What if your Android phone gets stolen? Let's take a look at some Android anti theft apps to get your phone back. We don't even want to think of losing our phones but sometimes we cannot avoid certain things from happening. Our phones should be protected, so it's much better to have an anti theft app to safeguard your device.
'Find my phone' is an option available on our Android devices. This is an inbuilt Android security feature. Find my phone can locate your misplaced or lost device. You can also try some third party option for this purpose. Let's find out.
This app will give a warning and make sure that the person who steals your device would have to face the consequences. The important feature in this app is that it secretly captures the video and pictures of the person who stole the phone and sends it directly to your cloud account so that you can see it. This even allows recording audio using the mic of the device.
There's another feature called automatic action which will instantly lock the phone if the SIM card is removed or if someone attempts the wrong password. This app will send a photo instantly.
The main feature of this app is, it will raise a loud alarm in those critical circumstances. You can enable this feature so that if someone removes your device from the charger, if someone drops your device, if someone takes it from where you left it and if someone changes the SIM then a loud alarm will be played. If you suspect someone stole your phone then you can activate the alarm remotely.
This is wonderful because the alarm wouldn't stop until the correct password is typed, even if your device is on silent. changing the SIM or the battery wouldn't do anything for the alarm as well.
But now we will keep other feature aside and only look into the Avast anti theft option. This feature is available in the bundle of the Avast app but earlier it used to be a single separate app. Like the other anti theft apps this has the map, alarm, remote control etc.
This app also restricts calls and helps you hide your personal pictures and videos. If someone stole your device then they cannot have any access into your private information or purchase something over an app.
Prey app is free to take photographs of the person who stole your device, track your phone's GPS location, activate remote locking and allow you to set a geo-fencing area (alert you when perimeter is breached). You can add three devices per account for free to monitor the device activity.
You can download Where's my droid app directly from Google playstore by Clicking here.
Career and manufacturer anti theft apps
In the United States 'Verizon, T- Mobile, Sprint and AT&T' networks caries their own anti theft app. Most of the network carriers like the above have this feature inbuilt.
One of the main drawbacks for the carrier app is the added cost. This will send you an extra charge bill every month typically. Advantage of it is when some criminal steals your phone you can call the carrier and insist them to take action.
Many other anti theft apps are also offered by some smartphone manufacturers. They are built into the feature called OEM skins. Phones like HTC and Samsung have this feature. Manufacturer versions are free and the carrier version is not.
You should remember that these anti theft apps are just one way of securing your Android device.
'Find my phone' is an option available on our Android devices. This is an inbuilt Android security feature. Find my phone can locate your misplaced or lost device. You can also try some third party option for this purpose. Let's find out.
Find My Device
Find my device is a built in feature that's native to all the Android devices. This feature allows you to lock your phone and sign out of your device remotely if you lose your phone. Find my device lets you locate your device with the help of a map. This allows you to call your phone with another device.
And also permits you to write a lock-screen alert message if you lock your device remotely. This message will be display on the screen until you disable it.
Find my device feature is already enabled in your phone by default, however you should make sure it's turned on. To find out if it's on or off head to 'Settings > Google > Security' and click on 'Find my device'. If the feature is not active then you can turn it on by toggling at the top of the window.
You can either access find my device feature through their website app or in your phone app.
Cerberus is one of the best and successful third party Android app for anti theft which is leading among its competitors.
Cerberus has three ways to protect your device. The main ways are: you can remotely control it through text messages , remote control via web portal and automatic alerts.
Find my device is a built in feature that's native to all the Android devices. This feature allows you to lock your phone and sign out of your device remotely if you lose your phone. Find my device lets you locate your device with the help of a map. This allows you to call your phone with another device.
And also permits you to write a lock-screen alert message if you lock your device remotely. This message will be display on the screen until you disable it.
Find my device feature is already enabled in your phone by default, however you should make sure it's turned on. To find out if it's on or off head to 'Settings > Google > Security' and click on 'Find my device'. If the feature is not active then you can turn it on by toggling at the top of the window.
You can either access find my device feature through their website app or in your phone app.
Third Party Anti Theft Apps for Android
CerberusCerberus is one of the best and successful third party Android app for anti theft which is leading among its competitors.
Cerberus has three ways to protect your device. The main ways are: you can remotely control it through text messages , remote control via web portal and automatic alerts.
There are many features to this app such as tracking and locking your device, upload call logs, start an alarm on your device, wipe external memory and also internal.
There's another feature called automatic action which will instantly lock the phone if the SIM card is removed or if someone attempts the wrong password. This app will send a photo instantly.
You can download Cerberus app from it's official website.
Anti Theft Alarm
Anti Theft Alarm
Anti theft alarm is a bit of a complicated barrier for theft. Anti theft features like phone erasing and finding out the location is not available in this app.
This is wonderful because the alarm wouldn't stop until the correct password is typed, even if your device is on silent. changing the SIM or the battery wouldn't do anything for the alarm as well.
You can download Anti theft alarm directly from Google playstore by Clicking here.
Avast Mobile Security
It's one of the best security app available for Android devices with multi features such as anti virus protection and more.
Avast Mobile Security
It's one of the best security app available for Android devices with multi features such as anti virus protection and more.
There are also other special features that we should look into.
The special features is that it has the ability to listen remotely. If someone stole your device then you can make the device call you on another number and listen to the surrounding voices. The thief wouldn't know that there's an ongoing call as the screen would remain black.
This would also send you a notification when your device battery is low. This notification has two motives; one is, it will let you know whether someone is charging your device and making use it and the next one is it will allow you to minimize the number of alarms that strike and the photos that you request. This will make the energy of the device last longer.
You can download Avast security app directly from Google playstore by Clicking here.
App Lock
The special features is that it has the ability to listen remotely. If someone stole your device then you can make the device call you on another number and listen to the surrounding voices. The thief wouldn't know that there's an ongoing call as the screen would remain black.
This would also send you a notification when your device battery is low. This notification has two motives; one is, it will let you know whether someone is charging your device and making use it and the next one is it will allow you to minimize the number of alarms that strike and the photos that you request. This will make the energy of the device last longer.
You can download Avast security app directly from Google playstore by Clicking here.
App Lock
This is a simple app which helps you protect your apps with a password. This app will secure all your data in case of theft even though it can do nothing to bring back your device. You will be happy that at least your files and important apps are safe from someone accessing it.
You can download App lock app directly from Google playstore by Clicking here.
Prey
This app can locate phones, laptops ,tabs and all the other devices as it is a cross-platform solution.
Prey
This app can locate phones, laptops ,tabs and all the other devices as it is a cross-platform solution.
The premium version of this app provides unlimited devices, adds remote data clearing and retrieving files remotely. You can download Prey app directly from Google playstore by Clicking here.
Where's My Droid
Where's My Droid
This app also offers a free version in which you can locate devices, give a password, ring the device and you'll get an instant alert when someone removes your SIM. It also offers you the premium version where you can capture photos during theft activity, completely wipe off the device, lock the device and hide all the application icons.
Career and manufacturer anti theft apps
In the United States 'Verizon, T- Mobile, Sprint and AT&T' networks caries their own anti theft app. Most of the network carriers like the above have this feature inbuilt.
One of the main drawbacks for the carrier app is the added cost. This will send you an extra charge bill every month typically. Advantage of it is when some criminal steals your phone you can call the carrier and insist them to take action.
Many other anti theft apps are also offered by some smartphone manufacturers. They are built into the feature called OEM skins. Phones like HTC and Samsung have this feature. Manufacturer versions are free and the carrier version is not.
You should remember that these anti theft apps are just one way of securing your Android device.