Avoid These: Android Apps You Should Never Install on Your Phone. 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 many adware and spyware apps from the Play Store, but what about some of the most widely used apps that aren’t quite blatant malware but can still be significant privacy nightmares? Here, we discuss the eight riskiest Android applications 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 awesome new apps, but due to potential security repercussions, it’s necessary to exercise caution before downloading new apps. Even more established and dated apps can become privacy problems if you’re not careful. Some apps can gather data from your phone and sell your personal information to outside advertisers. Because of this, we’ve compiled a list of the eight most dangerous Android apps you need to remove immediately.
CLEANit
On the Play Store, CLEANit advertises itself as a trash file remover with millions of downloads. The software requests numerous permissions and promotes useless services on current Android devices with potent hardware. A few of them might potentially harm your phone.
For instance, disabling background apps won’t 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 include CCleaner (free) and Greenify (free). Relatively new Android phones shouldn’t be used with these “cleaner” and “optimizer” apps. They don’t help your phone run faster and frequently complicate things by altering essential settings. However, if you must use such programs, stick to the abovementioned ones.
Alternatives: Greenify (Free), CCleaner (Free)
UC Browser
One of Android’s most widely used web browsers is the UC browser, which UCWeb, a division of the Chinese internet giant Alibaba, created. However, according to cybersecurity researchers, it does not sufficiently protect its data communications, putting your personal information in danger of being accessed by hackers and spies. Researchers claim that when the browser sends keystrokes over the web, it often does so with weak or no encryption. This makes it a risky, unsafe app that must be removed from your phone immediately.
Alternatives include the free versions of Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and DuckDuckGo. Users who care about privacy should also look at Firefox Focus (Free), an open-source browser that operates in ‘Private’ or incognito mode by default. If you’re an experienced user and know what you’re doing, there is also the Tor Browser (Free).
Alternatives: Mozilla Firefox (Free), Google Chrome (Free), DuckDuckGo Browser (Free). Privacy-conscious users should also check out Firefox Focus (Free) – the open-source privacy-focused browser that uses ‘Private’ or incognito mode by default. There’s also the Tor Browser (Free) if you’re an advanced user and know what you’re doing.
Virus Cleaner – Antivirus Free & Phone Cleaner
Virus Cleaner – Antivirus Free and Phone Cleaner by Super Cleaner Studio, an app with over 14 million downloads, exemplifies everything wrong with the Android ecosystem. It includes many advertisements, many of which are for products and services with a dubious reputation. Additionally, it claims to be an “efficient security master,” “phone junk 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 program. I would ignore any application that claims to be a “CPU cooler.”
Alternatives: Avast (Free), AVG (Free), Kaspersky (Free).
Dolphin Browser
Another hugely popular third-party browser program that makes many promises but delivers nothing is the Dolphin browser. Avoid These: Android Apps You Should Never Install on Your Phone It is a tracking nightmare and should be uninstalled immediately because it supports Flash. According to numerous claims, Dolphin saves your incognito mode browsing sessions and displays your original IP address even when using a VPN. It also includes many extra “features,” like video players and speed boosters that increase the bloat.
RT News
Russia Today (RT), Avoid These: Android Apps You Should Never Install on Your Phone, which the Kremlin funds, is the recognized 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. It has been named 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, staying away from this news app is advisable.
SuperVPN Free VPN Client
It is one of the most popular VPN apps for 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 also take advantage of the flaws to redirect a user’s connection to harmful websites, thus jeopardizing the security and privacy of the user.
Alternatives: Express VPN (Free), Nord VPN (Free), SurfShark (Free). You can also look at our detailed list of the best VPN apps on Android.
Fildo Music
The fifth and last software on our list is Fildo, previously a local music player that also allowed unauthorized 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. It reportedly connects to Netease, a contentious Chinese entertainment corporation, yet another user warning sign. You need to go to a different app to play music.
Alternatives: VLC (Free), AIMP (Free), Poweramp (Free)
Super Clean – Master of Cleaner
Another ‘cleaning’ program that was compelled to be included on our list due to its widespread use. More than 26 million people have downloaded Super Clean by Magical Dev from the Play Store, yet unlike most cleaning applications, it does little to speed up your phone. It offers to improve battery usage, remove junk files, and increase RAM without the need for any additional third-party apps, just like other apps in its category. In any event, most Android phone manufacturers include a security/cleaner app, which should typically be sufficient.
Alternatives: Greenify and CCleaner (See [3] above for download links).
Performance Booster Apps
Why Android performance booster applications are terrible has already been well discussed. However, if you don’t have time to read it all, here is the main point: RAM cleansers, energy savers, and game optimizers are performance booster apps that impair your device’s usability and cause more harm than benefit.
The programs that RAM cleanup apps stop frequently restart themselves right away because they are necessary for your phone to operate normally and are redundant. Additionally, if you force an app to close, the next time you open it, it will take longer to load than if you had done nothing and left it alone.
Because most modern Android phones already have a built-in power-saving mode. That performs significantly better than any third-party solution; battery-saving apps are pointless. The same is true of game optimizers. Do yourself a favour and remove these applications immediately.
Duplicate Apps That Perform the Same Functions
People frequently have multiple apps on their phones that serve the same purpose. The following app categories might fall under this:
- Browsers and note-taking programs
- Apps for data backup
- Messaging programs
It may be beneficial to keep both apps if two similar apps offer functions that are substantially distinct from one another. However, if it’s clear that one of the apps is superior, you should delete the inferior version. Avoid These: Android Apps You Should Never Install on Your Phone
For instance, if you have a Galaxy handset, your mobile browser options are Google Chrome or Samsung Internet. Remove the component you don’t think is very useful.
