What apps can do these stuff?

[spman]

Hello guys,

1) What app do you install to prevent theft? If some one steals your phone, which app can help you recover the phone or find the thief?

2) When using the phone or using the phone as GPS, someone runs by and steals your phone, is there any app that can help you to take back your phone or prevent phone from stolen?

3) Do I need to install any security/malware/antivirus apps for android phone?

I am new to smartphone android and I am using S4, thanks in advance for helping. Thanks​

 

[BigRedGonzo]

I've got an S4 and use Lookout Mobile Security. You can locate, lock, wipe, force an alarm and a slew of other thing with it. It is a subscription service so it costs $29/year and covers two devices. It has malware and internet protection built in also. I have found that it is pretty lightweight from a memory standpoint also.

BigRedGonzo

 

[saptech]

There are others on the Play Store also.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/...t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEwOSwiY29tLmFuZHJvaWRsb3N0Il0

 

[gtbarry]

I've used many of the most popular free anti-theft programs (lookout, avg, avast, etc.) and they all failed me in one area - they were all consistently inaccurate about detecting the phone's location. Then I tried Cerberus (one week trial in play store - then you pay for a lifetime license for up to 5 android devices on your one account). It is not perfect, but the accuracy of locating my phone was FAR superior to what the free ones did. I recommend you try the free trial and test it.

As far as viruses and malware are concerned, the best app is your brain. You don't need anything on your phone as long as you only download from the Play Store and Amazon and not those questionable third-party sites. Mind you, the Play Store has had brief issues also (i.e. when alleged apple produced products showed up in it last year or blackberry messenger last month - both fake and only briefly before pulled). So, only use legit sources and common sense.

 

[Podivin]

No app can STOP someone from stealing your phone, all you can do is aid in recovery in the event of theft.
That said, here's another vote for Cerberus. I like both the features and the functionality.

 

[spman]

Is Lookout Mobile Security or Cerberus better?

 

[gtbarry]

I have used Lookout on three different phones for a combined total of about maybe six months. I always exhaust free before trying purchased apps. I installed Cerberus and three days into the free seven day trial I bought it.

It is NOT perfect. Recently it showed my daughter who was in Santa cruz to be in a different part of Santa Cruz. Then she apparently swam across the bay to Monterey. None of which was true. But overall I get far more accurate locations far more often with Cerberus. Plus the other abilities like turning on the microphone, camera, etc may come in handy.

 

[divinebovine]

This thread should help:
http://androidforums.com/android-applications/578226-lost-stolen-phone-apps-best-best.html

2) When using the phone or using the phone as GPS, someone runs by and steals your phone, is there any app that can help you to take back your phone or prevent phone from stolen?

I don't understand...can you describe better what you're expecting an app to do about that?

 

[gtbarry]

2) When using the phone or using the phone as GPS, someone runs by and steals your phone, is there any app that can help you to take back your phone or prevent phone from stolen?

I don't understand...can you describe better what you're expecting an app to do about that?

I think he wants something like this.

Magnavolt car anti theft advert from Robocop - YouTube

Though to be fair, it probably would drain the battery.

 

[spman]

This thread should help:
http://androidforums.com/android-applications/578226-lost-stolen-phone-apps-best-best.html



I don't understand...can you describe better what you're expecting an app to do about that?

I was trying to say that when I am using the phone (holding in my hand) and someone snatch it from my hand, or when I am using the phone as a gps mounted to the windscreen and someone snatch it and run away, or someone pretend to borrow my phone to make a call but took my phone and ran away, is there any thing that can help to prevent it from happening or get back my phone?

I am new to android apps so I was thinking there might be things that I did not know that could help. Maybe it could lock the screen after some amount of inactivity or maybe some kind of loud alarm when the phone was snatched, or phone could detect that the owner was not using the phone, or maybe an loud alarm or phone lock could happen or detect different fingers (not owner) pressing the phone.

 

[spman]

Does Cerberus still have these problems as mentioned in this thread > Evaluation of Cerberus anti-theft app

 

[saptech]

The user who posted that thread in your link is a member here also. Maybe you can send him a PM and ask what do he think of Cerberus now.

Also, check out this thread he started if you haven't read it yet.

http://androidforums.com/android-applications/626560-best-anti-theft-app.html

If you do PM him and get an answer, let us know how he feels about it.

Thnx.

 

[Podivin]

I was trying to say that when I am using the phone (holding in my hand) and someone snatch it from my hand, or when I am using the phone as a gps mounted to the windscreen and someone snatch it and run away, or someone pretend to borrow my phone to make a call but took my phone and ran away, is there any thing that can help to prevent it from happening or get back my phone?

I am new to android apps so I was thinking there might be things that I did not know that could help. Maybe it could lock the screen after some amount of inactivity or maybe some kind of loud alarm when the phone was snatched, or phone could detect that the owner was not using the phone, or maybe an loud alarm or phone lock could happen or detect different fingers (not owner) pressing the phone.

There is no way for the phone to be able to tell the difference between someone snatching your phone, or you handing your phone to someone to let them borrow it. There is no fingerprint scanner or anything like that on the phone, so it can't tell one person from another.
Installing one of the apps mentioned would give you the ability to send a message to the phone to make it sound an alarm - but of course you'd need access to a different phone or a PC to make that happen.

You can also set up a pin or password lock on your phone to make it hard to use in the event of theft.

 

[divinebovine]

I am new to android apps so I was thinking there might be things that I did not know that could help. Maybe it could lock the screen after some amount of inactivity or maybe some kind of loud alarm when the phone was snatched, or phone could detect that the owner was not using the phone, or maybe an loud alarm or phone lock could happen or detect different fingers (not owner) pressing the phone.

Some, if not all, antitheft apps will lock the screen and provide a loud alarm, but they are activated either by you reporting it stolen (by going to the app's website and logging in and clicking "stolen", or by you or a trusted friend sending a special text message to your phone) or by detecting fishy activity like changing the SIM card.

However, I prefer to avoid alarms and locks. The best chance of recovering the stolen phone is probably if they keep using it, thinking nothing's wrong, and you use the phone to spy on them. Get photos of them, GPS location, find out who they call, etc. Hand the info to the police or play detective/cop yourself.

If an alarm starts wailing (as Avast did on my secondary phone when I restored from a backup of my primary phone, resulting in Avast detecting a SIM card change), a dumb thief will smash the phone and discard its remnants, while a very smart one will pull the battery to kill the alarm then take it somewhere that he can start hacking it without it getting any signal until he removes the security software. Nobody's going to sit there and wait for you or the cops to find them.

 

[gtbarry]

Overall, face it. A semi-efficient or intelligent thief will pull the battery or place the phone in a foil bag immediately. Then, nothing will do anyone any good.

 

[divinebovine]

True. So, we can simplify it to the dumb thief issue; if the phone is unusable or an alarm starts wailing, the phone will immediately be destroyed.