Anti-Theft for Android

This Article Applies to:

Avast Small Office Protection

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: Mobile Protection has been removed from all Small Business Solutions subscriptions (Essential/Premium/Ultimate Business Security) due to low adoption. The mobile devices with the subscriptions activated are reverted to the free version. Small Office Protection subscriptions are not affected at this time.

The Anti-Theft feature available in Avast Mobile Security is designed to protect private data on your mobile device and help you recover the device in the case of loss or theft. You can control the missing device remotely via your Avast Account, which allows you to track the device and lock or erase private data.

Enabling Anti-Theft

Before you can control your device remotely, Anti-Theft must be enabled on your device by completing the initial setup described below.

Run Anti-Theft

From the Avast Mobile Security app, go to Menu > Anti-Theft
Review the privacy notice, then tap Continue

Set Anti-Theft PIN Code

If you already created a PIN code while setting up App Locking or Photo Vault, you do not need to create a separate PIN code for Anti-Theft. If you see the message PIN code set, you can skip straight to the Grant Permissions section.

On the Anti-Theft setup screen, tap Set a PIN code
Select an email account (used for PIN reset if needed) and tap Ok to confirm
Choose your PIN code, then retype it to confirm
Tap Continue to complete the PIN Setup

Grant Permissions

Before you can activate the Anti-Theft feature, you need to grant Avast Mobile Security several permissions in your device settings. These permissions are essential for you to track and control your device remotely.

These steps may differ slightly depending on your device model and Android version.

On the Anti-Theft setup screen, tap Grant necessary permissions
Tap Go To Settings, then tap the slider next to Allow permission under Avast Mobile Security so that it changes from white (OFF) to blue (ON) to grant the System Overlay permission
Tap Go to Settings > Activate to grant the Device Administrator permission
To grant the Usage Access permission, tap Grant Permission, then selectAvast Mobile Security and tap the slider next to Allow usage tracking so that it changes to blue (ON)
Tap Go to Settings, then tap the slider next to Allow permission so that it changes to blue (ON) to grant the Write Settings permission
Tap Continue to give Avast Mobile Security permission to see your device's location. This allows you to locate your device in the case of loss or theft.
Tap Go To Settings to proceed with granting the remaining necessary permissions
Tap Allow on each dialog that appears (you may need to grant Location, Calls, and Media and Files permissions)

Connect to Avast Account

After you've given Anti-Theft all the permissions necessary for you to track and control your device remotely, follow the steps below to connect Avast Mobile Security to your Avast Account.

If Mobile Security is already connected to an Avast Account, you will see the message Avast Account set. In that case, tap Activate Anti-Theft and skip the below steps.

Note that It is not possible to control and track your device remotely if Avast Mobile Security is not connected to an Avast Account.

On the Anti-Theft setup screen, tap Connect to your Avast Account
Tap Set Up Web Control > Email
Enter your Avast Account credentials and tap Log In Avast Account (if you do not have an Avast Account yet , tap Sign Up in the bottom right corner of the screen to create one)

Set a Pattern (Optional)

After connecting Avast Mobile Security to your Avast Account, you will be directed to the Anti-Theft setup screen again. If you wish, you can tap Set a pattern to access protected areas of your device with a swipe gesture rather than a PIN code. Otherwise, tap Activate Anti-Theft to complete the setup.

Configuring Anti-Theft Settings

To configure Anti-Theft settings and specify how your device will behave in case of loss or theft:

From the Avast Mobile Security app, go to Menu > Anti-Theft
Enter your PIN
Enable, disable, or configure the available settings described below as desired

Automatic Lockout

PIN Security: Allows you to use additional protection by marking your device as lost if your Anti-Theft PIN is entered incorrectly eight times

PIN Security is enabled by default. To manage it, go to Anti-Theft > PIN security.

Lost Device

By default, when you mark your device as lost (see the Remote Control Commands section for more details), the following settings will apply:

Lock device: Makes your device inaccessible to intruders by activating a lock screen that requires PIN code

Sound siren: Activates a loud siren on your device to alert you or others of its location

Last known location: Records the last known location and sends it to your Avast Account before the device's battery dies

Device Control

Web control: Set up or change the Avast Account you will use for remote control in the case of loss or theft

Command history: See the history of the commands successfully received from the connected Avast Account.

Advanced Settings

PIN & Pattern: Configure the method used to access Anti-Theft, choosing between a PIN code, pattern, or fingerprint.

Lock screen message: Set up a personalized message that will appear when someone tries to access your device after it has been locked by Anti-Theft (for example, a phone number to call)

Device administrator: Toggle the Device administrator permission on/off (you will be taken to the appropriates device's settings)

If you revoke device administrator settings for Avast Mobile Security, you will not be able to control your device remotely in case of loss or theft. We strongly recommend keeping it enabled at all times, and only disabling it if you need to uninstall Mobile Security.

Anti-Theft Remote Control

Anti-Theft can remotely control your missing device from an Avast Account that you connected to this Mobile Security component. Note that you cannot control a missing device unless the following requirements are met:

The device is turned on and connected to the internet
Anti-Theft is enabled on the device
The device is paired with an Avast Account

Without access to the device, it is not possible to pair it with an Avast Account or enable Anti-Theft.

Accessing Remote Control

Log in to your Avast Account
Locate the Anti-Theft tile on home screen and click the Go to Anti-Theft link
Select your missing mobile device

An overview of the device will be shown along with Anti-Theft commands

Ensure you sign in to the Avast Account that is connected to the Avast Mobile Security app on your missing device.

Remote Control Commands

Locate: Uses GPS to locate your device, giving you two tracking options:

Request location: Shows the device's current location
Track Device: Allows you to choose how often to locate the device (min. 5 minutes) so you can monitor location changes in Notifications (accessed via the Info option in the upper right corner of the device overview screen)

Mark as Lost: Sends a command to the device, setting it as Lost or Found (see the Lost Device section for more information)

Siren: Activates a loud siren on your device to alert you or others of its location (automatically enabled when the device is marked as lost)

Lock: Makes your device inaccessible to intruders by activating a lock screen that requires PIN code (automatically enabled when the device is marked as lost)

Wipe: Send a command to the device to wipe all stored data and initiate a factory reset

This command will remove all the data from the phone, including Anti-Theft. Once this command is issued, it cannot be undone and no further control of the device by Anti-Theft will be possible.