Getting antivirus software for laptops is pretty commonplace, but why don’t we do the same with our phones?
As the world becomes increasingly connected, it also becomes easier for hackers to access our personal information. Our phones contain so much of our personal data these days from bank accounts and credit card numbers to emails and access to government services through Singpass!
We need to take steps to protect ourselves. Getting an RFID phone case may be useful but that doesn’t stop hackers from accessing our information online. One of the best ways to protect our data is by using privacy apps on our phones.
The best privacy apps for Android and iPhones will help you keep your information secure and private, no matter where you are or what you’re doing on your phone.
Glasswire
With Glasswire, you can sleep easy knowing that your data is secure. As a data monitoring tool with a built-in firewall, Glasswire shows you your network activity on a graph. You’ll always know who has access to your data and what’s going on behind the scenes.
Its cloud-based software will alert you each time a new app accesses the network and uses the Internet, when an app communicates without your permission, or if an application is requesting more data than necessary — so you can take back control of your privacy and block those that connect to the internet.
The graph also shows which apps consume the most mobile data and you can turn them off to reduce your mobile data usage.
Downloading it is free and it’s currently only available on Android and Windows.
Norton App Lock
Keep your private photos, videos, and messages away from prying eyes with Norton App Lock! With this free Android app, you can easily secure apps of your choice with a password to keep your stuff safe. Whether you’re at home or on the go, you need not worry. It not only has high-level encryption but also a password generator which will help you create strong passwords for each app.
This is especially useful for parents who lend their phones to their kids. Norton App Lock does exactly like its name suggests — locks up apps so the kids can’t use them. How does it know? Well, you decide which apps you want to set a passcode or swipe pattern for to protect the particular app from young eyes. No more risk of letting your child buy in-game merch and slapping you with a shocking bill when the time comes!
This is one of the best apps out there for Android phones. It also lets you connect your other devices (both PC and Macs) with one account. Best of all, it’s free!
Twilio Authy
Two-factor authentication is one of the best security measures to take in order to protect your online account. Make your passwords even more secure with Twilio Authy’s two-factor authentication.
It provides you with this extra layer of protection by sending you a unique code every time you log into any accounts on your phone. You can receive these by one-time passcode by SMS/Voice, email, API soft tokens, Google Authenticator soft tokens, or push authentication.
What’s great about the API soft token is that you don’t need to be able to receive an SMS or be connected to the Internet to receive the code. This is great for when you’re travelling and somehow find yourself without access to the Internet due to shoddy connection, being in a dead zone or for whatever reason.
All you need is the Twilio app which generates a one-time password for you to enter this six-digit code before logging on.
With Twilio Authy, you’ll no longer have to worry about identity theft, phishing and hackers.
The free version allows you less than 100 “auths” or authentications a month, while the Pay-As-You-Go subscription allows you unlimited auths at $0.09 each. Twilio is available for Android and iPhone users.
Bouncer
Have you ever downloaded an app, only to later find out it has access to your contacts, location, and all other sorts of personal data? Bouncer’s got your back. It helps you manage your permissions with just a few taps. Simply open the app, review all permissions for every app on your device, and revoke any ones you don’t want the app to have access to.
You can even set temporary permissions. Say you want to geo-tag a photo on a social media app, but don’t want that app to have access to your location or camera after you’ve posted the photo. Bouncer can grant temporary permission to do this task.
The minute you close the app, the permission is revoked. On top of that, you also get to save your phone’s battery life as the apps are no longer running. Say goodbye to unwanted surprises from apps and protect yourself with Bouncer.
The app is available for $2.98 on the Google Play Store, only for Android users.
Rethink DNS + Firewall
An app for Android users, Rethink DNS + Firewall is a complete solution that functions as a Domain Name System (DNS) resolver and firewall.
It monitors the apps that are installed on your phone and prevents them from connecting to the Internet without your knowledge. At the same time, it prevents ad trackers, blocks them from following you around the web, gets around censorship, and blocks trackers.
The app also encrypts your requests sent to Rethink’s DNS resolver and helps you get around Internet censors.
You can also check what your apps are doing in the background as RethinkDNS tracks the connections made by your phone apps and their data usage. It will flag suspicious connections such as those made by spyware, and you can take the necessary action to remove them.
The open source app is free to use, although its cloud service and content-blocking DNS service offers free and paid tiers.
Worry-less with M1’s Security Suite and SIM-only Plan
To prevent your device from being compromised, we need to stay one step ahead from hackers.
For total peace-of-mind, sign up for M1’s Security Suite and get the latest in cloud protection technology for you and your family.
For just $1.50 per month, we’ll protect your Android devices (OS 4.1 or higher) against loss, personal data theft, viruses, other potential cyber threats like phishing scams and malicious ransomware threats while boosting the performance of your devices!
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Also, sign up for M1’s SIM-only Plan and get up to 100GB for only $19.95 per month for the first 12 months.
