Many people underestimate the work required to keep smartphones in tip-top condition. These little PCs in your pocket require regular maintenance and significant updates in order to stay protected against wear and tear as well as attacks.

Turning off your phone completely protects it from certain hacks

Surprisingly, this includes a very basic task that many people never do: turning off your phone completely. According to security experts at the NSAthis alone helps protect the device from certain hacking attacks. It is now common not only to access smartphones via malicious links, but also through so-called zero-click exploits.

It involves bypassing smartphone security features step by step, starting with a missed call, then the first installed files, which gradually allow access to the system so that hackers can access your information. This usually goes unnoticed, but can be avoided by completely restarting the device.

So how often should I turn off my phone?

The simple answer from security experts as to how often a phone should be turned off completely is: at least once a week. And not just for the protection it offers! Apart from eliminating the security risk, regular reboots also enable the smartphone’s operating system to perform all functions smoothly.

Besides: To see how long your device had to go without turning off, you can easily check the system settings. On Android devices, this is usually found under “Device”, then “Status”. Availability is displayed in hours.

Further reading: Does fast charging damage your phone battery?