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10 popular apps that are dangerous for Android and iPhone
Popularity is a pretty convincing smokescreen. When you hear other people raving about how well an app works, you might download it without a second thought. Unfortunately, tons of popular apps are dangerous for Android and iPhone.
Apple and Google work hard to purge fraudulent apps from their stores. Despite their best efforts, bad guys still slip through the cracks. In fact, online fraud is skyrocketing thanks to phony apps.
Malware isn’t the only danger you need to worry about, though. Dangerous apps on Android and iPhone can compromise your security and privacy in other ways. Keep reading to protect your smartphone and delete some of the worst apps for privacy in 2022.
Delete these five dangerous Android phone apps now
Let’s start with the most prominent mobile OS in the world. If you didn’t know, Android dominated 87% of the global market in 2019. At least, that’s according to Statista data.
Due to its popularity, hackers upload unsafe apps on the Google Play Store. Tap or click here for details on the three most dangerous Android malware variants. Other apps won’t inject your phone with malware — but they can still hurt your cybersecurity in different ways.
Let’s look at a few apps that promise to help you. They have millions of downloads — but in reality, they can track, hack and even con you. If you have these apps on your Android, delete them immediately.
1. ES File Explorer
This wildly popular file explorer app worked well five years ago when it first came out. Now, it’s fallen by the wayside. Download the free version and say hello to bloatware, like endless ads and reminders to download other apps.
You can’t even turn off these annoying pop-ups. Oh, and it gets worse. In 2019, Google threw this app off the Play Store for fraud. So check your phone for this app and delete it ASAP.
2. Dolphin Web Browser
Starry-eyed Android users can easily get swept away by Dolphin Browser’s promises. In reality, it doesn’t measure up. It’s supported by Flash, which Adobe discontinued a while ago.
It’s also a privacy nightmare with rampant tracking. Multiple reports say Dolphin Web Browser keeps records of everything you looked up while in incognito mode. So your browsing sessions aren’t private at all.
Plus, it reveals your original IP address even when you have a VPN turned on for privacy.
3. DU Battery Saver & Fast Charge
Once upon a time, this app had an eye-watering 7.6 million five-star reviews. People loved it because it saved their battery. Wait, sorry — it promised to save battery life, but it didn’t.
People fell for the placebo effect. Even worse, it puts ads on users’ lock screens and notification bars. Google Play Store kicked it out due to a scandal, but many users still have it on their phones. If you have it, delete it ASAP.
4. SuperVPN Free VPN Client
Android users love this app. But cybersecurity analysts say it has a ton of unpatched vulnerabilities.
Hackers can exploit this app’s many bugs to steal your info — including private photos and conversations. If you have banking apps, those are in danger as well. For the sake of your privacy, delete this app.
Free VPNs like SuperVPN Free VPN Client often come with a host of cybersecurity issues. Some will even sell your data for a profit, thus compromising your privacy. Here are a few reasons why you should never use a free VPN.
5. S.M.T.H. (Send Me To Heaven)
This app is unique compared to the others on the list. It doesn’t fill your phone with ads or trackers. It could just kill your phone. The purpose of this app is to throw your phone in the air as high as you possibly can. Yep, that’s it.
As you can imagine, tons of devices have ended up in the digital graveyard thanks to this. Optimistic users downloaded this app, threw their phones into the sky and had to buy another phone.
If you have any of these apps on your smartphone, delete them now. Now that we’ve covered Android apps, it’s time to tackle the second half of our list of popular apps that are dangerous for iPhones. If you’re curious about the most harmful apps on iPhone, we’ve got you covered.
These five apps aren’t safe for iPhone
It’s hard to answer the question, “What is the most harmful app?” Many apps invade your privacy in many ways, so we’re writing this guide to some of the worst apps for privacy in 2022.
Smartphones can invade your privacy in many ways — don’t make it easy for Big Tech to steal your data by downloading these dangerous apps on your iPhone.
When you look up popular apps that are bad for your phone’s health, you’ll find plenty of results. We narrowed down the list to five popular iPhone apps you should not keep. They could put your security and privacy in jeopardy.
1. Words With Friends
Wordle lovers often look for similar games to jazz up their gaming. You may have come across this game. Don’t download it unless you’re cool with giving away your precise location.
We can’t help but wonder why this game needs your location — or what it’s doing with that data. If you’re looking for a Wordle replacement, here’s how to make custom puzzle games.
2. CamScanner
This helpful app lets you snap pictures and turn them into PDFs. It’s beneficial for anyone who wants to quickly share documents, ID cards and more. Last year, cybersecurity experts discovered it had contained hidden Joker malware. Here are all the details.
3. Betternet VPN
Look over the 4.2-star rating and the glowing app reviews and you’ll probably think this is a fantastic free VPN. However, it’s affiliated with Aura, which has a broad company privacy policy. It collects your private data, including IP addresses and other sensitive data.
As we mentioned earlier, free VPNs also come with privacy risks. They often make money by selling your data to third-party ad networks. Avoid this as well as TouchVPN, Hola VPN and more.
4. Yandex
This Russian web browser is one of the most dangerous free browsers on iOS. If you’ve ever asked yourself, “What apps are invading your privacy?” or “What apps should you avoid for privacy?” you need to know about this.
Researchers with Trinity College Dublin found it has a big problem with data collection and sharing. Not only that, but its opt-out methods are “completely unreliable,” researchers say. They went a bit further and added that Yandex is not to be trusted on iPhone or any other device, for that matter.
5. Chicken Shoot Galaxy Invaders and 13 others
We’re ending our list of popular apps that are dangerous for Android and iPhone with a bang. If you love online games, you might have put yourself in danger a few years ago.
Apple booted some games from the App Store in 2019, but if you still play older games on your device, you should check your iPhone to make sure you’ve never downloaded any of these:
- Block Game
- Bomber Game: Classic Bomberman
- Bounce Classic Legend
- Brain It On: Stickman Physics
- Chicken Shoot Galaxy Invaders
- Classic Bomber: Super Legend
- Classic Brick – Retro Block
- Commando Metal
- Classic Contra
- Classic Tank vs Super Bomber
- Roy Adventure Troll Game
- Super Adventure of Maritron
- Super Pentron Adventure: Super Hard
- The Climber Brick
- Trap Dungeons: Super Adventure
If these games are familiar to you, delete them as soon as possible. Tap or click here to find out how they linked back to a malware server.
Tags: Android, Apple, Apple iPhone, apps, Battery Saver mode, battery/batteries, cybersecurity, File Explorer, Google, malware, online fraud, Popularity, privacy, web browser
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