Significantly fewer (61 percent) use a localization function to track down the mobile phone if the device is lost or stolen. That is the result of a representative survey of more than 1,000 smartphone users in Germany from the age of 16 on behalf of the digital association Bitkom.

“No smartphone user should go without basic protection,” says Sebastian Artz, IT security expert at Bitkom. “In order to be prepared against software security gaps, regular updates of the smartphone operating system and the installed apps are usually sufficient.”

More than one in two (55 percent) also regularly backs up their smartphone data – either in the cloud (31 percent ) or on external data storage (27 percent). Virus protection programs have 43 percent installed. One in six (16 percent) covers their phone camera and 13 percent use a password safe for the secure and central management of passwords on the smartphone. “More than one in two (55 percent) regularly backs up their phone data – either in the cloud (31 percent) or on external data storage devices (27 percent).

Virus protection programs have 43 percent installed. One in six (16 percent) covers their smartphone camera and 13 percent use a password safe for the secure and central management of passwords on the smartphone.

More than one in two (55 percent) regularly backs up their smartphone data – either in the cloud (31 percent) or on external data storage devices (27 percent). Virus protection programs have 43 percent installed. One in six (16 percent) covers their smartphone camera and 13 percent use a password safe for the secure and central management of passwords on the smartphone.

Every second person unlocks the screen with a fingerprint sensor

There are several screen lock methods that users can choose from. The most popular is still a code or PIN that has to be entered to unlock. Almost two-thirds of phone users (64 percent) trust it. Every second person (51 percent) uses a fingerprint sensor to protect their screen. A similar number (50 percent) rely on a pattern. 15 percent use face recognition to unlock the mobile phone screen. To date, recognition methods by voice (4 percent) or iris scan (2 percent) have hardly been used.

“It is important that the screen lock is activated in any case,” said Artz. “A PIN should have at least six digits and no obvious combinations like your own date of birth.”