The Google Play Store is the best place to get Android apps for your phone, but it is not completely safe and occasionally contains bad apps. Spot them before you install them with this tool.

Are you worried about the possibility of downloading and installing bad apps? Have you heard that there are bad apps in the Google Play Store? Google removes them when they are discovered, but until then, people download them and then have adware, spyware or malware on their phones.

Some bad apps are downloaded tens of thousands of times before they are removed from the store. Could you be one of the victims?

Android apps can be classed as bad for several reasons. For example, they can contain malware such as viruses and Trojans, they may contain irritating adverts that pop up and spoil the fun, they may share personal information like contacts, texts, and so on, and they may use too much battery power causing the phone to need recharging after just a few hours.

One way to avoid bad apps is to use security software and there are many to choose from in the Google Play Store. Mostly, these security apps scan the phone after you have downloaded and installed an app from the store.

Check apps in the store

Norton Mobile Security works in a different way and it checks apps before they are downloaded and installed. This means that they never get on to your phone in the first place, which is surely better than scanning them afterwards.

Download and install Norton Mobile Security from the Play Store and run it. You need to create a Norton account, but this is free. Then you are prompted to set up App Advisor by tweaking some phone settings to give permission for it to do its work.

Now open the Google Play Store and find an app you would like to install. Is it safe? Does it have malware? Will it drain the battery? Will it use too much data? A banner at the bottom of the screen tells you whether the app is safe or has problems before you install it. Tap the banner and a report shows the data usage, ad networks detected, privacy problems and so on.

Norton Mobile Security reports problems with store apps

I looked at many low scoring apps and did not find any that were rated as unsafe. When you want to find a bad app, you can't find one! However, I did find some that it said used too much battery or data. Some apps were unknown, but there are over 2.5 million apps in the store, so that isn't surprising.

Norton Mobile Security does not prevent apps from being installed, but given the information in the report, you can decide for yourself whether to install it. There may be warnings, such as ads displayed, your location is shared, and high data or battery usage.

None of these things are particularly unusual and some people might want to go ahead and install an app anyway. Others may want to avoid it. It’s your choice. The report does say that there is no malware and no unusual behaviour, which is good.

The App Advisor is a premium feature which requires a subscription, however, it works for 30 days for free so you can try it before handing over any money.

More security features

Other free security features in Norton Mobile Security include Android antivirus scanning to make sure there is no malware on the device. It is fast and only takes a few seconds to complete. Wi-Fi scanning is free and it informs you if a public Wi-Fi hotspot is insecure.

Some features are free, some require payment

A Safe Search feature is an alternative to searching with Google or Chrome and this is so that it can check the links in the search results. A small icon next to each search result shows whether a website is OK or not. It does not have information on every website on the internet, but sticking to known ones with the green OK icon enables you to stay safe.

There is a lost or stolen phone locator that enables the phone to be found. The last known location is saved before the battery dies, it can sound an alarm, and you can take a photo of whoever is using it. With a subscription, the phone can be remotely erased.

A useful premium feature for US and India, is a notification for incoming calls that are known to be spam or fraud. Android System advisor checks whether there are any security flaws. It's free for 30 days, but requires a subscription after that.

Norton Mobile Security provides free basic security, but the best features are reserved for subscribers. It is fairly cheap though and the monthly fee works out at less than a cup of coffee. It's worth it if you want to increase security on your Android phone.

App: Norton Mobile Security and Antivirus
Price: Free, but some features require subscription
Developer: NortonMobile
Size: 24 MB
Android: 4.1 and up