Dangerous Apps! How to Protect Your Phone?

The shady market of malicious Android apps has grown bigger than ever, with thousands of apps that can compromise your data even if you download them from the official app stores like Google Play. So what can you do to protect yourself and avoid trouble? Read on to learn the best practices.

Quick Stats

Upstream Android app market research for Q1 2020 shows that the number of malicious apps doubled from Q1 2019. It means that there were almost 30,000 malicious apps in Q1 2020 and up to 60,000 in Q1 2021!

Best Ways to Protect Yourself

Actually, it’s not that difficult to ensure that everything is ok once you learn what exactly needs to be done. First of all, you have to inspect every app you are going to download before doing so. Regardless of the app store you use, you can become an easy target for scammers if you’re not attentive enough. We highly recommend reading the reviews before downloading to ensure that the majority of reviews are positive. If you see multiple alerting messages from other users, it’s better to look for another solution rather than becoming a potential victim.

Next, you have to be mindful of the files you download from the website and email attachments. You should avoid downloading any apps and files that come from suspicious senders whom you’re not 100% sure about. With only these 2 simple safety practices, you can avoid 99,9% of malicious apps and files. But…

How to Ensure Your Phone Isn’t Infected Already?

If you’re not sure if your smartphone is infected or can’t decide whether an app or file is safe enough to download, you need to install an antivirus app. Free apps like Avast will automatically scan your device and detect suspicious files and apps. When you download something from the web, the antivirus will alert you if something is wrong with the file before it reaches your device. You can also start manual scanning whenever you want to ensure that everything is ok.

All Safe Now

Now you are armed with the best security practices that will protect your Android device from any type of mobile malware. Don’t forget to update your OS regularly as well to get the latest security protocols from Google and have an extra layer of protection. Can you recommend any other Android malware protection methods? If yes, you’re welcome to tell everyone about them in the comments. And don’t forget to share this quick guide with other Android users.