Just installed - 2 questions.

Avast Mobile Security Avast Mobile Security for Android
1

HTC 4G Evo 2.3.5 - Unrooted

I read the User Manual, but still don’t understand the following:

  1. Anti-Theft Advanced Settings: “Protection Behavior”.

This has “Prevent USB debugging” and “Force data connection on” with a green checkmark in each, but the copy is greyed out.
I realize that these are for rooted phones only as it states, and my phone is not rooted, but I didn’t see anything in the manual about these being checked by default, even if the phone is unrooted.
??

I’m not able to remove the green checkmark in each.

  1. “Anti-Theft” has the non-functional icon (circle with diagonal line thru it) next to a phone icon.
    EDIT - Perhaps that doesn’t mean non-functional, but means Don’t Steal/Can’t be Stolen.

Your manual has a page on “Stealth Mode”, but I see nothing on how to enter Stealth Mode.
If I put in my password, it brings up the application options.

If I make a phone call by calling my password, same thing - I don’t enter Stealth Mode as far as I can tell, but it brings up the application options page.

I also restarted the phone, but unlike the instructional box I read it didn’t put the phone into stealth mode.

  1. This relates to #2 above I’m sure -

On the upper left of my phone’s Home page is the Avast logo, and if I bring down the screen it says :
(avast! icon) “avast! Mobile Security”
avast is protecting you…"

I’m sure that this should not be visible, as it obviously lets a Thief know there is anti-theft program on the phone.
I assume that getting into Stealth mode will get rid of this?

Also - I’m unsure what’s meant by the “Launcher” which is not visible when in Stealth mode.
If I go to “All Apps” from my phone’s Home Page, I see “avast! Mobile Sec…” listed with the avast! orange icon.
Is this what you refer to as the “Launcher”?
If so, it’s still there.

2

Hi,

  1. As you correctly understood, those options are for rooted phones only. On non-rooted phone, these won’t work even if they are checked. We should probably uncheck them by default on non-rooted phones so it’s not confusing.

  2. It’s just the icon of the feature, doesn’t mean that Anti-Theft is not functional or anything.

The “stealth mode” means, that the application (Anti-Theft) icon is hidden from the application launcher. You automatically enter the stealth mode if you enable Anti-Theft. To do so, you have to go through the Basic settings and set the device owner, friends numbers, avast! password and then check the Enable Anti-Theft checkbox.

When Anti-Theft is enabled, thus in the stealth mode, you can access the settings from Mobile Security or by calling your password.

So to sum this up, the stealth mode has nothing to do with what setting you see, it just means that the application is hidden from the laucher.

  1. The nofitication icon can be disabled from the Mobile Security settings page, although it’s not recommended. The icon and Mobile Security app icon is not hidden in the stealth mode, because Anti-Theft and Mobile Security are separate apps. You can always uninstall Mobile Security after installing Anti-Theft. Anti-Theft it will remain functional, but you’ll loose the protection provided by Mobile Security.

The “launcher” means the place where you start the applications from, so yes, it’s the “all apps” screen, where all the app icons are listed.

Hope that helps,

Ondrej

3

Ondrej, thank you for the response and for clearing up a few issues.

On one of those issues I’m still unclear.

Ondrej - “The “stealth mode” means, that the application (Anti-Theft) icon is hidden from the application launcher.”

E.g., I named the Anti-Theft device “News”.

If I go on my EVO to : Settings/Applications/Manage Applications, and then either Downloaded or All, I see “News” listed with the EVO Android icon to the left of it.

I see this whether I have Enable Auto-Theft checked or not checked. After I check it I restart my phone as per instructional box, same thing - I still see it listed as described above.

If I press it, it gives me the options of : Force Stop/Uninstall/Clear Data.
Is this normal?

If I go to Settings/Applications/Manage Applications, and then the option Running, then I don’t see it listed, whether enabled or not enabled.

So I still don’t understand Stealth Mode, nor “…the launcher icon will be hidden when your device is restarted”.
Nor do I understand that the launcher icon is visible when Anti-Theft is not enabled (i.e.,when Anti-theft is checked in the Basic Settings).

Could you please explain specifically where this launcher icon can be seen when it’s not hidden, and what it looks like.
I haven’t been able to notice any difference on my device.

Also, what if I was to go to Settings/Applications/Manage Applications and then either Downloaded or All, and press
any or all of these in “News” (my name for avast! Anti-Theft app): Force Stop/Uninstall/Clear Data.
Will it actually Force Stop or Uninstall or Clear Data of the Anti-Theft app?
Anyone who has control of the phone can reach that icon and do that.

Thanks for further explanation.

4

Hi,

The application icon is hidden from the place where you launch your app from (i.e. something like this: http://xjaphx.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/appviewer_default.png?w=600). This is where you get when you press the bottom center icon on your homescreen. If not hidden, the Anti-Theft icon looks like the default icon for applications without one, so it might be different on different phones. It’s usually similar to this: http://androidedge.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/android-icon.png.

The application unfortunately can’t be hidden from the Settings/Applications/Manage Applications, because it’s just another app. That’s exactly why we provide the possibility to name it whatever you want to disguise it a little bit more. Of course it can be found, but this will make it harder. If you find it there, you can uninstall it on non-rooted phone. On rooted phones Anti-Theft can be installed as a system app, so it can’t be uninstalled in a normal way.

Also Anti-Theft shouldn’t be visible in the running apps, because it’s activated only when you send the sms command.

Ondra