Unlike websites, mobile apps don’t have a visible indicator like https. Researchers have found that many mobile apps don’t encrypt information properly, so it’s a bad idea to use certain types of mobile apps on unsecured Wi-Fi. If you plan to use an app to conduct sensitive transactions — such as shopping with a credit card, or accessing your bank account — use a secure wireless network (at home) or your phone’s data network (often referred to as 3G or 4G).