Mobile security software

Mobile security software comparison chart for 2024

Mobile security software explained

Good mobile security software will:

• Guard your privacy
• Limit the damage if your phone is lost or stolen
• Protect your phone from viruses

Mobile phone viruses years ago were rare, but now they are prolific and they are becoming increasingly sophisticated and harmful.

Anti-theft measures

The anti-theft measures of mobile security software probably won’t stop your phone getting stolen, but can minimize the resulting damage. Mobile security software can encrypt the data on your phone – including text messages, photographs and emails. This makes sure that thieves can’t access the data on your phone.

Pay less attention to gimmicky ‘locate your phone’ tools. These use satellite navigation to alert you to your phone’s location over the internet. It sounds great in theory, but in practice are you really going to find and confront the thief?

Much more useful are functions that wipe your phone if it falls into the wrong hands. Some act automatically if your SIM card is replaced by another. Others enable you to connect to the phone over the internet and instruct it to wipe everything.

Guarding your privacy

If you value your privacy, look for mobile security software that filters unwanted calls. You should be able to set up a ‘blacklist’ of unwanted numbers, and a ‘white list’ of callers who are allowed through.

Spam protection is also useful if you use email on your phone. Your mobile is likely to have less built-in spam protection than your computer, so junk email could be more of a problem.

Security software can also hide selected contacts, ensuring no trace of them appears in your phone book, call logs or other areas. It’s great if you’re paranoid about people who borrow your phone, or simply want to keep some contacts private.