Android security should not be left to chance. With these appropriate apps you don’t have to be afraid of NSA, data thieves, viruses and the like. We show you which apps protect your Android phone perfectly.

Again and again, various security holes make the use of Android smartphones and tablets a real risk. After QuadRooter and Stagefright, it recently became known that Google-OS is also vulnerable to the critical vulnerabilities Drammer and Rowhammer and the Linux kernel-related “Dirty Cow”.

The problem: There are usually no real countermeasures, in the best case you can at least check whether your device is affected at all. We present you the best and most important security apps for Android so that you can always be optimally protected. Let’s secure your device in three steps.

Step One: Android Virus Scanner

In our Android virus scanner test we regularly check the best-known providers for their efficiency and quality. No less than ten apps achieved the highest mark – so the selection is basically correct. We recommend Mobile Security & Antivirus from Avast, which scores with a detection rate of well over 99 percent, numerous features and completely free use. As already mentioned: There are numerous free and very successful alternatives – if you don’t like Avast, you should take a look at our Android Antivir test.

Step Two: Android Privacy

So you don’t have to worry about your privacy, you should put everything on better anonymity on your smartphone. Numerous apps, such as the Tor browser Orfox, will help you. With the necessary orbot you dial into the completely anonymous Tor network with one click, the Orfox then finally provides the interface to the web. This way you surf the net anonymously and cover up all the traces that you would otherwise leave behind on the Internet. The side effect: The combination of the two apps also allows you to access the Darknet.

To be invisible not only when surfing, but to make all data traffic from your smartphone anonymous, it is best to use a VPN tool such as Tunnelbear VPN. This allows you to redirect your traffic through other servers, obscuring your actual location. Here, too, there is a useful side effect. Websites that are not available at your location due to geo-barriers can still be accessed thanks to VPN.

In general, messengers should also be more secure, because who wants their private messages or even photos to be intercepted? The Signal Messenger, for example, which even whistleblower Edward Snowden uses and recommends, offers particularly high security standards. Who wants to chat in an interception-safe way, should strike here.

Step Three: Protection Against Theft And Loss

Finally, you should be aware that your phone can only be secure if the content on it is protected. The most sensitive content can be found in apps – so make sure you secure them so that you don’t reveal any private data even if your mobile phone is stolen or lost. This can be achieved, for example, with the free AppLock app. Here you simply give your apps (or pictures, videos or messages) a PIN or a password – foreign access becomes impossible.

If your device has actually been lost, you can find it at any time via the Android Device Manager. If you have only lost it, you can play a ring tone with a click at full volume. If it’s not near you, you can locate the phone using the GPS signal and – if everything goes smoothly – track the device quickly.