Do you use your private phone for work? Here’s how to separate apps and data

Our mobile devices have become essential tools on both a personal and professional level, but using them for dual purposes can pose business risks.

Some organizations are trying to give employees more choice through Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) or Company Owned and In Person (COPE) programs. However, the flexibility these programs provide must be combined with strong data protection like Samsung Knox.

The question is: can you successfully use one phone for both business and personal purposes? The answer is yes — and there’s more than one way to separate work and privacy on your phone.

Tips for separating work and privacy on your phone

Separating work and personal functions on your phone has never been easier. Recognizing the challenges of work-life balance, mobile device manufacturers have added smart features that help divide personal and professional apps and data. Here are some tips tailored to Samsung mobile and tablet users, from the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 and Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 to the Galaxy S24 series.

The first — and simplest — strategy is to organize your apps across different screens. By moving your personal app icons to a screen separate from your business apps, you’ll be sure to stay on one screen for work and the other for play.

Another good tactic is to use Do Not Disturb so that work doesn’t interfere with your personal time – and vice versa. When you turn on Do Not Disturb mode, notifications won’t interrupt your work, whether you’re working or sitting on the couch. A more advanced version of this feature can be found in the Samsung Modes and Routines section, which allows you to customize settings depending on whether you’re at work or using your device outside of work.

You can configure your routines to start based on time – for example, your work routine can automatically start at 8:00 a.m. and end at 5:00 p.m. – or based on location (via geolocation, when you arrive at work and when you leave ).

When it comes to messaging, you can take advantage of Samsung’s Dual Messenger feature, which allows you to easily switch between two separate accounts for the same app. If you have social media or messaging accounts for both work and personal use, you can use them both on the same device. When Dual Messenger is turned on, a second app icon appears on the home screen: one app, two accounts.

Balancing security

While these measures can help separate work from personal use, they do not necessarily address security concerns. Some companies solve this problem by implementing a mobile device management (MDM) solution with a secure workspace to protect work data from personal applications and viewing.

An MDM solution allows your mobile device to store data in a separate “container” or “profile”, so your personal and professional data are kept separate. With an effective MDM solution, companies can gain more reliable control over the devices they want to manage.

These secure containers will help you balance productivity with safety – and life at and beyond work. You can also easily set up an Android work profile, which protects your business data by separating it from your personal data on your device.

A secure approach to mobile AI

There are also security features specific to the most advanced mobile devices. In addition to maximum productivity, barrier-free communication and unlimited creativity, the Galaxy S24, for example, ensures data security in the era of artificial intelligence.

S24’s approach to data protection starts with customizable AI data locking options in the cloud for enterprises with rigorous data security standards. This level of control is complemented by a data architecture in which AI data is processed only after the application’s permissions have been verified. S24 reformats the data after verification is complete to match it to the appropriate AI engine. No data is saved during this process.

S24 mobile devices are also compliant with the Google Secure AI Framework (SAIF), which provides companies with a standard and holistic approach to maintaining security and privacy measures.

Safety in your hands

All of these capabilities are consistent with Samsung’s approach to mobile security through Samsung Knox, which ensures data protection at both the software and hardware levels.

Samsung continues to advance Knox technology with Message Guard, which proactively protects devices like the Galaxy S24 by limiting exposure to mobile threats in the form of image attachments.

Running silently and invisibly in the background, Samsung Message Guard captures and isolates image files as they arrive and places them in a sort of virtual quarantine. The image file is then checked step by step in a controlled environment to ensure that it cannot infect the rest of the device. This prevents zero-click attacks that store malicious code in the image.

Samsung recently started offering Galaxy users Auto Blocker, a tool that prevents sideloading, where apps are installed from unknown sources. While there are safe sideloading methods that Galaxy users can still use, you can enable the auto-block feature to block social engineering attacks such as voice phishing.

Another solution is Samsung Secure Folder, which is available on all the latest Samsung Galaxy mobile devices and provides a free, simple containerization solution that provides the same robust security as Knox.

Secure Folder offers a secure storage space that not only creates a barrier between work and personal data, but also allows you to customize how you access that data – whether it’s a password, pattern or biometric authentication.

The folder is easy to configure and intuitive to use. You can add apps to your secure folder by clicking “Add Apps” and selecting from those already installed on your phone or downloaded from the app store. You can move other content – such as documents, photos and files – to Secure Folder by selecting “Add files”.

Applications and data installed in these secure containers gain an additional layer of protection against cyberattacks.

With these simple solutions, you can easily access your work and personal files throughout the day, no matter where you are.

Are you using the best phone for your business needs? Find the right solutions for enterprises all sizes. You can also read more about how to do it Samsung Knox protects your devices from chip up.