TL;DR
- Smartphone owners can face a plethora of threats to their privacy and security, which includes phishing stings and other scams – across a variety of channels, from social media and messaging apps through to texts – as well as the clear risks of using a mobile on public Wi-Fi when out and about
- Bitdefender Mobile Security (for Android or iOS) provides a wide range of features to defend your phone from these various risks and potential invasions of privacy, from anti-phishing tech to anti-scam features (including blocking calls from known scam-related numbers), with Bitdefender's VPN service to protect your data on public Wi-Fi
- Bitdefender's mobile apps are easy to install and can be set up very swiftly, and they won't get in the way of the everyday experience of using your phone or hamper device performance. On top of that, Bitdefender's security plans offer protection not just for your mobiles but also laptops and desktop PCs, with defenses to combat identity theft on offer with these multi-device subscriptions, too
You're potentially exposing yourself to a host of privacy risks when using a mobile phone if you don't have a security solution installed to mitigate these dangers. Even simple web browsing can leave you open to being compromised in one way or another, and if you want to use a public Wi-Fi network, the risks are very much multiplied.
Thankfully it's easy to secure your mobile device, and your privacy – and data – by installing the Bitdefender Mobile Security apps for either Android or iOS. These apps can be purchased as standalone products, or they're available as part of the Bitdefender Total Security, Bitdefender Premium Security and Bitdefender Ultimate Security subscription plans that cover five devices (which can also be PCs as well as phones). Those plans offer a more holistic solution for cross-platform device security, and more broadly, the security of your entire online life.
Read on to find out how easy it is to improve the privacy protection on your mobile phone – it takes just minutes with Bitdefender, and you get the benefit of tighter security and privacy that works seamlessly in the background, with no need for you to think about it.
What are the main privacy and security risks that mobile phone owners face?
Before looking at how to seriously bolster your mobile privacy with Bitdefender, it's worth considering the risks that phone owners face, which include the likes of phishing scams, potentially having their data snooped on, and attacks that leverage the vulnerability of insecure public Wi-Fi networks.
Phishing is an ever-present danger online, where a malicious actor typically uses messages, emails, or social media posts to try and tempt the unwary to follow a link which will lead to some kind of scam. This could be a fake shopping website, or even a fake banking portal, with the goal often being to steal account login or credit card details, or other sensitive information. Similar scams can be leveraged via text messages, too.
Even plain web browsing might lead you to accidentally stumble over malicious content online, and there are dangers when installing apps on your phone – especially if you use sources outside of Google's or Apple's official stores.
Public Wi-Fi, meaning the wireless networks you connect to at the local café, library, or train station, represent an inherently unsafe way to go online. This is because these networks are often not properly secured and can be easily compromised by a cybercriminal who knows what they're doing.
How does Bitdefender protect you from these risks?
Bitdefender Mobile Security for Android offers a range of features to guard against these dangers, which includes strong anti-phishing tech and scam protection, app anomaly detection, and bundled VPN functionality for public Wi-Fi. The iOS version of Bitdefender Mobile Security offers much of the same core protection, albeit with a few differences.
On both mobile platforms, when it comes to phishing links, Bitdefender's core anti-phishing tech will step in to block any suspect link that you might tap on, preventing you from visiting a malicious site that's attempting to steal your personal or financial details. More broadly, Bitdefender Web Protection will monitor for any unsafe websites that you visit and will block you from accessing these when browsing the web in general.
Bitdefender Mobile Security also filters out spam text messages and defends you from scams (even proactively warning you about scams in your local area with the Bitdefender Scam Radar feature). Call blocking is instigated for numbers associated with known scammers, too.
Bitdefender will also actively monitor your chats in popular mobile messaging apps (such as WhatsApp) to detect any scam attempts being perpetrated in these applications.
For public Wi-Fi, the protection you need is delivered by Bitdefender Premium VPN which is included with Bitdefender Mobile Security. The main danger of using public Wi-Fi is that a hacker may have compromised an insecure network, and could then set themselves up to intercept your data – which could lead to any service you use on that Wi-Fi network being compromised in turn.
A VPN encrypts the data leaving your mobile device, and that renders it useless when intercepted, as the attacker won't be able to make any sense of the encrypted data (not without the decryption key, which they don't have). That's especially important if you're going to engage in anything financially sensitive online via public Wi-Fi (such as paying for goods).
The Bitdefender Account Privacy feature is also available to keep an eye on whether any of your online accounts have been compromised, proactively warning you if any of your related data has been exposed online.
Bitdefender Mobile Security for Android and iOS both give you all the above protection for your privacy, but there are extras on the Android app. That includes Bitdefender App Anomaly Detection, an industry-first feature that analyzes any app running on your phone for signs of malicious behavior, warning you if a piece of software is potentially up to no good. The Android app has a malware scanner on hand to vet any software installed on your mobile device, too. (That functionality isn't present with iOS as no apps are allowed access to other files, because Apple has its own approach to app security that prevents this at an OS level).
Another extra piece of privacy on Android is an App Lock feature, which allows you to lock any sensitive app with its own PIN.
There are also Bitdefender Anti-Theft countermeasures for Android which allow the owner of a phone that's been stolen to remotely lock or locate the device. The Bitdefender app is even clever enough to take a photo of a person who's trying to tamper with your smartphone, which it sends to your Bitdefender Central account on the web, so you have photographic evidence of the thief. That, and the location tracking capability, could be vital in recovering your phone (and all the personal data on it – which will stay safely locked away while the device is in the thief's possession thanks to Bitdefender Anti-Theft).
How to get the benefit of Bitdefender's extensive protection for your phone
It's easy to benefit from all the above protection for your privacy by simply downloading and installing Bitdefender Mobile Security, either on its own, or as part of a wider subscription plan.
The Bitdefender Mobile Security apps are on the Google Play Store or Apple App Store where they can be directly accessed on your phone. Just download and install the relevant app, and it won't take long for the security solution to be set up on your device.
It really is a matter of minutes to be fully up and running, and once done, the beauty of Bitdefender Mobile Security is that it's a 'set and forget' solution. This means the app will work seamlessly in the background, defending your privacy with prudent default settings. There are no head-scratching questions or configuration demands to be dealt with here, and Bitdefender Mobile Security won't ask difficult questions that might confuse those who aren't all that knowledgeable about technology. Even a tech novice can install Bitdefender and immediately benefit from the core privacy and security protections outlined above.
Bitdefender Mobile Security won't interrupt the everyday experience of using your smartphone either. It's built to be streamlined and fast, so the app won't affect your phone's performance, and it'll only step in and make itself known if Bitdefender Mobile Security needs to warn you or flag something up in order to keep you safe.
These mobile apps are also designed to have a minimal impact on battery life – with much of the processing work taking place in the cloud, and not on your device – again ensuring that Bitdefender Mobile Security won't prove detrimental to the daily experience of using your smartphone.
Protecting not just your smartphone, but all your devices – and your data and identity
A final point to bear in mind is that while Bitdefender's standalone mobile apps offer all the protection your smartphone needs, if you choose a Bitdefender subscription plan, this will also cover your PCs. As mentioned before, Bitdefender Total Security, Bitdefender Premium Security and Bitdefender Ultimate Security subscriptions can protect up to five devices, keeping you safe across multiple platforms (mobiles, tablets, laptops and desktop PCs).
After all, it's just as vital to protect your privacy on a PC as it is with a smartphone, and that's especially the case for laptops running Windows or macOS, which you'll take on your travels and possibly use with public Wi-Fi (where that Bitdefender VPN functionality will again be vital).
Bear in mind that for the full Bitdefender Premium VPN service with unlimited data coverage, you need to subscribe to the Bitdefender Premium Security or Bitdefender Ultimate Security plans. The Bitdefender Total Security plan and the Bitdefender Mobile Security apps restrict your VPN traffic allowance to 200MB daily, but that's still useful in a pinch.
Beyond protection for all your devices, it's also worth remembering that if you sign up for the top-tier Bitdefender Ultimate Security plan, this gives you broader protection for your digital life. This subscription comes with the Bitdefender Digital Identity Protection service which maintains an overview of your digital footprint online, constantly monitoring and warning you if any of your personal data is exposed (on the dark web or elsewhere).
As well as warning you about data breaches that any of your account details are involved in, Bitdefender Digital Identity Protection will guide you on what steps you should take after the incident to protect your identity. This is vital in the modern world where you need to think beyond merely defending the devices you own – you must also consider the security of your personal data and guarding against the prospect of identity theft.