13 Android Apps to Protect Your Privacy

Privacy is an important factor in this day and age, as more and more personal information is stored on computers or mobile devices. One device though, keeps a lot of information about its owner, and that is the smartphone. Just think of this: it knows your contacts, your messages, your email accounts, your location and your financial state or credit card information.

Android users who are concerned with the security and privacy of their phones can look towards certain privacy apps that will control the amount of information that their phone is sending to various sources, as well as block sensitive information or apps. We still expect Android to have on official tool that could help us to protect our privacy, but until then, we’ll have to make do with apps available in the Play Store.

How to protect your privacy on Android devices

The solution to apps sending information to unknown location comes, ironically enough, from other apps. There are lots of Android privacy apps that users can install on their devices to up their security by a notch. For starters, there are some services that allow you to see exactly what information each app has access to, and these services will notify you when you install an app that has been flagged in the database.
Many security companies that develop antivirus programs and apps offer this type of service, and you might have heard of them from our previous posts on Android security, where we talked about the best antivirus apps; you can also download and add to your collection other various Android security apps. But there are specialized apps that you can use in order to protect your privacy, and today we’ll be taking a look at some of them.
App blockers can also be implemented to better your Android device’s privacy. They do just what the name suggests, and that is to block certain apps from sending information from your device. However, these apps work great with the detector apps we talked about earlier. If you wish to have a fully protected device, then you have to use more than one Android privacy app, as each of them has a role and is best in certain cases. Even having a decent Android firewall app can be useful sometimes.

 13 Android apps to safeguard your privacy

Photo Credit: iubenda

As mentioned, you will see some security apps that we’ve mentioned before. Security apps developed by these well known companies that have provided antivirus and firewall software for computer in the last 10 or more years will provide Android users with a host of features that will protect their devices, as well as great privacy security options.

• Lookout Security & Antivirus (Free) – This antivirus app will scan every other app on your device and alert you if something is wrong. Also, it provides other features such as backup or firewall.
• Norton Security antivirus (Free) – Norton has been around for as far as I can remember, and all of its security programs were top notch. The Norton security app for Android is no exception.
• Webroot Security & Antivirus (Free) – Having a secure smartphone does not only mean to scan apps, but also the possibility to scan web pages or block numbers. These and many other features are provided by Webroot.
• NQ Mobile Security & Antivirus (Free) – Offering a very well designed android privacy advisor, as well as other security features, NQ Mobile Security is a must-have app for those who want to keep their smartphones safe.
• McAfee Antivirus & Security (Free) – Another well known name in the security software field, McAfee offers Android users a host of protection features for their devices, including backup and remote wipe.
• Bitdefender Clueful Privacy Advisor (Free) – Bitdefender has evolved a great deal in the last few years, and apps like Clueful Privacy Advisor stand witness to this rise. If you have privacy issues, then try this app and see how good it is.
• TrustGo Antivirus & Mobile Security (Free) – TrustGo is one of the most powerful Android security apps you can use. It will ensure high level of privacy for your device, as it scans all the apps installed and gives you warning when an app is not safe.
• AVG Mobile AntiVirus Security PRO ($10.50)– AVG Mobile Security offers users a fairly good privacy advisor, as well as other features that enhance the security of the user’s Android device.
• Privacy Master – Free App Lock (Free) – Apps like email, galley or other similar ones hold sensitive information, and a good app blocker is required to restrict access to them. This app will allow you to set a PIN for accessing them.
• Applock Master (Free) – This all will allow users to lock any app they choose with a PIN or pattern, so when the locked apps are accessed, they will require the user to unlock them. This will keep information stored within the apps safe.
• APP Lock (Free) – Having one of the simplest interfaces of all the Android privacy apps, APP Lock is a great way to secure your installed apps which have access to personal information. You can lock apps via pattern or PIN with only a few taps.
• Smart AppLock (App Protector) (Free) – Smart AppLock is a simple way to seal off other apps that contain important information. Users can lock any apps they choose with a pattern, password or a PIN.
• LBE Privacy Guard (Free) – Even though the app had a few problems with recent updates, LBE is a pretty good Android privacy app that users should consider using. We’re sure the developers will quickly address all the issues from the latest updates.

Photo Credit: ppcgeeks

With the features that these apps provide, you will be able to keep your Android smartphone safe, and the information contained by it will only be available to you. Also, there are other apps that you might want to use, such as a few Android apps to hide files and photos, which can come in handy at times, or an app like SeekDroid, that will allow you to remotely locate or wipe your phone if it is stolen or lost.