Best ways to save your phone’s photos before it’s too late
Have you ever lost your phone? There’s that sinking feeling when you realize it’s nowhere to be found.
There are better ways to find a lost phone than getting someone to call it for you. Tap or click for methods to find your misplaced smartphone, even if it’s powered down.
We store so much valuable info on our phones, from our credit card details to our emails to our most personal photos and conversations. Tap or click for five security steps to protect it all, even if your phone ends up in the wrong hands.
It’s best to back up your photos so they’re safe and sound — no matter what happens to your device. The method is up to you. Just don’t wait till it’s too late.
Put them in the cloud
Android and iOS let you back up your photos to the cloud for safekeeping. It’s easy, and you don’t have to install extra software to do it.
On an iPhone:
- Open Settings on your device and tap your name at the top.
- Tap iCloud, then tap Photos.
- Turn on iCloud Photos to start saving your photos to the cloud.
The process may take some time to complete. Once it’s finished, any photos you take will be automatically saved to the cloud. You can also view them on your desktop by signing into iCloud.com with your Apple ID.
On Android:
- Open the Google Photos app and sign in if you need to.
- On the top right, tap your account photo or initial.
- Select Photos settings, followed by Back up and sync.
- Toggle Back up and sync on.
Once your backup is done, future photos you take will be saved to the cloud. You can view, edit, and sort them inside the Google Photos app and see them from your desktop at Google.com/photos.
Tech security: How to wipe your phone or computer if it’s lost or stolen
Selling your old tech can put cash in your pocket, but don’t forget your devices store sensitive data that you don’t want a stranger to access.
Your smart speaker, for example, knows your location and may even store your voice recordings locally. Tap or click here for steps to wipe and deregister your Amazon Echo before selling it.
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If you own an iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch or Mac, you can imagine the pain of misplacing them. Apple knows this and released a Notify When Left Behind feature to help find lost devices. A recent update added the functionality to AirPods Pro, which is more likely to get misplaced due to its size. Tap or click here to check out how it works.
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