While mobile phones are valuable enough in their own right, it is the data contained on it that is the most valuable. If you lose your phone it is likely that you will be able to claim it on your insurance, but all of your contacts, messages, photos and other data could be lost forever – and in the case of phone theft, it may well be the case that your phone includes personal details that could be used in identity theft or other crimes.

Avira Free Android Security is, perhaps unsurprisingly, a free security tool for your Android device that can help you out in the event that your phone is lost or stolen. If you have simply misplaced your phone and hunting around the house has not helped, the app can be used to make it scream – even if you have it switched to silent mode – and this could alert you, or someone near it, to its whereabouts.

If you discover that your phone has in fact been stolen, there are additional options that can helps to keep your data safe. You can use the Avira web site to remotely log into your phone and lock it so that it cannot be used by anyone else, but there is another handy feature that comes into play if the phone is found. While it is possible to lock out other users from accessing your phone, it is possible to leave available the option to call you (on a different number) or the emergency services.

If none of these options help you to track down your phone, you can use GPS to display its rough location on a map. As well as enabling you remotely lock and track your phone, the web interface can be used to monitor your phone’s battery level and can be used to manage multiple devices. If your phone is not where you expect it to be for whatever reason, this free app gives you the best chance of getting back, or at least ensuring that your data does not fall into the wrong hands.

What's New
NEW FEATURES
- Better-organized results categories (adding Riskware)
- Scanner updates to improve detection
- Bug fixes