How to Encrypt Personal Data for free on Android?
Keeping your personal data secure is indeed the need of the hour these days. Whether on your smartphone or computer, encryption is the best option that can be helpful in handling your personal data is of utmost importance. You may be using encryption on your Windows or Mac systems already, but have you ever given a thought to encrypt your Android device? We will guide you on how you can achieve it.
Encryption has been a part of Android ecosystem since the earliest days of Android. You will find the default option to encrypt your Android device right on a device running Android Gingerbread. Possibly, no one paid any attention to it all along. But the emphasis on privacy and security over the past few years has been one of the reasons we have been paying a heed to what Google thought off over the past few years.
Apart from the built-in option to encrypt your device, there are a few third party options as well that can help you indulge in encryption of your data. We will check out both the options in the following paragraphs.How to encrypt your Android using default option?
Well, encrypting your Android devices is not a tough task as in the case of your Windows computer or laptop. The Android ecosystem comes with a default option for encrypting your smartphone.
Here are the steps you can follow to encrypt your device. -
That does it. Your Android smartphone has now been fully encrypted. 
Do note that you need to go through the following points before opting for encrypting your device - Third party apps to encrypt your Android
Well, there are a few apps that can help you encrypt your Android device. The above built-in method may not be able to encrypt your SD card. Third-party apps can be used to encrypt both internal storage and SD Card. SSE
SSE has been considered to be one of the long-standing encryption apps for Android. SSE can be your best option if you are looking to encrypt individual files rather than encrypting entire device or SD card. 
You can only use the password to decrypt your files. Some of the options that the app offers you include -
The app is available on Google Play Store and does not come with ads. Safe Camera
This is an encryption tool that handles your images. It is basically a camera application that encrypts your photos on the fly. The photos are saved in its own dedicated gallery and thus will not be accessible to any other individual. 
The camera utility in Safe Camera is quite basic and does not offer you any special functionality. You may not find any additional features except for a timer and flash. Some features worth mentioning include - Crypto Ghost
Crypto Ghost is an excellent option you can use to encrypt your chosen files and share them with your contacts. Sharing the encrypted files has an advantage in the form of securing your privacy and security and letting only those contacts have access to the files that you intend to share them with. 
A few features that makes it a great choice are - A little more information if you are on Android Marshmallow or higher version
Google has made it mandatory to encrypt the device when the device is on Android Marshmallow or on a higher version. If the device is capable of a secure lock screen, then the device should come with a full disk encryption option. It also suggests opting for SD card partition to be encrypted if it is part of the device and a non-removable one.
So, if you are on an Android version higher than Android marshmallow, you will find that your phone is already encrypted. However, it depends upon the hardware compatibility and manufacturers may decide to opt out of the mandatory requirement if there are any hardware implications.The Parting Thoughts
The smartphone these days has been the treasure house of all your personal information. Given the fact that you have been using a host of services including banking apps on your Android devices, safeguarding the data should be your prime concern. The options we shared here should indeed go a long way in ensuring the safety of your phone and the data on it.
Agreed, encryption may not provide you with a complete safety, but it can be your best option to stay on the safer side. We hope the tools featured here should be helpful in arriving at the best options for your encryption requirements.
