How to Secure a Facebook Account with Mobile

Your Facebook account is more than just a place to connect with friends, it's often a hub for your business, your brand, and your memories. Securing it isn't just a good idea - it's an essential step in protecting your digital identity, and you can do it all from the phone in your pocket. This guide will walk you through exactly how to lock down your Facebook account using the mobile app, with straightforward, step-by-step instructions.

Start with a Stronger Hometurf: Your Password

Before getting into fancier security features, let's nail a fundamental one: your password. It's the first line of defense. A weak or reused password is like leaving your front door unlocked. A strong password, on the other hand, is like a sophisticated deadbolt that's tough for intruders to crack.

What makes a password strong?

• Length is power: Aim for at least 12-15 characters. The longer it is, the harder it is to guess or break.
• Mix it up: Use a combination of uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols (. , ! @ # $ %).
• Keep it impersonal: Avoid using your name, your pet's name, your birthday, or any other easily guessable information. "Fluffy1998!" is a much weaker password than "!GravityRulz12Pin3apple!".
• Make it unique: Never reuse the password you use for Facebook on any other website. If another site gets breached, your Facebook account becomes an easy target. Consider a password manager like 1Password or Bitwarden to generate and remember unique passwords for you.

How to Change Your Password on the Facebook App

Ready to upgrade your password? Here's how to do it on your phone:

1. Tap the Menu icon (your profile picture and three lines) in the bottom-right corner.
2. Scroll down and tap Settings & Privacy, then tap Settings.
3. Tap Accounts Center, it's usually the first option at the top.
4. Under Account settings, tap on Password and security.
5. Tap Change password and select your Facebook account.
6. You'll need to enter your current password and then your new, super-strong password twice. Tap Change password to save it.

While you're there, Facebook gives you the option to log out of other devices. It's a good idea to do this after changing your password to kick out any unauthorized users who might have been lingering in your account.

Activate the Security Superstar: Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)

If you only do one thing from this guide, make it this. Two-Factor Authentication, or 2FA, is the single most effective way to secure your account. Think of it this way: your password is the first key to your house. 2FA is a second, special key that only you have, and the code for it changes every 30 seconds. Even if someone steals your password, they can't get in without that second key.

Facebook offers a few options for 2FA:

• Authentication App (Recommended): This is the most secure method. Apps like Google Authenticator, Authy, or Microsoft Authenticator generate a temporary 6-digit code on your phone. It works even if you don't have cell service.
• Text Message (SMS): A code is sent to your phone via text message. It's better than nothing, but it's less secure because of a technique called "SIM swapping" where hackers can hijack your phone number.
• Security Key: A physical hardware device (like a YubiKey) that you plug into your device to log in. This is extremely secure but is more advanced and requires purchasing hardware.

We're going to use an authenticator app, a perfect balance of high-security and mobile-friendliness.

How to Set Up 2FA with an Authenticator App

First, download an authenticator app like Google Authenticator or Authy from your phone's app store if you don't have one already. Then follow these steps:

1. Go back to the Password and security screen in the Accounts Center (Menu > Settings & Privacy > Settings > Accounts Center > Password and security).
2. Tap Two-factor authentication and select your Facebook account.
3. Select Authentication app and tap Next. Facebook will show you a QR code and a long string of characters. Since you're on your phone, you can't scan the QR code. Tap Copy key.
4. Switch over to your authenticator app. Find the option to add a new account (usually a "+" sign). Choose to enter a setup key manually.
5. Give the account a name, like "Facebook (Personal)," and paste the key you copied. Save it.
6. The app will now show you a 6-digit code that changes every 30 seconds.
7. Switch back to the Facebook app. Tap Next and enter the 6-digit code from your authenticator app. Tap Next again.
8. Congratulations! 2FA is now active.

Extremely important: Facebook will now show you a set of recovery codes. These are your emergency backup keys if you ever lose your phone. Save them somewhere extremely safe and offline - write them down in a notebook or print them out. Don't just save them in a note on the same phone you're securing.

Keep an Eye Out: Turn on Login Alerts

Think of Login Alerts as your account's personal security guard. If anyone - including you - logs into your Facebook account from a device or browser that Facebook doesn't recognize, you'll get an immediate notification. This lets you react instantly if something looks wrong.

How to Enable Login Alerts on Mobile

Setting up these alerts is fast and provides a lot of peace of mind.

1. Navigate to the now-familiar Password and security screen in the Accounts Center.
2. Tap on Login alerts and select your Facebook account.
3. You'll see two options: In-app notification and Email. We recommend turning both on. Just tap on each one and make sure it's set to receive alerts.

Now, if a login happens from a new location or device, you'll get an alert. The alert will show you the device type and location. If it wasn't you, you can immediately tell Facebook, which will guide you through steps to secure your account, like changing your password.

Do a Monthly Security Check-Up: Review Your Logins

Just like you check your bank statement for strange charges, it's a great habit to periodically check where your Facebook account is active. This shows you every single device, browser, and app currently logged in to your account.

How to Check and Manage Your Active Sessions

This review only takes a minute.

1. On the Password and security screen, tap Where you're logged in.
2. Select your Facebook account to see a list of every active session.
3. Look through the list. Each entry shows the device (e.g., iPhone 14, Windows PC) and the location. Does anything look weird? Maybe a login from a city you haven't visited or from a device you don't own?
4. If you see a session you don't recognize, tap on it and then tap Log out. This will immediately kick that device out of your account.
5. If you're unsure about an entry or just want a fresh start, you can scroll to the bottom and tap Select devices to log out. This allows you to log out of everywhere at once except for your current device.

Doing this once a month helps ensure no one is staying logged into your account without your knowledge.

Clean House: Review Your Connected Apps and Websites

Over the years, you've probably used your Facebook account to log in to dozens of other apps, games, and websites. While convenient, each of these connections has some level of access to your data. Some might be harmless trivia apps from years ago, but others could present a security vulnerability, especially if those third-party services are breached.

How to Remove Unused App Permissions

1. From the main Settings menu, scroll down to the Your activity and permissions section and tap Apps and Websites.
2. You'll see a list of all the apps and websites connected to your Facebook account that are "Active."
3. Tap on any app or website you no longer use or don't recognize.
4. You have the option to see what information the app can access. To get rid of it completely, just tap the Remove button.

Removing these old connections minimizes your digital footprint and closes potential backdoors to your information. Make it a habit to check this list every few months.

Stay Vigilant: Spot and Avoid Phishing Scams

All the technical security in the world can't protect you if you accidentally give your credentials away. This is where phishing comes in. Phishing is when a scammer tries to trick you into giving them your password or other sensitive info by pretending to be someone they're not - like Facebook.

On Facebook, this might look like:

• A weird direct message with a link, saying "OMG is this you in this video?!"
• An email that looks like it's from Facebook, warning of a security breach and telling you to log in *immediately* via the link provided. The link goes to a fake login page that looks real.
• A Facebook ad for a deal that's too good to be true, leading you to a site that asks you to log in with Facebook to claim it.

How to Double-Check If a Message Is Really From Facebook

Facebook has a built-in feature to help you with this exact anxiety. It's a dedicated list of all the recent, official security and login emails that they have sent you.

1. Head back to the Password and security screen in the Accounts Center.
2. Tap Recent emails.
3. Select your Facebook account. You will see two tabs: Security and Other. Here you'll find a legitimate record of communications. If an email you received isn't on this list, it's a fake.

Just remember the golden rule: Never give out your password to anyone, and be suspicious of links you didn't ask for.

Final Thoughts

Securing your Facebook account is completely manageable right from your phone. By creating a strong password, enabling two-factor authentication, turning on login alerts, and regularly reviewing your connected apps and active sessions, you build multiple layers of protection that make it incredibly difficult for anyone to access your account without your permission.

When you're running business pages or building a brand organically, account security becomes even more pivotal. As we were building Postbase, we obsessed over the small details that create a reliable experience because we know the stakes are high. One of those details is ensuring your connected social accounts stay connected, reliably. This stability not only saves you the daily frustration of re-authenticating profiles but also helps reduce your security exposure by minimizing how often you need to manually log in across different platforms throughout the week. It's one less thing to think about so you can focus on creating great content.