7 best anti-theft apps to protect your Android phone

Safeguard your smartphone with these apps

| Updated: Monday, December 17, 2018, 7:19 [IST]

Losing your phone is an unpleasant experience altogether, doesn’t matter the size or the price. It could happen to anybody and it’s a good idea to have some kind of anti-theft app on your device. While Google offers a built-in option that allows you to track your phone if it gets lost called Find My Device, the options are not exactly limited to that. There are great apps out there that you can test drive to see if its more in line with your preferences. Without further ado or pomp, let’s take a look at a few of the apps that you can use to track your phones if you lose it.

Find My Device

The first app that you should take a look at is, of course, Google's default anti-theft app. It is available in all android phones and it lets you remotely lock your phone, sign out of your device and wipe its content. You can also see your phone's location on a map and call it via an accompanying app.

If you lock your phone remotely, you can write a lock message that your device will display.

Cerebrus

Cerebrus is a leading third-party anti-theft app for Android and the three ways it protects your device via remote control are web portal, remote control via text message, and automatic alerts. The app can locate and track your phone, lock your device, set an alarm, upload call logs, and wipe both internal and external memory.

Cerberus can also take pictures and record videos of whoever has your phone and upload it onto the cloud.

Anti-Theft Alarm

This app is more of a theft-deterrent and does not have features like remote wiping and phone locating. The app sounds a loud alarm under certain circumstances. For example, if someone unplugs or moves your phone or even changes the SIM card. It will not stop ringing until you enter a password.

Avast Mobile Security

Initially a standalone app, this feature has been packaged into a holistic security package. In addition to the standard features like an array of alarms, maps, and remote controls, there are additional features that deserve a shout out.

The first one is remote listening which can make your phone call another number and then listen to the surroundings.

The second one is the low battery notification and it serves two purposes.

AppLock

AppLock is another basic app that allows you to password-protect any app that is on your phone. Although it will not help you get your phone back, it will help keep your data safe. It also ensures that the thief won't have access to your photos and videos.

Prey

This service is available across multiple platforms and in different versions. The free version allows you to set geo-fencing areas and provide you with alerts if they are breached and take pictures and videos, but it is limited to three devices. The premium version, at $10, offers unlimited devices and adds remote data wiping and remote file retrieval.

Where’s My Droid

This app has two paid plans. The free version allows you to locate the device, ring it, set a passcode and send an alert if someone changes the SIM. The Pro plan adds features like taking photos, locking and wiping the device, and hiding the app icon. It costs $4.

The Elite version which is $1 a month or $9 a year includes geofencing, location history, device stats, and more.