McAfee Mobile Security: Full Review
McAfee is one of a best famous names in PC confidence software, so it’s no warn that a association would make a approach to mobile devices. Enter McAfee Mobile Security. The app, that runs on Android, Blackberry–even Symbian devices–goes a prolonged approach in charity users a kind of functionality they would design from some-more niche offerings. But is this app value $29?
Setup Interface
Setting adult McAfee Mobile Security is sincerely easy. After downloading and installing a app to a Droid Bionic, we were asked to enter a device’s phone series or, exclusive that, a email address, as good as a friend’s phone series where confidence alerts could be sent in a eventuality a phone was mislaid or stolen. We also had to emanate a six-digit pin for accessing a McAfee Mobile Security app and Web console. We found it somewhat irritating that any time we non-stop a app, we would accept a confidence warning revelation us to capacitate one of a customary Android shade thatch to forestall anyone from accessing a device.
All of a Mobile Security‘s facilities are permitted from a app’s homescreen, creation it easy to navigate for first-time users. That being said, a interface is a slightest appealing one we’ve encountered due to a black credentials and a vast volume of content displayed on a shade during once. By comparison, Webroot SecureAnywhere Mobile premier and Lookout Mobile Security have many cleaner interfaces with large, colorful icons.
Detection Performance
Click to EnlargeWhen McAfee Mobile Security detects a virus, it will place a warning idol in your device’s presentation bar. Tap a presentation and you’ll be brought to an information shade revelation we a name and form of infection detected. When we attempted to implement a EICAR pathogen utility, McAfee stirred us with an warning in a device’s presentation bar. We were afterwards means to select possibly we wanted to news it to McAfee or simply undo it.
McAfee also offers users a ability to automatically indicate SMS/ MMS messages, a underline singular to this app, as good as indicate SD Cards whenever they are extrinsic into your device. Users can also select to indicate dense files, set a indicate report and report clarification updates. Mobile Security comes with McAfee’s SiteAdvisor, that like Webroot SecureAnywhere’s Safe Browsing feature, protects your device opposite malware and phishing sites while browsing a Web.
On a Linpack benchmark, a Bionic scored an normal 57.3, aloft than a 53.3 it scored though a app installed. We were incompetent to exam a impact a indicate had on a complement since any time we corroborated out of a app, a indicate would close. However, we couldn’t detect any complement slack while a pathogen indicate was running.
Anti-Theft Data Protection
McAfee Mobile Security offers users a good volume of anti-theft features, including information wipe, device and SIM label tracking, and information restore. Users can activate any of a app’s anti-theft components by a Web console, or by promulgation an encoded content summary to their device with a specific instruction, many Like Kaspersky’s Mobile Security 9. For example, to remotely close your device, we would content “Secure Lock” followed by your confidence pin to your device.
One underline we favourite in sold is a SIM tracker, which, like Kaspersky Mobile Security 9, contacts we around email or content summary (if we supply a delegate number) when your device’s SIM label is removed. Enable a app’s Auto Lock and Alarm features, and your device will automatically close and sound an ear-piercing alarm when a SIM is tampered with. You can also set a app to forewarn we of your device’s plcae around email or content when a SIM is removed.
Click to EnlargeOne of McAfee’s best facilities is a online information backup. Accessible from possibly your device or a Web, users can behind adult anything stored on their device brief of apps. That includes content messages, call logs, contacts and media. Unlike Lookout Mobile Security‘s backup feature, that is capped during 2GB, McAfee doesn’t extent a volume of information users can behind up. Instead, we can store as many information as you’d like from your device on McAfee’s servers.
Mobile Security‘s Web console is a many extensive we’ve seen. We could lane and close a device, as good as behind up, clean or revive personal data. Users can also perspective a information they’ve already corroborated up, including their contacts, content messages, call record and media. This underline is also useful if your device is stolen, since we can perspective a phone numbers your device has been job or texting. Although McAfee’s Web console provides a horde of options, it’s not as appealing as Lookout’s Web interface.
Premium vs. Trial
McAfee offers a giveaway seven-day hearing of Mobile Security, though once those 7 days are up, we remove a infancy of a app’s functionality. You’ll give adult a app’s Security Scan, Data Restore, Lock Device, Wipe Data and SiteAdvisor features, withdrawal usually Mobile Security‘s Data Backup. But instead of being means to behind adult your content messages, call logs and media like we can with a reward version, you’ll usually be means to behind adult your contacts. Pony adult for a $29.99 yearly subscription for a reward edition, and you’ll get all of those facilities back.
Verdict
McAfee Mobile Security is an simply permitted confidence app that many any user should feel gentle using. Its Web console is by distant one of a best and easiest to use. At $29, McAfee’s app is some-more costly than Kaspersky Mobile Security ($9.95) and Webroot SecureAnywhere Mobile Premier ($19.99), though has beefier offerings such as SMS and SD label scanning. And while we cite Lookout Mobile Security‘s interface, that app, that costs a same as McAfee’s, lacks total backup and facilities such as SIM tracking. Overall, McAfee Mobile Security is a best mobile security app on a market.
