Protect your smartphone investment with an anti-theft app that will help you to locate or retrieve it if stolen or lost.
There are some fantastic high-end Android smartphones available now with superior specs and features, but of course, this all adds to the price of the device. Buying a new smartphone can, therefore, be extremely costly now. So, it’s always worth helping to protect your investment from saving you the unnecessary expense, whether you simply misplace your handset or unfortunately have it stolen.
The majority of us now rely on our smartphones a lot because of the amount of personal and important information stored on it or the services we use. Even if you have your private data backed up somewhere else, the thought of your phone is out there in somebody else’s hands could be unnerving, especially considering the amount of identity theft that now goes on. Therefore, using an Android anti-theft app that will be able to help you locate or retrieve your smartphone is a real advantage. Some apps will also enable you to remotely control your smartphone, very useful if it gets into the wrong hands.
Of course, such security apps cannot always guarantee that you’ll be able to get your phone back, but they can give you the best chance of doing so. For optimum results, make sure, the location feature of your phone is turned on. Although the accuracy of tracking can sometimes vary, it’s better to have it than not.
There are masses of anti-theft apps available on the Google Play Store, and it can be challenging to know which to choose. In this respect, we’ve done the hard work for you to produce our list of some of the best anti-theft apps for Android devices. Some are also compatible with Android Wear smartwatches. While all are free to download, some require the use of in-app purchases or upgrades to obtain the full features.
1. CERBERUS ANTI-THEFT
Price: Free with ads/ Offers IAP
This is pretty much the doyen of Android anti-theft apps and possibly the most well known of them all. It’s hugely comprehensive and rich in useful features, so perhaps it’s not surprising that it’s only free for a one-week trial. After that, you can use in-app purchases to buy a license for advanced features. It would be difficult to find an anti-theft app for Android with as much to offer as Cerberus. Not only it acts as a phone tracker or helps you to find it, but it will also help you to identify any thief responsible. The app protects your smartphone via three main ways, with automatic alerts, remote control via the Cerberus website, and remote control via SMS from another handset.
The remote control feature is convenient in many ways. It enables you to lock a missing phone with a code, shows a message that then remains on display (and can also be spoken by the device), and sounds an alarm that will still be audible even if the handset was on silent mode. Check out the location history to track the journey to where it is now, wipe both the SD card and internal memory to secure your private information from others.
The app can also record audio, see recent sent and received calls, and gather information about WiFi networks or phone networks that it’s connected to. The remote control functionality also allows seeing who’s got your phone by capturing video and pictures of the person.
Meanwhile, automatic alert actions are available under particular conditions. If the SIM card is swapped out, the phone will send an SMS or email alert. And, in case of incorrect unlock code, the phone will snap an image of the thief and automatically email the picture to you.
Handily, any thief won’t be able to see that you have the Cerberus anti-theft app installed on your device as the app can be hidden from the app drawer. Millions of users can’t all be wrong, so we strongly urge you to check out the Cerberus Anti-Theft app.
Download Cerberus Phone Security
2. PREY ANTI THEFT
Price: Free
This is another top-rated anti-theft app, and it can manage all your devices on a variety of platforms from one Web Panel account. The app offers missing device reports as evidence for the police, including GPS coordinates, pictures of the thief, device and user information, and more. Prevent your phone from getting stolen by adding a control zone on the map, and you will receive an alert if your phone leaves that area.
The app offers almost identical features to the Cerberus app, including a security alarm, lock by remote control, a camouflage mode to keep the app hidden, and security message alert. It is completely free for tracking up to 3 devices. You’ll need to pay a monthly subscription for the premium version for more devices, or additional security features such as the ability to delete data and file retrieval.
3. FIND MY DEVICE
Price: Free with ads/ Offers IAP
This is the improved version of Google’s own Android Device Manager app. It will assist you in locating lost Android wearable, smartphone, or tablet. It can play a sound that will alert you of its whereabouts in case you misplaced it nearby. The app also allows securing the device remotely. It may not be as comprehensive as many other anti-theft apps, but it’s pretty reliable, and it is entirely free.
Download Google Find My Device
4. COMODO ANTI THEFT
Price: Free with ads/ Offers IAP
Like the previous app, simply download, install, and use it for free. A single web interface allows you to manage multiple devices. Remote protection can send commands to a missing device, show its location on a map, lock it, display a customized on-screen message with your return details, activate an alarm, wipe data, and more.
Communications are SSL-encrypted, and you can monitor the activity of your missing device, and log in with a Guest Mode feature from any other smartphone or tablet.
5. ANTI THEFT ALARM
Price: Free with ads/ Offers IAP
This MMAppsMobile app is simple but might prevent your phone from mysteriously walking away, as an alarm will be activated if someone tries to disconnect the charger or move the handset. It’s a good option if you are often in a busy public place or work area. One plus point is that the alarm can not be turned off until you deactivate it by tracing an unlock pattern or personal PIN number.
The app is available in several languages, and you can choose a custom alarm or a preset one.
6. FIND MY PHONE – ANDROID WEAR
Price: Free
As the title suggests, it’s compatible with Android Wear devices. If you’ve misplaced your smartphone, you can use the app on your Android Wear smartwatch to sound an alarm. If you often leave your home without remembering to pick up your phone, this would be a good choice, as your smartwatch will buzz to remind that you haven’t got it.
The is app free to download, but a PRO version is also available with an in-app purchase ($1.99) that offers alarm customizations.
Download Find My Phone (Android Wear)
7. WHERES MY DROID
Price: Free with ads/ Offers IAP
The free version of this app includes phone locating using GPS, passcode protection, Stealth Mode, alarm sound to relocate nearby, and much more. Upgrade to the Pro version for further security features such as remote locking of the lost device, remote wiping of the SD card and your sensitive data, taking images, and activating the app using a landline. There’s also an Elite version that includes passive location updates, location history, call log, geofencing, and more.
8. CROOKCATCHER – ANTI THEFT
Price: Free with ads/ Offers IAP
This app has a high user rating of 4.5/5 stars on the Google Play Store, and we found the location pinpointing was very accurate. It hasn’t got as many bells and whistles as some of the other apps, but if you want to focus on getting your stolen phone back, it’s a decent option.
CrookCatcher will automatically send an email alert if someone tries to unlock the device with the wrong password. This way, you will know your smartphone has fallen into the wrong hands. The app also takes a picture of whoever is trying to access your device. Then it will send the image to you with the location as well.
Download CrookCatcher – Anti Theft
9. LOCKWATCH – THIEF CATCHER
Price: Free/ Offers IAP
Lockwatch features taking an image of someone using an incorrect passcode on your phone and emailing it to you. The app is small in size, so it would drain the battery as little as possible. It will only run when someone puts an incorrect code.
An in-app purchase of around $5 will get you some extra features such as notification by email for altering the SIM card. The app also sends an email when powered up (handy to catch peekers) with three photos of the culprit rather than one. If you sometimes enter an incorrect passcode yourself, you can avoid being alerted by changing the number of unlocking attempts require for the app to work.
Download Lockwatch – Thief Catcher
10. ANTI-THEFT SECURITY
Price: Free with ads/ Offers IAP
From MOSI Apps, this one is another popular anti-theft app. It can track your stolen phone or stop busybodies interfering with it if you leave it unattended at any time. It offers remote control via SMS as well as automatic alerts. You can remotely lock your phone, make it ring at optimum volume, take a video, show a message, get a report, remotely perform a factory reset if you don’t hold out any hope of getting it back, and tons more.
The app can send GPS location, low battery alert for the device, and an image of the person if the wrong password is used more than once. Please note that some of these features require an in-app purchase.
Download Anti Theft Security & Alarm
Final Word
No app can give you a cast-iron guarantee that your phone will never be stolen. But, it’s worth having at least one of the best anti-theft apps installed, in case the worst happens. This also applies if you all too often mislay your phone around the house, or want to make sure others at home or work don’t use it without your permission.
An anti-theft app will give you some reassurance that you’ve done your best to protect your device and your data. If you already use an anti-theft Android app let us know if it worked for you by sending in a comment. Alternatively, it would be interesting to hear user recommendations for apps that are not among our top choices.
Good selection. You can add Anti-Theft Security app by MOSI apps. Outstanding design, +20 features (including selfies, videos, siren alarm, customized popup, logcall, report, new SIM details…), user-friendly and certainly the cheapest anti-theft app: 0,99$ only in the US. I just love it !
Here is the link : https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mosi.antitheftsecurity
Unfortunately if thief flashes the phone there is no way to track it. Similarly disable GPS… Factory reset etc. Manufacturers need to boot system security