It is more crucial than ever to be sure that the apps you’re downloading are not a threat to you or your device because malware and bloatware are becoming a growing concern on Android. Google periodically removes several adware and spyware apps from the Play Store, but what about some of the most widely used apps that aren’t necessarily malicious but can still be huge privacy nightmares? Here, we discuss the eight riskiest Android applications that you should avoid using if you value your privacy.
Dangerous Android Apps You Should Stay Away From
Google Play is a fantastic resource for finding amazing new apps, but due to potential security repercussions, it’s crucial to exercise caution when downloading any new apps. If you’re not careful, even more established and dated apps can become privacy problems. Some apps have the ability to gather data from your phone and sell your personal information to outside advertisers. Because of this, we’ve put together a list of the eight most dangerous Android apps you need to remove right away.
1. UC Browser
The most popular web browser for Android was created by UCWeb, a division of the Chinese internet behemoth Alibaba. However, according to cybersecurity researchers, it does not sufficiently protect its data communications, putting your personal information at danger of being accessed by hackers and spies. Researchers claim that when the browser sends keystrokes over the web, it often does so with only weak encryption or no encryption at all. This makes it a risky, unsafe app that needs to be removed from your phone as soon as possible.
Alternatives include the free versions of Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and DuckDuckGo (Free). Users who care about privacy should also check out Firefox Focus (Free), an open source browser that by default employs Private or Incognito mode. If you’re a knowledgeable user and an advanced user, there’s also the Tor Browser (Free).
2. CLEANit
CLEAN
It advertises itself as a trash file remover with millions of Play Store downloads. In addition to requesting several permissions, the app promotes services that are unnecessary on contemporary Android devices with powerful hardware. In fact, a few of them might potentially harm your phone.
For instance, disabling background apps won’t actually affect battery life; instead, it will just slow down your phone when it needs to be rebuilt. Unless, of course, these applications are running in the background and playing music or looking for data, in which case you shouldn’t terminate them.
Alternatives: CCleaner, Greenify (free) (Free)
3. Dolphin Browser
Relatively new Android phones shouldn’t be used with these cleaner and optimizer apps, so keep that in mind. They typically make things more complicated by altering basic settings, etc., and do nothing to speed up your phone. However, if you must use such programmes, stick to the two that were specified above.
Another hugely popular third-party browser programme that makes many promises but delivers nothing is Dolphin browser. It is a tracking nightmare and should be uninstalled right away because it supports Flash. Dolphin not only saves your incognito mode browsing sessions, but also displays your original IP address even when you’re using a VPN, according to numerous claims over the years. Additionally, it includes a tonne of extra features like speed boosters and video players that simply add to the bloat.
4. Virus Cleaner Antivirus Free & Phone Cleaner
Alternatives: DuckDuckGo Browser, Google Chrome, and Mozilla Firefox (see [1] above for download links)
Virus Cleaner Antivirus Free and Phone Cleaner by Super Cleaner Studio, an app with over 14 million downloads, exemplifies everything that is wrong with the Android ecosystem. It includes a tonne of advertisements, many of which are for products and services with a dubious reputation. On top of that, it makes claims of being a powerful security master, phone garbage cleaner, WIFI security, super speed booster, battery saver, CPU cooler, and notification cleaner, none of which can be accomplished to any appreciable degree by any programme. Personally, I would avoid using any app that claims to keep the CPU cooler.
Alternatives include Kaspersky, AVG, and Avast (Free).
5. SuperVPN Free VPN Client
It’s recommended to completely ignore this category because Google Play Protect, which is turned on by default on all Android phones, is the finest anti-virus solution for Android.
SuperVPN is one of the most popular VPN apps on Android with over 100 million downloads. But earlier this year, cybersecurity experts alleged that the app has serious flaws that might let criminals launch Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) attacks and steal user data like credit card numbers, photographs, and private chats. According to reports, thieves can use the flaws to redirect a user’s connection to harmful websites, further endangering their security and privacy.
6. RT News
Alternatives: Nord VPN, Express VPN, and SurfShark (Free). You can also look at our comprehensive list of the best Android VPN apps.
Russia Today (RT), which is funded by the Kremlin, is the recognised voice of the Russian government. The network caters to western viewers by providing news channels, blogs, and other mobile apps in English. Despite its claims to be a high-quality journalistic enterprise, it frequently serves as a propaganda tool for the Vladimir Putin administration and has been named as a key source of false information on US politics and Brexit by western intelligence agencies including the CIA and MI6. If you don’t want to be inundated with bogus news, you should stay away from this news app.
7. Super Clean Master of Cleaner
Alternatives: BBC and CNN (free) (Free)
Another cleaner software that has to be on our list due to its immense popularity. More than 26 million people have downloaded Super Clean by Magical Dev from the Play Store, yet unlike the majority of cleaning applications, it does very little to really speed up your phone. It offers to improve battery usage, remove junk files, and increase RAM without the need of any additional third-party apps, just like other apps in its category. In any event, the majority of Android phone manufacturers include a security/cleaner app, which should typically be sufficient.
Alternatives include CCleaner and Greenify (See [3] above for download links).
8. Fildo Music
Note: As was already explained, apps that clean your phone or increase its speed actually cause more harm than good. Remove any unnecessary apps from your phone and move any multimedia files to a quick, Class 10/U3/V90 card if your phone supports microSD in order to significantly increase its speed. If not, move them to your computer or USB device to free up space on your phone.
The fifth and last software on our list is Fildo, which was previously a local music player that also allowed for unauthorised music downloads. After being investigated, the app stopped offering the ability to download music and has now changed its focus to one that allows for music management.
We are wary of apps that make promises but deliver on the opposite. Additionally, it reportedly has connections to Netease, a contentious Chinese entertainment corporation, which is yet another warning sign for users. You need go to a different app if you want to play music.
Bonus: S.M.T.H. (Send Me To Heaven)
Alternatives include Poweramp, AIMP, and VLC (free) (Free)
Not to be forgotten is S.M.T.H. Although it appears to be a fun little game app, it actually has unanticipated negative effects on your phone. The software measures how high you can throw your phone using the sensors integrated inside the device. Yes, in order for the game to function at all, you must launch your phone into the air.
Other Dangerous Apps You Should Not Install
When the software was first made available roughly ten years ago, it attracted a lot of interest. Although the game can be entertaining, many devices have died as a result of this software for obvious reasons. Don’t say we didn’t warn you; install it at your own risk.
We only chose apps for the aforementioned list that are currently offered on the Play Store. Hundreds of other apps, however, have been removed from the Play Store due to click fraud, unlawful data mining, annoying adverts, and other reasons. Many of these are from the renowned Chinese developer Cheetah Mobile, and they include Clean Master, DU Battery Saver, ES File Explorer, Quick Pic Gallery, and a whole host of additional programmes.
How to Tell Useful Apps from Potentially Harmful Ones
Many of these can still be downloaded as APKs from a variety of websites including unofficial Android app stores. So it’s advisable to avoid downloading a particular software to your device if you don’t know anything about it or its developer.
It can be challenging to distinguish between trustworthy and malicious apps. The number of pointless permissions an app requests is the one telltale sign that should always cause alarm. Does a flashlight app need access to your location? Does a cleaning app need access to the camera or microphone?
Does a photo-editing programme want access to your phone or SMS messages? It’s better to avoid such software if they are. Even while requesting more permissions isn’t a surefire sign that an app is harmful, you should always conduct your research before downloading it.
As a general rule, it is advisable to stay away from cleansers, anti-viruses, RAM boosters, and other similar programmes because they typically provide very little real-world speed gain. Weather applications and scanner apps, which have the ability to gather sensitive location data and personally identifying information from your phones, are other apps about which one should exercise caution.
Make Android Safe by Staying Clear of These Apps
And certainly, many photo filters and editors, as well as emoji apps, are nothing more than glorified adware. All things considered, it’s better to stay away from apps that request several permissions for features unrelated to their promised usefulness.
