Changes to Kaspersky Internet Security for Android and Kaspersky Safe Kids mobile app

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In early March, we modified the functions of several Kaspersky Lab mobile apps for Android and iOS. Here, we examine what’s different, what apps are affected, and the reasons for the changes.

What’s changed in Kaspersky Safe Kids?

The parental control software Kaspersky Safe Kids for iPhone and iPad has shed two features: application control and Safari blocking.

Application control is used to block certain programs that parents consider unsuitable for their children. Safari blocking is needed to ensure that children go online only through the secure browser built in Kaspersky Safe Kids. In iOS, these features are now unavailable, but on other platforms, application blocking still works as before.

In Kaspersky Safe Kids for Android, the changes are different: Call and SMS monitoring has disappeared (which was an Android-only feature anyway). This means that Kaspersky Safe Kids will cease to notify parents about how much and with whom their children communicate using voice and SMS.

What’s changed in Kaspersky Internet Security for Android?

Some features have also changed in Kaspersky Internet Security for Android. The following are no longer available:

• SMS scanning for phishing
  
• Incoming call identification
  
• Allowing calls from contacts only
  

The privacy protection feature for hiding selected contacts is also gone. These contacts can either be returned to the general list or deleted. See here for how to do this.

Likewise, the built-in Anti-Theft module has been stripped of two features: the option to receive on your phone the number of a SIM card inserted into a missing device after Lost Mode is enabled, and the option to erase selected personal data from the lost device. That said, it remains possible to delete all data at once from the device and reset it to factory settings. 

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