AVO: Security & Privacy

AVO helps you check the things that actually put your phone at risk — the
links people send you, the apps you have installed, the networks you join,
and whether your email has turned up in a data breach.

LINK CHECKER — CHECK BEFORE YOU TAP
Paste any link and AVO checks it against Google Safe Browsing, then inspects
the address itself for impersonation: look-alike spellings, digit swaps
(paypa1, netfl1x), brand names on the wrong domain, and hidden characters.
This catches brand-new phishing pages that no blocklist has seen yet.

APP AUDIT
See where every installed app actually came from. AVO flags apps installed
from unrecognised sources rather than a trusted app store, apps shipping as
debug builds, and apps that combine permissions in ways worth a second look —
for example SMS access alongside accessibility or screen-overlay rights. Each
finding explains itself, and takes you straight to Android's uninstall screen
if you want the app gone.


WEB SHIELD — BLOCKS HARMFUL SITES ACROSS EVERY APP
Web Shield uses Android's VpnService API to run a filter locally on your
device. AVO needs VpnService because it is the only mechanism Android
provides for an app to inspect connections across the whole device: it is
what lets Web Shield check the address of every site before it loads in
every app and browser, rather than only inside AVO.

To be exact about what that does and does not mean: AVO does not route your
traffic through any server, does not encrypt it, and does not hide your IP
address. No remote VPN server is involved and no traffic leaves your device
because of Web Shield. The VpnService interface is used solely to inspect DNS
lookups on the device and compare them against a blocklist of 313,000 ad,
tracker, malware and phishing domains, refreshed automatically.

Android asks for your permission before Web Shield starts, an ongoing
notification is shown for as long as it is running, and you can turn it off
at any time from within AVO.

Note that encrypted DNS — such as Chrome's Secure DNS or a Private DNS
setting — bypasses any on-device filter; AVO detects this and shows you how
to turn it off for full coverage.

DATA BREACH MONITORING
Check whether your email address has appeared in a known data breach. Turn on
Dark Web Watch and AVO will notify you if it shows up in a new one.

APP PRIVACY ADVISOR
See which apps hold background location, which can install other apps, and
which combine permissions in ways associated with stalkerware.

DEVICE SECURITY CHECK
One scan of the things that genuinely protect you: screen lock, biometrics,
storage encryption, Play Protect, security patch age, developer options, and
signs of rooting or tampering.

WI-FI SAFETY
Tells you when you have joined an open, unencrypted network — the moment it
matters most — and explains the risk.

SAFE QR SCANNER
Scans a QR code and checks the link before anything opens.

PARENTAL CONTROLS
Family-safe filtering that blocks adult, advertising and malware domains on
this device.

WHAT AVO IS NOT
We would rather be clear than oversell:

• AVO is not antivirus software. It does not scan files, does not monitor
your device in the background for infections, and cannot remove anything by
itself. App Audit reports what it can observe about your installed apps and
leaves every decision to you.
• AVO is not a VPN. It does not encrypt your internet traffic or hide your IP
address. Web Shield filters harmful domains on your device.
• AVO cannot read other apps' private data. Android's security model prevents
this for every app.

PRIVACY
Analytics are anonymous and privacy-focused. AVO never collects your browsing
history, your messages, or your contacts.