How Does the Lookout App Work?

The Lookout Security and Antivirus app is available for both iOS and Android devices. The feature-packed free app is highly rated by users on Google Play. The Lookout app offers missing device features, backup and restore options, as well as malware protection for iPhones and Android mobile devices. The premium version of the app includes a Privacy Advisor and Safe Browsing functionality.

The Lookout Security and Antivirus app is one component of a larger security system you can implement for all of your devices. The Lookout site provides an aggregated view of the security status of all registered devices from the Lookout Web-based dashboard. The Lookout app seamlessly integrates with the security dashboard Web tool, providing real time information about your phone from any Web browser.

In addition to protecting your mobile device against malware, the Lookout app enables you to back up your contacts, photos and call history data. The app also provides a Scream feature, which sounds a loud alarm so you can find your phone if you lose it, and a Locate my Phone feature that displays the current location of your phone on a Google map. You can configure the app to automatically delete all your sensitive data if your device is lost or stolen. Check the check box when prompted during the app setup to enable the “Signal Flare” feature. This feature automatically saves your device’s location before the battery runs out of charge.

Open Google Play on your device, tap the “Apps" tab, then search for “Lookout" in the Apps section. Tap the entry for “Lookout Security and Antivirus" to open the app details screen. Tap “Install" to launch the installer, then tap “Accept" to allow the program to access your data and apps. Tap “Open” to launch the Lookout app.

When you first open the free app to your mobile device, the Welcome screen launches a brief tour of the tool. Once you advance through the tour, you are prompted to create a new Lookout account by entering an email address and a password. Tap “Start Protecting” to create your new account.

After a couple of Upgrade prompts, the Lookout app main screen opens and an automatic scan of your device initiates. The app scans all installed apps, operating system files, documents and other files. When the scan is complete, a results screen displays any potential malware found on your device. A notification also appears that Lookout is now activated on the device.

Note that you must upgrade to the premium version to restore your backed up data. To back up your data, tap the “Backup” tab in the app’s main screen to open the Backup tool. Tap “Back Up Now.” The app backs up your contacts, call history and photo gallery to the Lookout cloud within a few seconds.

You must have Location Services enabled on your device to use the Locate my Phone missing device feature. The Scream feature works without Location Services enabled. To activate the Missing Device features, tap the “Missing Device” tab on the app’s main screen. The app activates the feature, automatically locates your device, then displays your location on a Google map. Test the Scream feature by tapping the “Try Now" icon in the Scream entry. Open the Lookout site in a Web browser from a computer to configure the Locate Phone, device wiping, screen locking and other missing device features.