Do Not Install These 10 Popular Android Apps

[Petrovic]

Quote

These days, there literally is an app for everything. Whether you want to spend hours playing games, watch a person on the other side of the world stream a local sports game, or organize every aspect of your life down to the minutiae.

The downside to this incredible level of choice is that some apps out there disguise themselves as your friend, when in fact they just want to harm you. Google’s Play Store has frequently received criticism for its less-than-robust approach to filtering unsafe content, and if you’re not careful, you could find yourself being tracked, hacked, or conned.

With that in mind, we take a look at ten seemingly-innocent popular apps you shouldn’t install under any circumstances:

1. QuickPic

What it is: QuickPic used to be a friendly and easy-to-use photo gallery. It was never flashy, but clear communications and frequent updates saw it steadily grow a well-sized user base.

Why it’s bad: It was bought by Cheetah Mobile last year. The company immediately started uploading users’ data to their own servers, as evidenced by one Google Plus user who found a raft of new DNS requests that were attributable to the app.

 

What you should use instead: There are lots of gallery apps for Android. One alternative that’s been gathering pace recently is Piktures. It claims to be the first gesture-based gallery app and is completely ad-free.4 Great Free Alternative Gallery Apps For Android 4 Great Free Alternative Gallery Apps For AndroidDon't like the default gallery app on your Android device? Here are some fantastic free alternatives.READ MORE

2. ES File Explorer

What it is: Amazingly, it’s probably the most popular file explorer app out there. That’s because it used to be really, really good – five years ago.

 

 

Why it’s bad: The free version has been pumped full of bloatware and ad-ware, and it endlessly nags you to download additional apps via non-disable-able notification bar pop-ups.

 

What you should use instead: There are loads to choose from. If you want an open-source offering turn to OI File Manager; if you’re more concerned with design try out FX File Explorer; or if customization is your thing, you can look to Total Commander.The 7 Best Free File Explorers for Android The 7 Best Free File Explorers for AndroidThere are a bunch of file management and file exploring apps out there for Android, but these are the best.READ MORE

3. UC Browser

What it is: The most popular Android web browser in China and India. It claims to have a “fast mode” that’ll save you MBs of data usage thanks to compression.

 

 

Why it’s bad: Tracking. Users’ search queries are sent without encryption to Yahoo India and Google, a user’s IMSI number, IMEI number, Android ID, and Wi-Fi MAC address are sent without encryption to Umeng (an Alibaba analytics tool), and users’ geolocation data (including longitude/latitude and street name) is transmitted without encryption to AMAP (an Alibaba mapping tool).

 

What you should use instead: Where to start? Chrome and Firefox are the obvious choices, but some people have worries about privacy concerns there too. A solid all-around privacy protector is Lightning.What Is The Fastest Android Browser? What Is The Fastest Android Browser?Browsers on Android can have different rendering engines, so some browsers can be faster than others.READ MORE

4. CLEAN it

What it is: A “junk file cleaner” that’s been installed 10 million times and has 85 percent four- or five-star reviews.

Why it’s bad: Most of what it advertises is detrimental to your phone. For example, clearing the cache will ultimately slow your phone down when it needs to be rebuilt, clearing your RAM only leads to more battery usage, and killing running apps does not save your battery as claimed.Why RAM Boosters And Task Killers Are Bad For Your Android Why RAM Boosters And Task Killers Are Bad For Your AndroidAt first glance, RAM boosters and task killers sound incredibly useful, but a closer look shows that they could actually be harming your phone instead.READ MORE

What you should use instead: Greenify is a much better option for reducing apps’ battery drain, and SD Maid is a more useful junk filter for ad files and logs, etc.

5. Music Player

What it is: As implied, it’s an app that lets you play audio files saved on your device.

Why it’s bad: It has lots of ads, but more worryingly from a user standpoint, it eats through data plans and destroys your battery. People who’ve commented on its Google Play listing report gigabytes of data being consumed, as well as massive battery drain.

What you should use instead: There are lots of ways to stream music on Android, while Google Play Music and Phonograph are both good ways to manage audio that’s already on your device.What Is the Best Way to Stream Music for Free on Android? What Is the Best Way to Stream Music for Free on Android?There are a ton of free music-streaming apps for Android, but how are they different and which is your best option?READ MORE

6. DU Battery Saver & Fast Charge

What it is: Another “battery-saving” app with an insane number of downloads. It has 7.6 million five-star reviews. Well, sorry, but all of those 7.6 million people are wrong.

 

 

Why it’s bad: Fast Charge? An app does not have the ability to change how fast your device charges. This is also the king of adverts – it sponsors almost every ad that you see in any other app and manifests its own ads on your lock screen and notifications bar. Also, all those fancy speed graphs and cool animations? Totally fake.

What you should use instead: If you’re genuinely interested in your phone’s battery stats, you should use GSM Battery Monitor. For proper battery saving, try the aforementioned Greenify.Find Out Which Apps Are Killing Your Android Battery Find Out Which Apps Are Killing Your Android BatteryIf you're getting poor battery life on your device, you likely have an app abusing your battery in the background. Find out how to identify those apps and solve your battery problems.READ MORE

7. Dolphin Web Browser

What it is: An ad-free, Flash-supporting, HTML 5 video-enabled browser. It’s got 150 million downloads and counting.

 

 

Why it’s bad: Like UC Browser, this is a tracking nightmare. Worst of all, it saves your incognito mode website visits in a file on your phone – go and check. Don’t believe the hype; delete it now.

What you should use instead: As mentioned earlier, Chrome, Firefox, and Lightning are your three best options.

8. Photo Collage

What it is: A collage creator that boasts 120 different frames, addable text, and fun backgrounds.

Why it’s bad: Lots and lots of ads, the most annoying of which is the DU Quick Charge ad on the lock screen.

What you should use instead: Once again, there are plenty of photo editors out there. Photoshopis great for heavy-duty work, or you could also try Google’s increasingly-impressive Snapseed.6 Best Photo Editors for Android 6 Best Photo Editors for AndroidEdit photos quickly and easily on your Android phone or tablet with these apps.READ MORE

9. Clean Master

What it is: Another insanely popular “speed booster, battery saver, and phone optimizer”. It has 600 million users and 26 million five-star reviews.

 

 

Why it’s bad: Firstly, it’s made by Cheetah Mobile. We referred to them earlier – the company is renowned for packing ads, bloatware, and nag screens into their apps. Secondly, it doesn’t do anything useful; RAM-saving apps were valuable once upon a time, but the Android system has developed so much that they are merely a hindrance. Android now has its own native handler for assigning RAM and ensuring it’s all being used in the most optimal way – in many cases, it even deliberately keeps RAM loaded to help performance.Why RAM Boosters And Task Killers Are Bad For Your Android Why RAM Boosters And Task Killers Are Bad For Your AndroidAt first glance, RAM boosters and task killers sound incredibly useful, but a closer look shows that they could actually be harming your phone instead.READ MORE

What you should use instead: Honestly, nothing. If you really insist, SD Maid is your friend.

10. Almost Every Anti-Virus App

What it is: There are loads to choose from; most of the well-known desktop anti-viruses now have a smartphone offering.

 

 

Why it’s bad: They aren’t bad per se, but they are largely unnecessary – that’s why the biggest names in the industry now market their apps’ anti-virus capabilities as part of a larger security package. There are a couple of caveats, however; if you install software from third-party sources(i.e., not the Google Play Store), or if you have a rooted device. Both these situations can open you up to malware that Google has no control over.How to Sideload Any File onto Your Android Phone or Tablet How to Sideload Any File onto Your Android Phone or TabletYou may have come across the term "sideloading" before, but what does it mean? And how can you go about sideloading apps or files?READ MORE

What you should use instead: In this case, it’s not so much what you should install instead, but rather that you need to make sure you’re installing a full-fledged security package from a recognized provider. The apps from companies like Avast and Avira tend to offer additional features such as password-locked apps, remote device wiping, and call blockers.

What Would You Add to This List?

This list of ten apps only scratches the surface. We don’t have exact figures, but we’d hazard a guess that the large majority of apps in the store are in some way “bad news”.

They’re easy to avoid if you’re smart – do your research and only install content from well-known and well-trusted developers. And of course, if you see any suspicious activity after installing an app, delete it and its residual cache immediately.

 

Article source

[JimmySvert]

However, i did install Kaspersky Mobile Security on my unrooted mobile phone for protection when accessing public WiFi hotshots. Don't know if Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Mobile does a better job though.

[truemate]

damm... mostly all these app me already using it  :/

[sergicz]

I would add Touchpal - once it was great adfree keyboard, but now it contains ads and bloat

[stylemessiah]

1 hour ago, sergicz said:

I would add Touchpal - once it was great adfree keyboard, but now it contains ads and bloat

Ive never even understood why people used that bloated extortionally priced shit, the default keybaord has swipe, the fuck you need Touchpal etc for?....

 

The only extra keyboard youre ever likely to want/need is the Hackers Keyboard, for when youre in terminal...

 

As for ES File Explorer, i still use an older version of it, why? because its still the best.

FX chokes on a lot of functions (for example try installing an app via sideload on Android N by tapping the app in FX, then try in ES File Explorer or anything, because youre going to have to). Its also the slowest ive ever seen data travel when copying files from OTG USB to internal memory...why?, when copying the same files via ES you blink and its over... FX is fucking awful. Wouldnt install it on my worst enemies device.

Edited November 6, 2016 by stylemessiah

[DKT27]

Thread moved to Mobile Mania.

 

16 hours ago, truemate said:

damm... mostly all these app me already using it  :/

 

Not only you, a lot of Indians make the same mistake. Thankfully, I have known about the intentions of these apps from years now. They all are shady. I really hate it when I see these apps on the top of the Android free app list. I mean, the whole country is getting fooled by this and yet no one understands it.

 

Recently, a phone with a lot of problems came to me. It was filled by some of the apps mentioned above. I could have uninstalled them, but instead, I explained it to the phone's owner, about how some apps actually harm the phone and never work as shown. The person uninstalled them and most of the phone's problems were fixed.

 

Some of these apps do not even deserve to be on Google Play.

 

14 hours ago, stylemessiah said:

As for ES File Explorer, i still use an older version of it, why? because its still the best.

FX chokes on a lot of functions (for example try installing an app via sideload on Android N by tapping the app in FX, then try in ES File Explorer or anything, because youre going to have to). Its also the slowest ive ever seen data travel when copying files from OTG USB to internal memory...why?, when copying the same files via ES you blink and its over... FX is fucking awful. Wouldnt install it on my worst enemies device.

 

At the risk of getting an app liked by me being criticized by you, have you tried using this. It's an excellent in-development app. Try the latest version though.

[truemate]

7 hours ago, DKT27 said:

Thread moved to Mobile Mania.

 

Not only you, a lot of Indians make the same mistake. Thankfully, I have known about the intentions of these apps from years now. They all are shady. I really hate it when I see these apps on the top of the Android free app list. I mean, the whole country is getting fooled by this and yet no one understands it.

Recently, a phone with a lot of problems came to me. It was filled by some of the apps mentioned above. I could have uninstalled them, but instead, I explained it to the phone's owner, about how some apps actually harm the phone and never work as shown. The person uninstalled them and most of the phone's problems were fixed.

 

Some of these apps do not even deserve to be on Google Play.

 

At the risk of getting an app liked by me being criticized by you, have you tried using this. It's an excellent in-development app. Try the latest version though.

 

 

mobilewala : d

cleanmaster , clean it.. is used by so many people around the globe.. if its not good for the mobile.. then which app is better to clean junks ?

in asus it was inbuild installed ...this cleanmaster app,,, though now they removed it support and thru latest sys update we can uninstall cleanmaster fully.

Edited November 7, 2016 by truemate

[gipsy]

didn't install any app from the list,usin' built in ones in Flyme /pretty quality ones imo.after unlocked hi-fi chip even default player is good (at least).

Edited November 7, 2016 by gipsy

[stylemessiah]

9 hours ago, DKT27 said:

At the risk of getting an app liked by me being criticized by you, have you tried using this. It's an excellent in-development app. Try the latest version though.

 

Lol, ive had it installed for a while, but never gotten around to it, the testing of FX put me off using another explorer. I promise ill give it a whirl tomorrow, just for you

[mires]

12 hours ago, DKT27 said:

At the risk of getting an app liked by me being criticized by you, have you tried using this. It's an excellent in-development app. Try the latest version though.

 

2 hours ago, stylemessiah said:

 

Lol, ive had it installed for a while, but never gotten around to it, the testing of FX put me off using another explorer. I promise ill give it a whirl tomorrow, just for you

 

Solid Explorer ftw!

[software182]

Thank God, i never install those crap.

[MKVlover]

Is it only the free version of ES File Explorer that include crap or does the pro version include some of the same crap??

[DKT27]

23 hours ago, truemate said:

 

 

mobilewala : d

cleanmaster , clean it.. is used by so many people around the globe.. if its not good for the mobile.. then which app is better to clean junks ?

in asus it was inbuild installed ...this cleanmaster app,,, though now they removed it support and thru latest sys update we can uninstall cleanmaster fully.

 

I know it may have looked so to you. But no, I do not sell or repair mobiles as a profession. I'm more of a computer guy than a mobile one. Was just helping a family friend.

 

Because most people around the world are not technologically experts like some people are. Remove all such apps. I believe the default File Explorer app of ASUS has some features to check the file / folder usage / size, look into it. Not much needs to actually removed, only thumbnails if you use the file explorer a lot and temporary files, nothing else I can think of.

 

Actually, if you use Whatsapp a lot, search for duplicates. I recently came to know that Whatsapp is notorious in this. It seems to keep double, yes double backup of photos and videos on phone, taking all the space. Find the Whatsapp folder and delete all the photos and videos you do not require. Beware though, make sure you are not deleting the ones you want, the deleted ones cannot be brought back - only delete duplicates and ones you do not want.

 

As for running processes. Use this. Read how it works and what needs to be done. Add the apps you do not use but keep running in background, to it. I even bought the donation version recently, it's cheaper for us here in India. The donation version allows one to even add the system apps of Android to it - looking at all the non-useful pre-installed Google apps here.

 

20 hours ago, stylemessiah said:

 

Lol, ive had it installed for a while, but never gotten around to it, the testing of FX put me off using another explorer. I promise ill give it a whirl tomorrow, just for you

 

Make sure you try the latest beta version. The developer is making massive improvements quite fast. Not only that, he hears user opinions and even fixes the things that need to be done in it.

[lordi]

using clean master but switch to ccleaner ,

du battery is useless IMHO, install it for a while and then delete it 

[JeffDunhill]

Good that I don't use most of them, but UC browser and Clean Master were installed in the past. Should I be worried?

[thunderpants]

Android is like the wild-west , so many bad apps.

[Rachielox]

i totally agree that we shouldn't install any anti virus app. even for pc, i never

[Togijak]

a way to be on the safe site is to take stuff from F-Droid app repository that comes from

an the only File Explorer on my phone is TC