360 Security - A lot of bang for zero bucks

Functionality

So what does 360 Security actually do? For starters, it is an antivirus application and comes with a decent set of features. They include real-time scanning of your apps and files to find any potential problems, a scanner to find pre-existing problems, and it can detect adware, malware, trojans and more. The virus database is updated from the cloud pretty much whenever you want.

On top of that, it also has a cleanup function that will find old, forgotten, and otherwise useless files on your device. 360 Security will clear all of those out for you to help give you some extra space on your device. This functionality is extended to include apps as well. You can find and uninstall apps you don’t use to save on space and, sometimes, conserve battery.

There is also a boost function that clears out running apps. This is actually configurable so you can have some apps remain in memory. We recommend putting all of the apps you use frequently in the exceptions so that they don’t spend all day re-initializing and draining your battery. Otherwise, it seems to work as intended.

There is also a newer feature that allows you to block notifications from various apps. This functionality is actually built in to Lollipop and Marshmallow but for some, it’s nice to see apps doing it as well. You can configure which apps show you notifications and hides the others for your viewing later. This is great, especially for games that don’t know when to shut up.

Along with that, you get a call and SMS filter that will automatically block incoming SMS and phone calls from numbers and contacts you’ve assigned. This is a good way to get rid of repeat telemarketers and other various annoyances.

360 Security has several other additional features. They include an application manager to help you uninstall and view applications, a data monitor that lets you set your monthly limits to keep track of that, and a find-my-phone feature that is integrated with Google that will help you find your device.

It’s true that not everyone will find every single feature useful, but with the giant list of things available, there’s something in there for just about everyone.

The Good

Okay now that we know what it does, here’s what we liked about 360 Security:

• Pretty much everything you can do in this app is configurable and we really liked that. If you like a feature, you can configure it to your needs and if you don’t want a feature, you can opt not to use it. The whole thing is totally your call and nothing is forced on you which we really liked.
• The phone, SMS, and notification filters are really fun to play with. It’s nice getting those set up and knowing that when your phone goes off, it’s like because of something you actually want to interact with.
• The cleanup feature is nifty. A lot of apps have this one and 360 Security’s version works as well as any of them. It’s a good way to get rid of old, forgotten, or otherwise useless files to free up some storage.
• The antivirus security actually works and it’s quick and painless. During our tests, it found out the malware apps right away and uninstalling them was easy.
• The tertiary features all worked very well. In fact, during our testing, we didn’t run into one broken feature or force close. 360 Security as a whole is a very stable app.
• We also really liked that the find-my-phone feature was integrated with your Google account instead of trying to do its own thing. It’s so much easier this way and we appreciated the effort.
• It uses the Android design guidelines and it looks very good doing so. It is definitely a good looking app. It’s also totally free with no in-app purchases which is always a plus. The app appears to be supported by advertising.

The Bad

And here’s what we didn’t like so much:

• We loved that the boost feature is configurable so it doesn’t kill off apps that you use often. Unfortunately, it doesn’t come configured hardly at all and, depending on your usage, removing that many apps from memory can result in many of them popping right back up as you use your device. Continuously reloading apps this way can actually make your battery life worse if you don’t use it right depending on your use case.
• Many of the app’s best features are in the menus. It focuses on the boost, cleanup, and antivirus function. We would’ve liked to have seen the various filters, app lock, and the find-my-phone feature more prominently represented.
• As with any application with advertising, we would’ve liked to have seen a way to pay to remove ads. It’s a small thing since the ads generally aren’t intrusive and there are no pop ups anywhere, but having that option is always preferable.
• When you first run the app, 360 Security will place a few icons on your home screen. All of these features are available in the app so we don’t understand why they did this and it can be a little intrusive.

Final Thoughts

Overall, 360 Security is one of the best, if not the best, all-in-one optimization apps available today. It’s true that a few of the features require a bit of configuring to get them to work right and not everything is perfect, but the set of features that 360 Security delivers is quite impressive and the app itself is solid and stable.

If you want to try it out, click the button below. It currently rocks a 4.6 rating in the Google Play Store and has been downloaded by over 100 million people. We can see why that’s the case. It is totally free to use with no in-app purchases so there is no harm in trying it out for yourself.

[This is a sponsored post]