App search company Quixey partnered with security company Appthority to create an alliance “designed to ensure the safety of every app downloaded onto a mobile device”.

By using Appthority’s cloud-based platform, which “identifies and grades risky behaviour in aps,” Quixey will ensure that the apps featured in its search results are safe.

Tomer Kagan, CEO of Quixey, said: “Given the rise in malware and the increasing need for app security, Quixey is partnering with Appthority to deliver the safest, most trusted experience when downloading apps onto a mobile device."

As a result of the partnership, apps identified as malware will be removed from search results before they reach the user – protecting them from harmful apps before they are downloaded.

Partners using Quixey’s search technology will also be able to expose the security behaviour of each app – for example if it accesses an address book or location data.

And it will also be possible to feature “security badges” within search results, so that users will know apps are “trusted and secure”.