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Cerberus is a very well thought out anti theft application that allows users to recover misplaced, lost, or stolen smartphone. It utilizes a wide range of features and measures that tackle almost any trick or loop you can think of. The app is Android only, costs $2.99, and can work on up to 5 different devices.

In Greek and Roman mythology, Cerberus is a multi-headed dog, or hellhound which guards the gates of the underworld and prevents those who have already crossed the river Styx from ever returning.

The creature has often been depicted in different ways by different authors of the era, with the most notable difference involving the number of its heads. Some show it with two, some with just one. A smaller number of works describe it with as many as a hundred heads. But most sources, and the most famous representations however depict it with three heads.

Taking cue from the tri-headed mythical guardian, the app employs three different methods that help you secure your phone: It allows the user to remotely control the phone in two ways, either through the website or via text messages - which means that it works even if the device does not have an internet connection - and, for devices that have a SIM card, the SIM Checker feature can automatically alert the owner when someone attempts to use it with a different SIM card.

The remote control feature allows you to do a number of things with your device. You can locate and track it, start a loud alarm - even if the device is set to silent mode, wipe the internal memory and the SD card, hide its icon from the app drawer, lock the device with a code, record audio from the microphone, turn on the camera, get a list of last calls made and received, and find out about any network or operator that the device connected to. Additionally, it can automatically turn on GPS in order to try and localize your device. This feature however is restricted to devices running Android 2.3.3 or below. If your device has newer software, you will need to root it to get the feature to work.

In fact, a rooted device can get more out of Cerberus than non rooted phones do not. You can integrate Cerberus into your ROM and render the app completely immune to uninstallation. It can even survive a wipe or factory reset. Grabbing a screenshot of your device is also a root only feature.

In the event where the SIM card is changed, fear not, the SIM Checker feature will inform you of the new number to send texts to. Texts that are sent and received from the Cerberus remote control feature will not start any notification and will not appear in the messages app.

Moreover, the app doesn’t place any extra load on the battery because it does not run in the background. Instead it only activates when a remote control request is sent and will shut off afterwards.

The app is free for the first week. After that you can buy a lifetime license for $2.99 from within the application. The license is associated to your Cerberus account. If you have multiple devices you can use up to five of them with the same account. You can download it here. Make sure to visit the website and check the help section for more details on installation for rooted devices and other common inquiries.

BONUS APP: Like all remote tracking services, Cerberus will become useless if the device is turned off. To prevent that, you should install Smart Lockscreen Protector, which will make it impossible to bring up the shut down dialog on the lock screen.

Cerberus review on DailyAppShow