Lock your SMS messages only and not the whole phone

If you want your SMSs to be read only by you, you have to lock the SMS app or the whole phone.

Here we are going to see how to lock your SMS using a free app.

Steps.

1. Find on Google Play the SMS Lock app (official link).

2. Download and install the app.

3. Open the app and press the green bar on top to enable it (enable lock)

4. Draw an unlock pattern (draw a line between 4 dots) and press Continue

5. Draw the same pattern and pres ok

Now your SMSs are locked and to read them, you must unlock the device.

If you try 5 times a wrong pattern you are being locked out for a minute and then you can try again.

If you receive an SMS and it is displayed on the notification bar, this app will not prevent a user from reading it but the user need to know the security pattern to enter the SMS menu.

Now you must go to options to set up some more protection.

Go to the main menu of the SMS Lock app and select Self Protection.

Now you have some choices:

System Setting: Select On to never let another app kill the SMS Lock app and make the SMSs available to others

Android Market: Select On to prevent another user uninstall the SMS Lock app and access your SMS

Install App: Select On only if you want the SMS Lock to lock the Google Play so as not to let other apps download. If you select On you must enter the Security Pattern every time you want to download an app on your device. This is great if you want to offer the device to a child and you don’t want it to download other apps than the apps already on the phone.

Uninstall App: Select On if you want the SMS Lock app to prevent any user uninstall any app from the phone.

Remember also to let On the Notification Bar so as to prevent some task manager Apps to kill the app.

Now your SMSs are safe!