eco Survey: Two Thirds of Germans Neglect Smartphone Security Before Going on Holiday

• 67.5% of respondents do not take any security precautions on their smartphone before going on holiday.
• Only 6% install VPN connections.
• 13.2% use map material as travel support, and 6% use language learning apps.
• eco – Association of the Internet Industry gives eight tips on how to secure your smartphone before going on holiday. 

The holiday season has begun, and many Germans are packing their bags for a beach holiday, a hike in the mountains, or a city trip.

Smartphone has become an important companion when travelling.

To ensure that our mobile devices make our holidays even more relaxed, it is worth taking a few precautions at home, such as downloading trusted apps and offline maps, or installing a VPN, which provides a secure tunnel to home.

However, only a few people invest time in such preparations, according to a representative population survey* commissioned by eco. More than two thirds (67.5%) of respondents completely forego holiday preparation on their smartphones and simply take their mobile devices as they are.  At least 13.2% of respondents download offline maps to find their way while hiking and save mobile data. And 6.1% install language learning apps in advance to learn the most important phrases for travelling abroad in the respective language or to reactivate passive vocabulary.

Only 6.1% install a VPN tunnel to transfer their data online directly and protect it from third-party access.

“The smartphone is the German’s favourite travel companion. We need our mobile devices for a variety of tasks, from online check-in at airlines or hotels to booking leisure activities and public transport tickets. Travellers now also use smartphones to stay safe on the go during their holiday. For example, they attach location tracker tags to important items or connect to smart home devices to control them from the beach. With the right preparation, our smartphone can save us a lot of work on site,” says eco’s Managing Director Alexander Rabe.

Other less commonly used preparations include providing location tracker tags (2.9%), increasing cloud storage space for holiday photos (2.5%), installing an eSim (2.3%) or downloading Smart Home apps (0.9%) to keep an eye on ones’ home while away.

The fact that a majority of Germans do not take precautions on their smartphones before going on holiday could also compromise device protection and security.

“Especially on holiday, when we are on the move a lot, there is a risk of losing or even having your mobile phone stolen. Measures such as installing an eSim also help to protect the device on holiday,” says Rabe.

Secure your smartphone before you go on holiday – eco provides the following tips:   

1. Set up a screen lock: Prevent unauthorised access by using a code or biometric locks such as fingerprint or facial recognition.
2. Download apps only from secure sources: Use only official sources such as the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store.
3. Restrict app permissions: Grant apps only the necessary permissions. For example, a hiking app does not need access to your contacts.
4. Avoid public Wi-Fi: Avoid public Wi-Fi for personal data or use a VPN connection to encrypt your data transfer.
5. Check offline use: Download map material for navigation apps so you to use them even without a network connection. This saves costs and keeps you on the right track.
6. eSim for travelling abroad: Reduce roaming charges and increase security with an eSim. It cannot be stolen and makes locating the device easier in case of loss.
7. Store data in the cloud: Back up photos, videos and contacts with providers such as iCloud, Google Drive, Amazon Photos or OneDrive to prevent data loss.
8. Activate smartphone tracking: Use features for remote tracking and locking your device in case of loss or theft.

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*The market and opinion research institute Civey surveyed around 2,509 adult German citizens between 4 and 5 July 2024 on behalf of eco. The results are representative. The statistical error of the overall results is 3.5%.