Most studies suggest that a majority of smartphone owners in India prefer Android. With apologies to the iOS user, today’s column caters to the masses.
While Android users have their own reasons for sticking with the OS through thick and thin (read: the launch of a new iPhone every six months), it is imperative to take care of it for optimal performance. That can include using apps for saving the Android’s battery, cleaning its RAM, or removing viruses. Since we’ve already taken a look at the best battery-saving apps, let’s take a look at other options as well.
Kaspersky Internet Security A very popular security provider for PCs and a personal favourite, Kaspersky Internet Security for Android is a great way to adapt all of the security features of your laptop/desk top computer for your phone. The app provides an on-demand malware scan, not to mention protection against viruses, trojans, spyware, phishing links and malicious sites. There is a call and text filter, an anti-theft web management portal (lock and locate, wipe data, plus other features), and an alarm that even works on ‘silent’ mode to help you locate your phone nearby.
Mobile Security & Antivirus (by Avast!) Avast! is another good anti-virus app, and like Kaspersky, its many add-on features make it a great option to have. While the app protects your phone from viruses and vulnerabilities, it also helps you manage and/or lock apps individually and even provides a firewall on rooted phones. Its anti-theft feature includes a GPS tracker through which you can locate your phone. A premium add-on feature that I like is Geo-Fencing: it lets your phone perform specified actions like self-locking, sounding an alarm and such like if it is moved outside a preset perimeter in case of theft.
DU Speed Booster The main function of this app is to clean and optimise your Android phone, simultaneously making it faster, boosting RAM and freeing up storage space. It claims to increase a phone’s speed by up to 60 per cent – while testing, I found it wasn’t quite so much, perhaps 45 to 50 per cent would be a more accurate assessment – and even protects the phone from viruses. However, while the protection is good, it is still generic and thus downloading a good anti-virus app is still recommended.
Clean Master (Speed Booster) Recently, when Lollipop was released, there were a lot of complaints by the Nexus community on their phones having slowed down, started heating up, developed lag, connectivity issues, a really low battery life, etc. While the next patch was awaited to make up for all of that, in the interim, this app really came through. Clean Master clears junk/cache, cools your phone and saves your battery, whilst protecting it from malware. Clearly the superman of all apps, this one is a must-have.
