PC Magazine awarded avast! Mobile Security the Editors’ Choice Award for free Android security apps thanks to its “huge array of powerful tools and fine-grained controls.”

A major concern for smartphone owners is the increasing threat of malicious software targeting Android OS. Max Eddy, software analyst for PC Magazine, writes that, “avast! is well-positioned to guard against new threats that use novel attack vectors we've yet to imagine.”

Running quietly in the background, with no system slow-down or stuttering, “avast! will also keep an ever-vigilant eye on your device, warning you as soon as it detects something it doesn't like,” he writes in his June 2013 review.

But these days, it’s more likely that you will fall victim to theft and loss instead of malware. Eddy explains, “In this department, avast! has an impressive slate of features and controls.”

In case your phone walks off somewhere, you can use the my.avast web portal where you can remotely locate, lock, or wipe your device, and set off the alarm. Eddy said, “I was particularly impressed that the alarm was not only loud, at 96 dB, but also highly illustrative. ‘This phone has been lost or stolen,’ said my S III, cycling between that phrase and what sounded like a Star Trek warning klaxon.”

Make sure you install avast! Mobile Security, the Editors' Choice for free Android security suites, on your smartphone and tablet. It is available for free in the Google Play store.

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