Mobile Devices Need To Be Cleaned Every Day To Avoid Coronavirus

Mobile malware attacks

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic that has spread to 120 countries, there is an acute sense of fear and insecurity among the people. Since the Coronavirus is exceptionally contagious and remains alive on a surface anywhere from 3 hours to 9 days, every surface that we touch in the course of daily life has become a suspect of carrying the virus. In this scenario of extreme scare and doubt sanitizers, masks and hand-wash have become the most significant essentials, how can we trust our phone that we keep touching all through the day, and the night too? In this article, how Coronavirus via Mobile Devices can affect our lives.

How to avoid getting infected COVID-19 by your phone?

Yes, as the epidemic is showing no signs of letting-up, international media has begun talking to leading cell phone manufacturers for their comments on how to clean their phones. Apple and Samsung have come out with advisories on how their phones can be disinfected without damaging them. Looking at the way we care little about mobile device hygiene, the ubiquitous mobile phone can become a lethal medium of the Coronavirus spread. Because, in the course of a phone call, we take the mobile phone close to our eyes, nose, and mouth and this makes it susceptible to both – receiving the virus from an infected person and infecting a healthy person if the device already has the infection on its surface.

This way, a mobile phone can become the source of coronavirus infection, and this makes it very important that we clean and disinfect our phones every day if not the number of times we will be washing our face and hands in these difficult times.

Medical advice

Cleaning the mobile device is one aspect of preventing the coronavirus spread, but maintaining mobile device hygiene is even more critical to ensure that our methods are not carrying the deadly viruses in the first place. As per one study, an average person touches his phone 2,500 times each day. As per another study, an ordinary mobile phone is covered with 25,000 germs. That takes us to the inference that an average mobile phone is dirtier and more polluted than an average toilet sheet.

Mobile device hygiene

So, mobile device hygiene is paramount to follow if we want to prevent the spread of Coronavirus. That should begin with cleaning the mobile phone with an appropriate disinfectant cleaner every day. Keeping the phone in a suitable case is another important step. Not touching it unless you sincerely need it is yet another import precaution. Not allowing others to feel or fiddle with your phone should be strictly implemented.

Using voice assistants

Your Google assistant is brilliant and can tell you how to keep your phone safe from germs and infections. But when you speak to your google assistant, your smartphone device inadvertently receives a lot of droplets of your body fluid. If you are infected with a virus, it will spread through your body fluid. So, using the Google Assistant or any other voice assistants needs care and caution to ensure it does not end up spreading the virus. It may not be a bad idea to use a facemask before using the phone or talking to your Google Assistant. Alternatively, you can keep your phone inside a case that keeps it completely covered.

Can Coronavirus travel down from the outer surface of your phone to your phone’s sensor? It can be a tricky issue to clean and disinfect your phone if the virus does slip inside your phone. That makes a case for protecting your phone even more vigorously against the infection.

How can you control your loved ones from unnecessary contacts using the Hoverwatch spy app?

Hoverwatch spy is a phone tracking app that can quietly track most activities on a target phone. You can install the app on your phone and sync it with the ones whose phone activity details you want to spy it. The extent to which it can spy on other phones can be gauged by the fact that with this app, you can make the other phone take a picture and send it to your phone.

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It can also keep track of the GPS data of the targeted phone. However, on a positive note, the Hoverwatch app allows you to keep track of your kids’ phone activities, and in the case, they are in the company of people under the Coronavirus risk zone, you get to know.

How do I install Hoverwatch on my Android phone?

Visit https://www.hoverwatch.com and register with your email to create an account by clicking on Sign Up Free’. Select your phone device like android and click the download link. Tap “Download.”

How do I clean the touch screens to prevent Coronavirus?

  • Apple has advised iPhone owners to clean their handsets Clorox 3wipes or disinfectant with 70% isopropyl alcohol. But it has asked its consumers not to wipe the display excessively or with abrasive materials such as soap to avoid causing damage to its screen.

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  • Samsung has also come out with a cleaning advisory for its phones. It has advised Galaxy users to wipe the phone gently with an alcohol-based solution or a disinfectant with the help of a soft cloth. It has warned against applying the liquid directly to the phone.
  • Samsung has free UV cleaning facilities at some of its stores, while Apple staff use 70% isopropyl alcohol to wipe iPhones at their stores. Samsung is also ok with PhoneSoap or a similar product.

How often should we clean touch screens?

Most guides on mobile device hygiene recommend cleaning the phone at least twice a day to keep it completely free from germs and viruses. However, in these difficult times of COVID-19, you should clean your phone as often as possible, especially if you have been moving around in public places or your phone is being used by other members of your family as well.

Conclusions

As the COVID-19 is spreading to more countries and taking more victims in its stride, there is an urgent need to disinfect everything that we use in our daily lives. Coronaviruses via mobile devices are a possibility, and we must counter this possibility with serious measures.

Preventing this virus from spreading through any medium that we use in our days is the only way to weaken and stop it. Mobile phones being one of the most frequently used items in our lives, can prove to be a significant source of this virus spreading and reproducing. In this article, we have elaborated on tips and techniques by which we can ensure our phones no longer carry the virus should be implemented in our daily life.

Mark Funk
Mark Funk is an experienced information security specialist who works with enterprises to mature and improve their enterprise security programs. Previously, he worked as a security news reporter.