McAfee Mobile Security

Review summary

Good points

Bad points

Our verdict

If you’re in the market for rock-solid, reliable security for your phone, you’ve come to the right place. McAfee Mobile Security offers almost everything you could need. It has excellent malware protection, anti-theft features and more. The only place it lacks is in the parental controls department, even though it does have a few useful features for parents. If you absolutely need the very best parental controls, you may want to shop elsewhere. This program will serve almost any customer well.

Full review

Setup

The setup is extremely simple. If you are using Android, you simply download the app from the Google Play Store. The same instructions apply for Blackberry with the App World. The software will put you back $29.99, but there is a free trial.

After launching the app, it will ask you to verify your phone number. This only takes a few seconds. Next, you will need to enter your email and create a pin so you can access your account through a web browser, which gives you access to some great anti-theft features and controls. After setting up your account, you’ll be welcomed to the colorful main menu.

Anti-theft

McAfee Mobile Security has a full arsenal of anti-theft features. Using your phone number and PIN you choose when signing up for the service, you can log on to mcafeemobilesecurity.com to access an online hub that gives you access to plenty of anti-theft features.

Remote locate - Using the online dashboard through a web browser, users can find their lost or stolen phone on a map.

Remote lock - The online hub also grants users the ability to lock their phone if it ever goes missing. No one will be able to access your phone and its data as long as it’s locked.

Remote wipe - If you’re phone goes missing and there is valuable information on it, simply use the online commands to wipe out your phone’s memory.

SIM alert - If you’re phone is stolen and somebody swaps out the SIM card, friends that you designate will be notified via text message.

Malware protection

Anti-virus and spyware protection - McAfee Mobile Security will constantly protect your phone with real-time protection. The software can scan files, apps, downloads, text messages and SD cards for threats.

Web protection - This security feature warns you of suspicious sites to help protect you from phishing and scams.

App protection - This feature is quite unique. McAfee Mobile Security will look at an app you are going to download and show you exactly what information and permissions the app will have access to. It will also check for any malware by using its up-to-date database.

Parental controls

McAfee Mobile Security is lacking a bit in the parental control department. Parents can use the tracker to see where their children are, but beyond that there is almost nothing. There is a blocking filter on the app itself to block certain phone numbers from calling or texting the protected phone, but there is nothing stopping a child from removing those numbers from the list.

Updates

By default, the app will check for updates automatically. You can set the auto-update to check for updates every day or week. Auto updates can also be turned off.

Ease of use

Everything from the app itself to the online hub is easy to use and understand. The main menu is so simple, colorful and responsive that it’s fun to use. Every feature is accompanied by a small description, so even first-time users will know exactly what they are clicking on.

Help and support

McAfee Mobile Security has solid customer support. There is both live-chat and phone support via the McAfee website. The live-chat is always available, while phone support runs for 12 hours a day. The wait time to get in contact with a help-agent is generally short. You don’t have to jump through hoops to get help, unlike other similar programs.

Overall

McAfee Mobile Security is an all-around great piece of software. It will protect your phone from threats, offers top of the line anti-theft features, and even throws in a few features that serve as useful monitoring tools for parents. Unless you are looking for the absolute best parental controls, you won’t do much better than McAfee Mobile Security.

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Overall
Setup
Anti-theft
Malware protection
Parental controls
Updates
Ease of use
Help & support