A step-by-step guide to using Google’s Safety Check feature

Google services are deeply integrated into just about everything online. In fact, in many ways, it’s safe to say that Google is the internet for many. Be it the ubiquitous Chrome browser or your smartphone, your Google account is directly or indirectly tied to almost everything online. 

Because of this, it’s important to routinely run a security audit or safety check on your account to ensure that everything is in order. Trust us, you don’t want to end up in a situation where you’ve lost access to your primary Google account, and by extension, all your account data. Here’s what you need to do: 

Run a security check-up

Head to your account page and run a security checkup from there. This Google Safety Feature will help audit your account and ensure that, among other things, your data isn’t being accessed elsewhere and that safety checks are in place. 

Google will ask you to confirm email forwarding settings, the devices you’re signed into, third-party integrations, and more. Go through these one by one to ensure that no unknown device has access to your account. 

ALSO READ: How to access and use Google’s ‘My Activity’ feature 

Next, check the security logs in the ‘Recent security activity’ section. Here, you can check log-in times and access logs from apps and other services that have access to your Google account. If you see any unfamiliar activity — such as a login from a phone that isn’t yours — click the ‘See unfamiliar activity?’ button and follow the instructions. 

While you’re here, ensure that 2-step verification is on. This activates another layer of security on top of your password to prevent unauthorised access. In other words, even if someone stole your password, they won’t be able to access your account without additional permission being granted via SMS or via a trusted device like your phone. 

Take a privacy check-up

In addition to a security check, run a privacy check to ensure that your data isn’t being, or hasn’t been, leaked. You can do that by heading here and going through the checklist. 

You can, for example, set up an auto-delete schedule that automatically deletes your website and app activity after a certain period. This applies not just to the web, but to Youtube as well. In addition, you can set up a handover process or auto-delete process for when your account becomes inactive for whatever reason. Simply click next till you reach the ‘Make a plan’ button. Click on it to start the process of setting safeguards for your private data in the event that your account is no longer in use. 

Run a Chrome settings safety check

Head to settings in Google Chrome to run a safety check on all other aspects of your accounts. Here you can look for compromised passwords and change them, adjust your safe browsing protection level, ensure that automatic updates are on, and that on-device encryption is enabled for passwords stored on your phone or PC. 

ALSO READ: How to transfer Google Photos from one account to another account 

Additional settings here will help you eliminate unwanted notifications, delete unused extensions, and disable unwanted permissions. 

To do this, open Chrome, click on the ‘More’ icon in the top right, and head to Settings > Privacy and Security> Safety Check > Go to Safety Check. 

Chrome will highlight all the issues here and you can simply follow the instructions to secure your account.