Anyone can see my stuff

[Bargeosprey]

HI,



I have a Samsung s3 running 4.3 The phone is not rooted.



I am still a bit of a newbie and have a question about Dropbox & Drive security from within my phone.



Once “In” my phone , i.e have entered the PIN and can access all it’s functions, if I go to apps/drive or apps/dropbox and click on either I am taken to that programme without any further security. So, anyone who gets past my P.I.N has access to Dropbox and Drive and all my stored info.



Is there a way to stop this or put some security in place.



Bob

 

[Crashdamage]

In the Dropbox app go to:
Settings > Tap Require app passcode > Turn passcode on > Enter your passcode.

The Google Drive app does not have its own password option. No doubt Google considers the enabling a password or pattern lock on the phone to effectively be the security for Google Drive also.

 

[Bargeosprey]

Thanks for the very quick reply
Even so Dropbox app only allows a four digit password to open the app.
On both of theses accounts I have strong passwords as per the advice of each of them it seems counterproductive to then reduce security to just a four digit code.
What if I rooted the phone , uninstalled those two apps. . . would that solve the problem??

 

[Crashdamage]

No need to root the phone to uninstall those. And rooting significantly weakens built-in security features of the phone.

There may be some apps in the Play store that will lock down these and other apps with more elaborate passwords. But a 4-digit code will frustrate someone manually punching in gusses for many, many hours. That's why 4 digits are used so often - it's long enough to be very secure against manual cracking but short enough to be easy to use and remember.

To uninstall Dropbox just do this:

Settings > Apps > Tap Dropbox > Clear cache > Clear data > Force stop > Uninstall

Do the same for Google Drive. There may not be an option to uninstall, only to disable. That's OK, gives effectively the same result. Do:

Settings > Apps > Tap Google Drive > Clear cache >Clear data > Force stop > Disable

Of course, you will no longer have the capabilities and convenience of Dropbox or Google Drive.

 

[svim]

Maybe instead of fixating on securing the individual apps on your phone you might want to just make sure others can't get past the lock screen on your phone. As Crashdamage referred to, even a 4 digit passcode is going to prevent others from just picking up your phone and being able to access it. You can even just do a simple test -- ask a friend who locks their phone if you can try to get past the screen lock. It's not that easy unless you put a lot of effort and time into it, and even then, depending on luck and your skill level the chances are you won't be able to. If you don't feel a passcode is adequate you can always just implement using the password option instead (Settings > My Device > Lock screen).

One of the many benefits to owning a smartphone is being able to access services like Dropbox on them so I wouldn't start disabling or deleting them just on the chance you think anyone can just pick up your phone and magically tweak some setting to access everything on it. If you're that worried about it than you're better off with a basic feature-phone instead. On the chance someone steals your phone, that's something to worry about. Be sure to activate 'Android Device Manager' and then at any point you lose your phone you can locate it, or remotely lock or wipe it.
https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/3265955?hl=en

As an alternate, I've been a long time fan of 'Prey Project'. Same functionality as Android Device Manager but it allows me to remotely monitor not just my phone but other mobile devices like my laptop.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.prey&hl=en

 

[Bargeosprey]

Many thanks I must admit I was about to "Knee jerk" and disable/uninstall but now I will look at all the suggestions.
As you say what's the point of having a smartphone if you don't let it be smart,


Great site, thanks again