DIGITAL LIFE

Halloween is one of the scariest times for your phone, new research finds

A recent study by the analyst group Asurion has concluded that being brought along to celebrate Halloween is one of the biggest potential nightmares a smartphone can go through. The risks of damage and other adversity these devices may face go up by as much as 42% on the date in question. The study indicates this is linked to phone use at night during these festivities.
Asurion has published the results of a study that indicates smartphones are devices at greatly increased risk of danger during the upcoming festival of Halloween. This research has found that the chances of a cracked screen goes up by 42% on the date in question. Similarly, the odds of losing one's phone or having it stolen also goes up by 40%.
The researchers also concluded that the risk of water damage to mobile devices increases by 36% during this holiday, whereas that of other forms of phone damage go up by approximately 30%. In fact, Halloween was found to be the 2nd worst holiday for phone safety, losing out in this respect to Independence Day (July 4) celebrations.
Asurion also suggested that potential smartphone Halloween horror stories could be avoided by reducing one's device use while going out on the night in question. Furthermore, using a phone as a flashlight during the same event could increase the risks of its being broken or lost. The group also suggests the inclusion of alternate contact details in a lockscreen message to boost the chances that a lost phone might be returned.

by Deirdre O Donnell