Looking for anti-theft for mobile phone

Hi,

Mobile phone OS : Android

Scenario

I keep my mobile phone's services like data connection, GPS turned off when not needed. My phone gets stolen. I return home and try to call to my number. It's unavailable. The thief has taken off the Sim card as usual.

I want the anti-theft

to enable whatever services it needs to track my phone down, wipe out sensitive data like photos, lock sim card if not already taken out by the thief, lock the phone and if it can do anything else it would be a very welcome bonus.

Please suggest and recommend an anti-theft that would meet my need. Free service or software would be great. I don't want anything fancy. If not free then it could be as basic as possible to meet my needs.

 

On Android I presume?

 

Yes. Sorry for not mentioning that. I've edited the post.

 

are you looking for paid or free or does it matter? also is your android rooted?
I do not use an anti-theft but have heard of others liking what's available with avast mobile as well as the prey project
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.prey
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.avast.android.mobilesecurity

 

The phones are not rooted.

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll check them out. Do they meet my requirements?

 

I personally use Lookout. It is an Android AV product. I use the free version and it has a "find phone" feature. I have even had the bad fortune of having to use it. It worked flawlessly.

 

I doubt any old anti-theft would work without data connection or WiFi turned on, how else do they get the signal or report anything?

From what I've searched, Avast can re-enable WiFi and Mobile Data with SMS commands, but that's only possible with root permissions. If the thief replaces the SIM card, Avast "can lock, activate siren, and send you notification (to remote device) of the phone's new number and geo-location."

 

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lsdroid.cerberus Cerberus in my opinion is the best app for anti-theft, if you are rooted it can survive factory reset.

Another app that can survive factory reset is Avast Anti-Theft however root is needed again (for the factory reset option)

For me if an anti-theft app cannot survive such a simple task its no good, because pretty much every thief will simply reset the device and its done.
Bare in mind this will not stop a more knowledgeable fellow (just a common thief/guy).

 

Hello Amit,

Upgrade your WSA AV to at least Internet Security Plus or Complete (+ Backup & Sync) and you're done and no need to looking for something else.

 

The Avast Anti-Theft module is based on Theft-Aware and is one of the few that makes some effort to prevent casual disabling. As you say someone who knows how to reset the phone will just do so, but at least the app cannot be easily found and uninstalled by the inexperienced. That said it seems to me that the odds of actually recovering a stolen phone are poor. It may be better to focus on protecting/erasing the data and of course notifying the carrier to block the ESN.