Is That App Safe? How To Know Which Ones To Trust

With the newest craze in technology being the development and downloading of mobile applications, you may not have realized yet that there are actually some applications that you cannot trust.

Understand that downloading any application puts you in a vulnerable position. Developers and hackers can get your address and current location, as well as many other important pieces of information that you may have stored in your phone. This doesn’t mean that you should stop storing information in your personal device, but it does mean that you should be careful to only download applications that are worthy of your trust.

There are several ways to know which applications you can trust.

Reviews

Reading a few reviews will let you know pretty quickly what others think of the app, and whether anyone’s been scammed. Some applications will even cost money, and turn out to be utterly worthless, only providing a screenshot or something similar. There are some things to consider when reading application reviews:

• Only download applications with 50+ reviews. This is because companies will hire writers to write reviews for them, and post them to make it look like the application has been downloaded and loved.


• There should be good and bad reviews.


• Not only should you look for the number of reviews and for varying opinions, but you should also look for thorough reviews for both sides. The developers may be smart enough to cover the first two steps. There could also be plenty of reviews from real people that are short and sweet, but only an authentic reviewer will post a lengthy review listing both advantages and disadvantages of the application rather than one the length of a Twitter tweet only talking about one side.

Android or Apple

You should also only be downloading from Android’s Google Play App Store or Apple’s App Store. This is where you will find mostly trustworthy applications and fewer scammers. You will also find that there are fewer fake reviews and more authentic ones. Google and Apple have the application submission process set up to provide you with better security than third-party sites. Note, however, that better isn’t perfect, and you’ll still need to do some background checks.

Check The Website

If you’re unsure about an application that you’re finding in either App store and the reviews aren’t helping, there should be a website listed for you to check out. If there isn’t a website or the website listed isn’t real, then be safe and not sorry and don’t download the application. If the website is real but lacks good security and seems sketchy, then go with your gut instinct. If the website is professional and you can tell that the developers are serious about their jobs, then you can probably trust the application.

Permissions

Applications have to ask you for permission to access your personal information. Be sure to only allow access that makes sense. If you’re downloading a single-player game, there’s no reason it should need to access your contact list. Look out for little clues like this as well, and don’t be afraid to let something that doesn’t seem right affect your decision.

With these 4 tips you should be able to avoid many a hassle when dealing with untrustworthy applications. Remember to stick with the reputable app stores, always read the reviews, and check the websites as well. It will be difficult to get anything by you if your arm yourself with the appropriate knowledge for deflecting bad applications.

Author

This is a guest post by Alexandra Wainstain who works with Azoft - a mobile development company