposing of connected devices so that you don’t put your organization at risk. To learn more about what we can do for your company, reach out to us at (516) 536-5006.