»We have already told you how to organize surveillance of a phone, or rather a smartphone or tablet based on the Android operating system. But in today's article, I would like to tell you about another neat way to track your phone and, most importantly, do it covertly.
How do I track my phone?
- Foreword
- Avast Anti-Theft Features
- Download Avast Anti-Theft
- Configuring Avast Anti-Theft
- Using Avast Anti-Theft
Today we will focus on the Avast Anti-Theft application, which, in addition to its main Anti-Theft function, can be used as an application to track the phone.
At the beginning, I called this method "Graceful", this is not because I am a big fan of the Avast antivirus, but because by installing the Avast antivirus together with the Avast Anti-Theft program, with which we will monitor the phone, you can perfectly disguise and hide the fact surveillance.
Avast Anti-Theft is designed to help you find your lost smartphone and tablet. It can also be used by parents to monitor and control children. By using the Avast Anti-Theft app for surveillance, covert surveillance, and covert wiretapping of strangers, you are breaking the laws of your country!
Why Avast Anti-Theft?
By installing any phone tracking application on your phone, you give this application a bunch of rights and permissions. Therefore, it is very important that the program, or rather the developer, has a good reputation. And Avast, as you know, is not Turker Bayram with its malicious applications, which I talked about in the article "". Avast is reliability! I'm not talking about antivirus, this is a separate issue. I mean, he doesn't need the secrets of your phone. Of course, there is no 100% guarantee, but this is unlikely.
Key features of Avast Anti-Theft
Let's take a look at what a well-known antivirus company offers to the user. To begin with, the application has two versions: free and paid.
In the free version:
- Location tracking.
- Complete and permanent destruction of data.
- Emergency phone lock.
- Turning on the siren.
- Hidden forwarding of all calls and SMS messages.
- Sending messages to the phone.
- Phone call.
- Partial masking of the application on the phone.
- List of trusted SIM cards.
- Saves battery power.
- Low battery notification.
- Changing Avast Anti-Theft settings remotely
In the premium version:
- Remotely listening and recording sound.
- Snapshot from cameras (front and back).
- Retrieving data stored on the phone.
As you can see, even in the free version of the Avast Anti-Theft application, there are quite large capabilities. Now let's figure out how to install, configure and work with it correctly.
Download Avast Anti-Theft
You need to install the application on the device that you want to track. You cannot install it remotely. You must have physical access to your smartphone or other mobile device.
First, let's go to the download page. You can download the Avast Anti-Theft application using this direct link from Google Play. Go to the official page of the application and click "Install".
Avast Anti-Theft has recently become part of Avast Antivirus. It is impossible to install separately.
As I already said, every time you download applications from the market, you need to see what rights the program asks for. In this case, the list of permissions is quite large, and this is not good. But there is nothing to be done about this, since the program really needs access to these parameters to work correctly.
After installation, click "Open" or close Google Play and launch the application using the icon on the desktop.
Configuring Avast Anti-Theft
Once launched, you will be prompted to enter the device owner's name. Enter and click "Continue".
Now you need to set the PIN code.
Enter the secret code twice and click "Confirm".
We link the created account with the Avast web panel.
To do this, you need to register your account on the Avast website. Enter your work email address and password twice. I really do not recommend registering or logging in using social networks.
If you did everything correctly, the main program window will appear.
To activate the device and enable protection, you must move the slider to the active position. The program will not let you turn on the tracking mode until all the required fields are filled in!
After enabling the hidden mode, the program shortcut on the desktop and in the application menu will be removed. To call the application, you need to send a special command from the control panel on the Avast website. After that, the application will rise and you can change the settings. In addition, you can change the application settings directly from the control panel, remotely, without having to launch the application on the device itself.
In principle, there is nothing to tell, everything is extremely simple. You will figure it out for yourself. Much depends on your personal preference. The developer did his best and provided each setting item with detailed tips.
We sort of figured out everything about the phone. Now let's move on to the Avast web interface with which we will track and control the smartphone / tablet via the Internet.
As you can see, tracking the phone is not that difficult. I tried to explain it as clearly as possible, so that even a beginner in computer affairs would understand it. If you have any questions, write in the comments. I would also like to know your opinion about the program, it may not coincide with mine, but it can be very useful for visitors to our site. As always, all comments except obscenities and politics will be approved. Well, don't forget to subscribe to us on social networks. Good luck friends!
Assessing Avast Anti-Theft
Our rating
Avast Anti-Theft is a good phone tracking app. The program allows you to keep track of a lost or stolen device.
User Rating: 3.98 (63 votes)
Unfortunately, none of us is immune from the nuisance of losing a smartphone or tablet. We are accustomed to the fact that technology accompanies us everywhere, so forgetting your phone in a taxi, in the park on a bench or visiting friends is a situation that everyone can face. How, then, can you protect your smartphone from theft?
Even if your device is not the most expensive, it can be very painful to find that it is missing. And the feeling of regret that not a single application was installed that allows you to find the lost device will haunt you right up to the purchase of a new gadget. There are many programs that block the device from a distance, determine its location, erase confidential information from the SD card, and detect the replacement of the SIM card. The most effective free anti-theft applications are Avast Anti-Theft, Prey Anti Theft, Mobile Security & Antivirus.
Avast Anti-Theft
We'll take a look at Avast Anti-Theft. The program searches for and detects devices on the map using the web tracking function, and also allows you to remotely control a stolen smartphone or tablet via a web interface or SMS. In addition, you can set up taking pictures of people trying to unlock the device and intercepting audio. At the same time, the stealth mode will hide the application from offenders, and they will not be able to find out that they are being monitored. To protect your device from theft, follow a few simple steps.
- Install the Avast Anti-Theft app from the Google Play Market.
- Click the Open button.
- Enter the device owner's name. Please enter real data, as it will be very difficult to prove the ownership of the Konfetke or Zero87 in the future. Click Continue here and on the following screens.
- Set a PIN to access Avast Anti-Theft tools.
- Before turning on protection, activate your Avast Anti-Theft account on another phone number or register for an Avast account. To register, enter your email address and password, then click Register.
- Enter the number to which you will receive notifications about the change of the SIM card.
- Set the SMS sending mode for Avast Anti-Theft.
- Activate administrator mode to open additional options for the application.
- In the application that opens, go to the Advanced settings tab in Protective actions.
- Scroll down the list and check the Lock my phone box.
- Check the Alarm box.
- Select the Do not access Program Manager check box. In this case, access to the uninstallation screen will be blocked even if the operating system is interfered with.
- Select the Do not access phone settings check box.
- Exit the Security Actions tab and open Custom Lock Text. Here you can create a message addressed to the possible thief of your device. Provide your contact information and the amount of the return fee.
- Select the Automatically activate GPS checkbox. Once the tracking signal is received, the GPS location is automatically activated.
When you enable administrative access on the device for these applications and activate the appropriate permissions, almost all of them are capable of monitoring the mobile device. And remote control of your smartphone or tablet takes place in the web interface of each of the services.
The main features of these programs are:
- search and tracking of the location of the mobile device on the map;
- obtaining information about the current state of the gadget;
- locking a smartphone / tablet with a password, as well as its remote unlocking;
- turning on the sound signal even if the device is in silent mode;
- sending a message to the phone, displaying it on the lock screen;
- photo and video filming upon request;
- turning on the front camera if the smartphone unlock code is entered incorrectly;
- full or partial cleaning of the internal memory and SD card, reset to factory settings;
- protection of the SIM-card in case of its change;
- data backup;
- remote control using SMS commands when the mobile device is not connected to the Internet;
- "invisible" mode to hide the program in the application menu.
The utility itself is small, it is a transmitter and does not have any additional functions. The only thing that can and even needs to be done in the application is to make it systemic if you have ROOT on the device. In this case, the program will not disappear during a factory reset.
The lost device is managed only through the web interface. Looking ahead, I will say that of all the services presented in the article, Lost Android is the most accessible and functional. Here you can get almost all available information about your smartphone: the state of system settings, active accounts, a list of installed programs, recent calls and much more. It is possible to remotely turn on Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth, flash and voice recorder. Even if your device is not connected to the Internet, all control is carried out using SMS commands.
One of the standard functions when losing a smartphone is sending a custom message, in Lost Android it is implemented in such a way that it appears after the phone is restarted, and also annoyingly pops up on top of all other applications. When you try to close it, you immediately get a picture taken by the front camera. And all of this is available completely free of charge. Of course, Lost Android also has some paid features, among which the most useful is the ability to remotely launch applications on a lost smartphone.
Remote tracking and control of a smartphone in the Cerberus service is done entirely through the website. In this case, all preliminary configuration takes place in the application. Once registered, you can link multiple of your devices to your account. Among the features of the program, it is worth highlighting three main functions:
- the ability to set a password to remove Cerberus from a smartphone;
- locking the notification panel to access the main system settings;
- Power button lock to prevent factory reset by holding down the power and volume buttons.
With Cerberus, you can back up data from your device to the cloud storage Google Drive or Dropbox, remotely make calls, send SMS messages, launch applications and services, and terminal commands. Another useful option is SIM card protection. The program allows you to specify three phone numbers to which a message about SIM card change will be automatically sent. In addition, it is possible to send a warning if the device is started without a SIM card.
Perhaps the coolest feature of Cerberus is the AutoTask function, which sets the rules for the application's behavior for a specific action. For example, if a charger is connected to your phone, you can choose the following algorithm of actions: turn on Wi-Fi, turn on GPS, send the location by email.
Cerberus' capabilities are undeniably impressive, but unfortunately the program is not free. You can try the application in action within a week. In the future, you will have to subscribe to a paid subscription.
An anti-theft app from a popular antivirus developer. The peculiarity of Avast Anti-Theft is that the program is configured once and, in principle, you can forget about it in the future. If you suddenly lose your phone, send a command that automatically puts the device into loss mode and activates all relevant options.
The application can act as a tracking module for the phone from the outside, as well as a full-fledged utility for finding another registered device. At the same time, there are few functions in the application itself; most of the capabilities are available through the web interface.
Here you can turn on the tracking mode, activate automatic GPS tracking, as well as call forwarding, which will force the phone to secretly redirect SMS and calls to another number.
Prey Anti Theft is the only cross-platform service from this list that allows you to monitor not only mobile devices on and iOS, but also computers on Windows, Linux and macOS. The mobile application is identical to the web version of the service, both in terms of interface and available functions. Compared to other phone finder programs, Prey Anti Theft's capabilities are severely limited. For example, there are not many options for remote control of a mobile device, including the function of sending commands via SMS messages.
Prey Anti Theft has a Lost Mode that checks the phone's status every 10 or 20 minutes and locates it using the OpenStreetMap mapping service. If the mobile device has no internet, the utility can force it to automatically connect to an open Wi-Fi hotspot.
One of the most useful features of Prey Anti Theft is the "Territory Zones". This is the ability to set the coverage radius of the selected area on the map, within which your device should be located. If a smartphone enters or enters this zone, you will receive a corresponding message by e-mail.
Prey Anti Theft offers free and paid options for using the service. Free features are limited to three devices per account, one geographic area, and 20 Lost Mode requests. With a paid subscription, you can remotely erase personal information on a PC, format a memory card on a mobile device, and perform a factory reset.
Many antivirus programs also offer GPS tracking. Lookout antivirus is the only application in the article that is not a classic representative of the category of programs for searching and remote control of a smartphone. This is a set of tools for protecting a mobile device, which also includes monitoring of a missing smartphone. In our case, we will activate this particular function, which is responsible for finding a device. The rest of the components, such as antivirus and the backup function, can be disabled at your discretion.
You can only take full advantage of Lookout with a premium subscription. In this case, you can clean your smartphone, block it and send messages to it. In the free version, it is possible to determine only the location of the device and turn on the signal beacon (sending the last geolocation of the gadget before it is completely discharged).
Lookout Antivirus is also available for iOS. In general, it can be used to find a missing smartphone, but it is an extremely weak application with relatively high requirements.
Eventually
The choice of a phone tracking application does not play a special role, since their capabilities are generally similar. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages, as well as its own unique characteristics. The most functional in this regard are Lost Android and Cerberus. And given the fact that Lost Android is free, this app looks like the most suitable option.In any case, it is important to know only one thing: if you have one of the programs presented in this article preinstalled, your chances of finding a mobile device will be much higher.
A few days ago when I was discussing the best Android security apps for your phones, I emphasized, avast! Anti-Theft. I have used and reviewed many free and paid anti-theft apps available on Play markete, but I must say that nothing seems better than Avast !.
Recently I have been receiving complaints that avast!Anti-Theft is very complex.So, today I'm going to talk about the process of installing and using Avast!Anti-Theft on your mobile.
Setting up Avast! Anti-Theft on Android
Next, Avast will ask you to launch the applicationfrom administratoror not. If you have administrator access on your device, put a check mark on the Root installation and ok.
Next up is the cool thing: the app will prompt you to create a fictitious download name for Avast! on your phone. It will with a fictitious name and icon to fool outsiders.You can give any name or ask for Avast! help you. After you click continue, the app downloads and installs the customized Avast! for your phone.
After installing the customized application, you can close this windowand open an app with a fictitious name to manage it.
Now you can set a few basic parameters like name, password that will be used to secure and authenticate remote commands, etc. After configuring these parameters, you can enable the anti-theft function.
In advanced settings, you can configure how your phone behaves if it is lost or stolen.You can customize screen lock, USB settings debugging, GPS behavior.Root users can use advanced settings full erase and factory reset.Also, the Root user can install the application insystem partition.
Now let's see how to use it in case of loss or theft.
Using Avast!Anti-Theft How To Find Your Lost Phone
P after the phone is stolen how to use Avast! Very simple, you have to manage it using SMS commands.The first phone detects SIM changes will be blocked and will send SMS details for the two numbers configured in the application.
Avast! has a long list of commands that can be used to control the device remotely, this must be remembered.They are easy to remember.They all start with Avast!password (the one you created when setting up the application) and accompanied by simple words TRACK, etc. you can find on Avast! official product page. The right step is to add a page to your website. tabs.
Conclusion
Obviously, we all hope that the moment will never come when we will have to use this application.But it's better to have this opportunity than to regret not using this product.
Greetings to all readers site... Another working week has come to an end, and the long-awaited weekend has come, by the way, this is the last summer weekend, which means it's time for a new release "Big Review".
This time I want to talk about applications that will help you find your lost or stolen android smartphone... There are many different anti-theft programs on Google Play, but in this review, I will only cover a few of them.
So, in this issue of The Big Review, you will find: Prey Anti-Theft, avast!Mobile Security, Cerberus, WatchDroid, LMaxi Anti Theft.
Is an anti-theft tool that will help you find not only an Android smartphone or tablet, it can also be installed on Mac, Windows, Linux and iOS devices.
To get started, you will need to install a special client on your mobile device and register on the preyproject.com website. And then just set up protection means: set the text of an SMS message to enable or disable the “lost” mode, write a warning message like “phone lost, please contact by number…”, etc. All this can be done either from the application or by going to the official website.
When the "lost" mode is active, on the official website you can find out where the device is at the moment, turn on the siren and forcibly block the phone. True, the last function worked for me with some failures and did not always block the device.
In the free version of this anti-theft, you can connect up to 3 mobile devices to one account and save up to 10 reports, which include data on the position of the device at the moment. In the free version, reports will be generated with some delay - about 2 minutes.
If you decide to pay for a subscription, which costs from $ 5 to $ 400, depending on the number of connected devices, you will be able to receive all the necessary information much faster.
The developers have tried to fit into almost all possible functions. There is antivirus, call and SMS filter, traffic counter, firewall, and anti-theft.
For all these modules to work, you first need to download the required package (in our case, anti-theft) and select one of the two installation types. In the first - basic case, you will be prompted to choose a password, as well as set a pair of contact numbers from which you can send an SMS message to the lost device.
In the advanced settings, you can set a set of actions that the application will perform when receiving a message from a trusted number. For example, it will lock the phone, or turn on the sound signal, or activate the GPS. Also, if you wish, you can block access to the settings and applications manager, and users of "rooted" devices will be able to set protection against hard reset.
Unlike other participants in this review, anti-theft has 2 applications at once that can be installed on mobile devices. The first is the main one and must be installed on the protected device, and the second can be downloaded to a friend's smartphone and already using it to send special SMS commands.
As with other security applications, users will need to go through a simple registration to get started. By the way, immediately after registration, you can purchase a lifetime license for $ 3.5, which will allow you to connect up to 5 mobile devices to one account.
As with avast! In this application, the developers of Mobile Security offer users to set up to 3 trusted numbers to which an SMS message will be sent in case of a SIM card replacement. And thanks to the SIM-Checker function, you can find out the new phone number.
Also, with the help of this anti-thief, you can find a phone on the map, block it with a secret code, get a log of the last calls made and received, delete all data and turn on the siren.
Is a small application that will help users find their mobile device. In terms of functionality, this anti-theft is not very different from its genre counterparts. can delete files from the device's memory, send a message with the location of the phone on a map, enable in-flight mode or lock the smartphone.
In the settings, users will be able to set the accuracy when determining GPS coordinates, enable a function that, in the event of a low battery, will save the next position of the device on the map, etc.
But the main feature is very low power consumption, as the developers say, this anti-theft practically does not use the system resources of the device.
In my opinion, is one of the most difficult anti-theft for Android. This is because hidden SMS messages are the main control tool for these applications.
The developers used a slightly unusual installation system for the application. First, users need to tell a special installer from Google Play, and only then use it to install it on their mobile device.
With the help, users will be able not only to lock the phone or find out its location, but also prohibit the launch of certain applications. Also, with the help of a special command, users will be able to receive a VCF file to a previously specified email address, which contains all contacts from the address book.
But that's not all. The developers have tried in various ways to prevent attackers from deleting it from the phone's memory. In the event that root access rights are active on the device, this anti-theft will be installed in the system partition.
The full version of the application with all active functions costs $ 6. You can buy LMaxi Anti Theft directly from the application or on the official website lmaxi.com
Before starting work, the developers strongly recommend that you read the "help" section!
