Instruction manual for Mobile firewall required

Avast Mobile Security Avast Mobile Security for Android
1

Just installed avast mobile (rooted) - no problems. But the firewall usability is poor particularly without any user guide.

  1. which button state is on / off - a green tick is an obvious on, & on means pass through mode. but what are the states used in the firewall button - totally ambiguous.

  2. what do the 3 icons represent - Wireless / 3G mobile / ??? Bluetooth ???

  3. what does block all apps mean, override the settings of any file configured below it ?

  4. what do the badged apps at the bottom mean, are they system apps that would typically be enabled.

I’m not being critical - this app is just what i wanted but a little user guidance would not go amiss.

2

Whilst not a user manual, check out the Avast Mobile Security F.A.Q. - See https://support.avast.com/index.php?_m=knowledgebase&_a=viewarticle&kbarticleid=1034
also - https://blog.avast.com/2011/12/30/faq-ams.

3

Thanks for the fast response,

unfortunately the links answer only one question:-

What do the 3 icons represent?

- Wireless / 3G mobile / Roaming data
4

  1. which button state is on / off - a green tick is an obvious on, & on means pass through mode. but what are the states used in the firewall button - totally ambiguous.
    ///green check - firewall is on; white signs on light grey backround - non active /off, white sings on black backroung with little yellow triangle (pressed button) - active /on

  2. what do the 3 icons represent - Wireless / 3G mobile / ??? Bluetooth ???
    /// the third icon represent raoming mode, i.e. you do not want to spent money for connecting to foreign site abroad

  3. what does block all apps mean, override the settings of any file configured below it ?
    /// yes, override all settings done before

  4. what do the badged apps at the bottom mean, are they system apps that would typically be enabled.
    //grouped applications by type, default is enabled

5

Am I right?

6

Yes, you are :slight_smile: I am working on manual first edition now, so please be patient and stay tuned :slight_smile: Thank you.

7

Looking at fr34olivier’s image and his interpretation of what they mean, I don’t see it that way, almost the reverse.

The reason I say that is, assuming that fr34olivier is correct, then there isn’t a consistency throughout the AMS. If you check the AMS, Settings, Connection type, those with the inverted Orange triangle and black box with White text are the connections allowed for updates.

I for a time only had the WiFi connection type allowed and I was getting avast updates, so if it meant that WiFi updates were disabled and 3G and Roaming updates were allowed I would have seen this in by Data traffic and Telephone billing (I didn’t see that).

So either we’re both right, in which case there is inconsistency in the icon meaning.

Or one of our interpretations is wrong.
I currently can’t test as my pone isn’t rooted, so the firewall is disabled and the listing of apps all have three greyed out boxes to their right.

Black box, White text/icon and Orange inverted triangle, connection method enabled.

Grey Box, White text/icon and NO Orange inverted triangle, connection method disabled.

8

Hi DavidR,

You are right it seems that the images work reversely between the update of virus (I believe that it is what you call by AMS) and the firewall.
This is why I asked, because this apparent discrepancy generates troubles to me.

‘Updates parameters’ is self explanatory but not ‘firewall parameters’.

Now because your firewall is disabled I believe that it is normal you don’t see the traffic while you are using Wifi.

Let’s read the next Jan Svehlak comments

Does it exist already a user guide for anti theft functionality ?

9

Yes, it is the Update connections I meant. Whatever they choose it should be consistent across all such icons.

I do prefer the Black box, White text/icon and Orange inverted triangle, connection method = enabled, as in many other programs, greyed out icons/buttons indicate that they are inactive/unavailable.

10

There are plenty of possibilities… I prefer last red and last green!
But making it consistent first is the most important.

11

Thanks for feedback, I eventually figured it out.

  1. The greyed out box (which in common usage means disabled) actually means that connection is active.

  2. The black’d box (which has no common usage meaning) means the connection is disabled.

  3. Everything by default was enabled (all connections active & firewall was on i.e actively patrolling).

N.B. Consistency is NOT the first priority - Comprehensibility should be the first priority. Consistency is a side effect of choosing a good generic symbology.

You are making life more difficult for yourselves by making the icons carry 2 pieces of informaton: type of connection + connection state. I would consided something akin to a header row that carries connection type & maybe does not scroll off the page. For each app row just showing a simple connection-made / connection-not-made symbol. (green tick / red cross) or (stylized connectors made / not made)

references to inverted yellow triangles seems meaningless to me,There presence was not even noticed - just looked like an image glitch (SGS2).