How to keep your smartphone safe

How to keep your smartphone safe

Security expert Rik Ferguson has this advice:

• Always check the publisher of an app is who you expect it to be. A quick internet search should reveal if there's a problem
• Check which permissions the app requests when you install it. If an app asks for more than you want to share, don't install it
• Delete apps you no longer use. Attackers can get into your smartphone through poorly written apps, so the more you have the greater the risk
• If you think you've installed a rogue app contact your phone's service provider

One criticism of the Android operating system is that it only offers users "binary choices" over security - to either allow an app all requested permissions, or none at all.
"You can't tell the phone, 'I trust Google and Amazon, but nobody else'," said Mr Ferguson, "It's all or nothing."
Google confirmed the next version of its mobile operating system, dubbed Android M, would give users more control over the permissions apps sought.

Android M will give users more control over app permissions

The fake BatteryBot Pro was removed from Google Play when the company was made aware of what had happened.
Google said it did not comment on specific apps, but said it had clear policies for developers.
"We remove apps from Google Play that violate those policies," it said