Android Antivirus Apps Are Useless — Here’s What to Do Instead. Users have been rooting their Android phones ever since the first handsets hit the market, but it’s less common these days.

1. Anti-virus Software For Android Phones
2. Is Antivirus Software Necessary For Android Phones
3. Android Antivirus

Antivirus for Android. COMODO Mobile Security (CMS) - The Best Antivirus for Android is designed to protect your Android devices against viruses, unsafe apps, potentially risky settings and even from theft. Apart from that, it also helps to protect your privacy and keeps your system optimized. Here are our picks of the top Android security apps right now, whether you're after antivirus protection for Android or other security tools. We've investigated the malware detection rates as.

Android is the most widely-used operating system in the world, and that means having the best security apps and antivirus tools for Android installed on your device is essential, as Google's OS is often targeted by malware due to its popularity.

Whatever software you use with your Android phone or tablet, you’d be wise to have an antivirus or a security app installed on your device. In this article, we’re going to highlight 10 of the best antivirus tools for Android in 2019 - most of which are completely free apps to download.

Many of them do much more than run automatic scans, and they’ll actively try to prevent malicious web pages and files from being opened or downloaded in the first place.

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1. Avast Mobile Security

Gives you handy extras like a firewall and remote wipe

Anti-virus Software For Android Phones

Antivirus giant, Avast, has used its considerable skills to create an app which goes above and beyond a mundane scanner. Extra features in the free version include a call blocker, firewall and even an anti-theft measure allowing you to remotely lock or wipe your Android device if it goes missing.

The app used to be paid but is now free, supported by ads. You can pay a small monthly or yearly premium to remove these. Another very useful premium feature is ‘in-app locking’ whereby your device will ask for a PIN before opening certain apps. This prevents malware from launching apps such as internet banking automatically.

• If you need a more rounded security suite, check out Avast Ultimate bundle which comes with a VPN, a system cleanup and a password management solution.

2. Bitdefender Antivirus Free

Bitdefender is a big name in the security community, and its free antivirus program is extremely lightweight. In fact, it doesn’t run in the background which frees up system resources and saves on battery life.

This does mean you have to schedule scans or run them manually to be safe. This said, any new apps downloaded to your device are automatically scanned. Another advantage of this app is that it’s ready to go as soon as it is installed – no additional configuration is required.

Just be sure that If you require extra security, sign up for a free 14-day trial of Bitdefender Mobile Security. This includes the basic antivirus as well as real-time protection for Google's Chrome browser and anti-theft features.

There's also a nifty Privacy advisor tool and adds a layer of security to your smartwatch via its WearOn technology which alerts you if you leave your phone behind. Security, not in the traditional sense.

3. AVG

AVG antivirus for Android is a feature-packed security app. As well as the core antivirus feature, it also includes a wi-fi security scanner, app lock, and photo vault to help protect your files.

There are also a host of other features such performance enhancement, which aims to kill unnecessary process, turning off battery-draining settings, as well as deleting junk files such as are commonly found in temp and cache folders.

Anti-theft protections are included, too, such as the ability to track a lost phone with Google Maps, and even to lock it down remotely with a lockout message. If you think your phone has been stolen you can even make it emit a siren. If that's not enough, it also takes selfies of anyone unsuccessfully trying to unlock your phone and emails the images to you, plus it can record audio of any attempts, too.

Additional security features include the ability to lockdown the phone if someone else tries to change the SIM card, and even wipe your phone and SD card content remotely if you fear someone else has somehow been able to unlock it without authorization.

There are also additional privacy settings, such as for blocking callers, and a VPN is included for anonymous surfing. Additional insights are also provided via a dashboard to see which apps you use, which are using the most data, and discover potential privacy issues.

With so many features bundled in, it's no wonder this app is arguably the most popular in the Google Play store, with over 6.5 million reviews and an average score of over 4.5.

4. McAfee Security & Power Booster Free

Sports some nifty features and blocks malicious sites

McAfee is another well-known name when it comes to antivirus software for the PC, and this Android app - McAfee Mobile Security - doesn’t disappoint. Besides the antivirus scanner itself, free features include tracking a lost device as well as locking and wiping it remotely. If your device is stolen, the app can even take a picture of the thief…

Other highlights include the ability to scan apps to check if they leak sensitive information, and lock them if necessary. McAfee will also block access to potentially malicious websites, as well as allow you to keep a blacklist of nuisance callers and texters.

• The paid premium version of the app allows you to remove ads and receive phone support.

5. Kaspersky Mobile Antivirus

Tackles the core job of sniffing out malware with aplomb

Kaspersky has a reputation up there with the big players like Bitdefender. The free version of its security app has some impressive features, and it’s very good at picking up on malware, with a detection rate of 99.9% according to AV-Test’s trials from November 2017.

Kaspersky Antivirus & Security will also try to block any malicious sites or links before you click through to them, preventing an infection from happening in the first place. A key feature is support for Android Wear which simplifies security management.

• Kaspersky Internet Security for Androidis the premium version of the app; it offers extra security features such as automatic scan, anti phishing, a confidentiality feature plus call and text filtering.

6. Sophos Free Antivirus and Security

Award-winning protection from Sophos

Sophos’ free antivirus app has previously won the AV-Test award for best protection in 2015. Unlike other free scanners, Sophos doesn’t contain any adverts. It does, however, block websites with potentially spammy or illegal content.

Apps are scanned for malware or otherwise harmful content as they are installed and Sophos alerts you if they might leak any sensitive information. The antivirus scanner can be scheduled to scan files and folders periodically, and the malware database itself is updated daily.

The app also includes a handy QR code scanner which can be used to set up secure Wi-Fi connections. There’s also an authenticator that can generate one-time passwords for two-factor authentication.

7. Norton Security and Antivirus

Another big name offering tight security for your mobile

This free app from Norton was able to detect 100% of all Android malware when benchmarked by AV-Test a few months ago. The scanner is powered by Norton Mobile Insight and can detect viruses inside apps and files, then remove them automatically.

Other useful security features include the ability to lock your phone via an SMS message, or if the SIM card is removed. You can also choose to remotely lock your device if it goes missing (or have it locked after 10 unsuccessful attempts to enter the passcode).

• For extra protection, try Norton Mobile Security which boasts extra features such as SafeWeb filtering that blocks malicious websites.

8. Trend Micro Mobile Security & Antivirus

Impressive security with parental control features

Trend Micro’s effort not only scans new apps for malware, but prevents newly installed apps from accessing other programs, which can be useful for device admins and parents.

There’s also a built-in privacy scanner for Facebook which warns you if your profile settings are displaying sensitive personal information.

There is a free version of the app, along with a paid-for version with a premium list of features. These include a malware blocker which is capable of scanning apps before they are even installed to pre-emptively avoid any potential infection. There are also utilities for safe surfing, as well as call and text filtering.

9. AhnLab V3 Mobile Security

An app which runs well even on older Android devices

This security app from South Korean AhnLab is not as famous as the others on this list, but nonetheless has very high detection rates for Android malware according to AV-Test (99.6%) and runs well even on older Android devices. Indeed, it has a built-in booster to help speed up your phone’s performance.

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The app comes with a free 10-day trial of the anti-malware features which proactively search for vulnerabilities and warn you if apps could potentially leak sensitive personal information.

Other handy privacy features include a hidden gallery for personal photos and a privacy cleaner to securely clear your browsing history. Other features include the ability to stop phishing URLs, as well as to selectively block unwanted and unknown calls, and there’s also built-in protection to stop malware from uninstalling the app.

10. Avira Antivirus Security

Has a smart system of categorising apps on a privacy scale

Avira’s mobile offering will not only scan files you download and content on your phone’s memory, but it can also scan external storage such as your SD card. Applications are rated using a privacy scale to help you easily decide how much they can be trusted with your data.

The integrated ‘Identity Safeguard’ regularly checks if the email addresses in your contacts list have been involved in any major data breaches. The app is controlled by a web-based management portal, which is extremely useful if you want to set up a common policy over multiple Android devices.

The premium version includes better support, automatic blocking of malicious websites, and more frequent updates.

• Also check out the best antivirus for your PC

The media is full of reports saying Android malware is exploding and that Android users are at risk. Does this mean you should install an antivirus app on your Android phone or tablet?

While there may be a lot of Android malware in the wild, a look at Android’s protections and studies from antivirus companies reveals that you’re probably safe if you follow some basic precautions.

Android Already Checks For Malware

Android itself has some built-in antivirus features. Before considering whether an antivirus app is useful, it’s important to examine the features Android already has:

• Google Play apps are scanned for malware: Google uses a service named Bouncer to automatically scan apps on the Google Play Store for malware. As soon as an app is uploaded, Bouncer checks it and compares it to other known malware, Trojans, and spyware. Every application is run in a simulated environment to see if it will behave maliciously on an actual device. The app’s behavior is compared to the behavior of previous malicious apps to look for red flags. New developer accounts are particularly scrutinized – this is to prevent repeat offenders from creating new accounts.
• Google Play can remotely uninstall apps: If you’ve installed an app that is later found to be malicious, Google has the ability to remotely uninstall this app from your phone when it’s pulled from Google Play
• Android 4.2 scans sideloaded apps: While apps on Google Play are checked for malware, apps that are sideloaded (installed from elsewhere) were not checked for malware. On Android 4.2, when you first try to sideload an app, you’ll be asked whether you want to verify sideloaded apps are safe. This ensures that all apps on your device are checked for malware.

• Android 4.2 blocks premium rate SMS messages: Android 4.2 prevents apps from sending premium-rate SMS messages in the background and alerts you when an app tries to do this. Malware creators use this technique to rack up charges on your cell phone bill and make money for themselves.
• Android restricts apps: Android’s permission and sandboxing systems helps limit the scope of any malware. Apps can’t sit in the background and watch every keystroke or access protected data, such as your online banking credentials from your bank’s app. Apps must also declare the permissions they require at installation.

Where Does Malware Come From?

Prior to Android 4.2, the majority of Android’s anti-malware features weren’t actually found on Android devices themselves – the protection was found in Google Play. This means that users who download apps from outside the Google Play store and sideload them are more at risk.

A recent study by McAfee found that over 60% of Android malware samples they received were from a single family of malware, known as “FakeInstaller.” FakeInstallers disguise themselves as legitimate apps. They may be available on a web page that pretends to be an official website or on an unofficial, fake Android Market with no protection against malware. Once installed, they send premium-rate SMS text messages in the background, costing you money.

On Android 4.2, the built-in malware protection would hopefully catch a FakeInstaller as soon as it’s sideloaded. Even if it didn’t, Android would alert the user when the app tried to send SMS messages in the background.

On previous versions of Android, you can protect yourself by installing apps from legitimate sources, such as Google Play. A pirated version of a paid app offered on a suspicious website may be stuffed with malware – just like on Windows.

Another recent study by F-Secure, which found that Android malware was exploding, found a scary-sounding 28,398 samples of Android malware in Q3 2012. However, only 146 of these samples came from Google Play – in other words, only 0.5% of malware found was from Google Play. 99.5% came from outside Google Play, particularly on unofficial app stores in other countries where no checking or policing for malware is done.

Do You Need an Antivirus?

These studies indicate the majority of malware comes from outside the Google Play store. If you only install apps from Google Play, you should be fairly safe – especially if you check the permissions an app requires before you install it. For example, don’t install games that require permissions to send SMS messages. Very few apps (only apps that interact with SMS messages) need this permissions to function.

If you only install apps from Google Play, you shouldn’t need an antivirus. However, if you regularly sideload apps from outside Google Play, you should probably install an antivirus app just to be safe. Of course, it’s generally best not to sideload suspicious apps in the first place. There are exceptions, such as installing apps from the Amazon Appstore, downloading games you’ve purchased from the Humble Indie Bundle, or installing the Swype keyboard from Swype’s website, but you probably shouldn’t downloaded pirated games from suspicious websites – of course, that’s just common sense.

If you do want an antivirus, there are some good free options. avast! Mobile Security for Android is particularly well-reviewed and is completely free.

Antivirus Apps Have Other Features

However, this isn’t the end of the story. Android antivirus apps are often full-featured security suites. They often include other useful features, such as a “find my Android” feature you can use to remotely find your Android phone if you lose it or if it’s stolen. This is particularly useful, as it’s not built into Android.

Apps may also offer other useful features. For example, avast! offers a “Privacy Report” feature that sorts your installed apps by permission so you can see if you have any apps that require too many permissions. avast! also offers a firewall that allows rooted users to block certain apps from accessing the Internet.

If you want any of these features – particularly the “find my Android” anti-theft feature – an Android security app can still be useful.

Is Antivirus Software Necessary For Android Phones

As long as you stick to apps from Google Play, you probably don’t need an antivirus – especially if you’re using Android 4.2 or later. The majority of Android malware comes from third-party app stores and apps downloaded from suspicious websites. To be extra safe, check the permissions of apps you install.

Android Antivirus

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