5 Essential Mobile Apps for Peak Privacy Protection

Smartphones are ubiquitous these days. We all have one and we are all online with them all the time. Whether we are using apps, emailing, using instant messaging service services, or making use of personal assistants such as Siri or Cortana, we are making use of the internet.

Which begs the question why Smartphone users aren’t more clued up when it comes to their online security? If you speak to a regular user of a desktop of a laptop, almost all of them will be using some type of privacy and security enhancing software, even if it just a free anti-virus program or malware checker.

Yet if you put the same question to a Smartphone user, the answer you get will be very different. Because too many smartphone users still have the view that their device is just a phone, when actually what you are carrying around in your pocket is a pretty powerful computer.

So if you have any interest in protecting your privacy and security online (and you should have!) then doing so on your Smartphone is just as important as on your computer or laptop.

A quick look around your app store will show you that there are a great many apps, both paid and few, which claim to offer an improved level of online privacy for smartphone users. But of course, some are much better than others.

So to help you choose the right apps and ensure you have the best possible protection for your device, here are my top 5 essential mobile apps for peak privacy protection:

1. A Mobile Security App – My pick: Lookout Mobile Security

As the name might suggest, the first app you should be looking for is a Mobile Security app. They bring together a variety of security features in a single app, and while there are plenty available, there’s one which is currently head and shoulders above the competition. Lookout Mobile Security.

Lookout offers an all-in-one service. It can help you to locate your mobile device if you lose it, in a number of different ways. Your computer can be used to sound an alarm on your mobile. You can display a lost message on the screen with your contact details. And you can call your mobile over the web from any web browser.

Lookout will back-up all your contacts automatically, meaning if you do lose your phone, you don’t lose all your numbers. The software even allows you to transfer them to your new device.  And if you want to pay a few dollars for the premium version, they can back up your photos as well. The paid-for version also has a thief alert system, which will tell you if there is any unusual activity on your smartphone.

2. An Anti-virus app – My pick: 360 Security

In addition to a Mobile Security app, another must-have is an anti-virus app. This is something pretty much everyone has on their computers, yet almost no-one thinks to put on their smartphone.

There are plenty of recognizable names on the market with good apps available from the likes of McAfee, AVG, and Norton to name but three. But my pick of the bunch is 360 Security.

360 Security offers real-time protection against viruses, Trojans, and malware, as well as privacy functions which allow you to protect private messages and contact lists. It also gives you a filter service for both calls and SMSs. Well worth downloading.

3. A VPN – My pick: Buffered

A VPN is another tool which many computer users are turning to protect their privacy online, but which is less frequently used on smartphones. A VPN will channel all of your online activity down an encrypted pathway and via an external server. It means all your online activity is effectively anonymous, and so protects you from anyone who might want to know what you are looking at online. They are particularly beneficial when using your Smartphone on a public Wi-Fi network which leaves all your online data open to be viewed.

There are some free VPNs out there, but they are not in the same league as the relatively cheap paid-for products, which offer both faster speeds and better encryption.  Of these, the best at the moment is Buffered, a new player on the market, which is already offering both security and speeds to match the big names. They are competitively priced, and with promises of yet more improvements to come, they are well worth looking at.  

4. A Password Manager – My pick – KeyPassX

Despite their flaws, passwords are ubiquitous with online services and sites. Yet they are relatively easy to break, not least because too many of us still use notoriously easy-to-hack passwords such as ‘123456’ or even ‘password’.

A Password Manager is a bit of software will help you to select a secure password. And because this is likely to be something you won’t easily remember, they also store your passwords securely and allow you to automatically enter them into different sites.

The best of the Password Manager Apps at the moment is KeypassX. KeypassX is the mobile version of Keypass, an open source password manager for your computer or laptop. It helps you to protect usernames, passwords, URLs, attachments and comments in one single database. Free and well worth getting to grips with.

5. An App-Locker – My pick – App Lock

Lastly, I would strongly recommend getting an App-Locker. As the name suggests, this is a bit of software which allows you to lock any of the apps on your phone. It will help you to ensure the privacy of your apps content, prevent unauthorized access, and also save on your precious data allowance, especially if your children might get hold of your phone!

The best app-locker on the market at the moment is App Lock, although it is currently only available on Android devices. App Lock allows you to lock all your apps including contacts, incoming calls, and SMS. It can hide your photos and even freeze your settings to stop anyone making changes to your device.
Five new apps might seem like a lot, but with these in place, you can go about your online business on your smartphone with confidence, knowing that you have done everything possible to ensure your online privacy and security.