5 antivirus for Android and safety tips
Although iOS led the way, Android has become the most widely used mobile operating system worldwide, and in some countries the gap with its competitors, iOS or Windows Phone, is overwhelming. That popularity also happened to Windows when it became the more common PC operating system, however nowadays virus writers have begun to focus on Android and they have come up with all sorts of malware and spam. Today a large number of major antivirus brands have switched to Android, and in this article we will suggestion you some of them.
Although there is the perennial debate over whether antivirus are really useful or not, it is clear they are there and they can help you out. In general, Android antivirus is mainly used to analyze the applications that you download and install, as apps are the main source of spreading viruses on Android devices. Most antivirus operate in the background, consuming certain percentage of resources, of course, and also provide a thorough analysis for the whole disk and SD cards.
LINE is a Japanese company that has become very popular thanks to its instant messaging client. Besides its chat client, LINE offers all kinds of applications, games and, of course, an antivirus. LINE AntiVirus works in the background, consuming as little resources as possible. Whenever you download any file or application, it will scan that application for viruses or other malware. In addition, allowing further analysis and determine which applications can access certain features of your Android phone.
Bitdefender is a popular antivirus for Windows and one of the best security products. Now it is also available in Android with Bitdefender Antivirus Free, a free antivirus and minimalist, using information on the network, determines whether applications you install are safe or not. It also has more complete analysis, and possibility to scan an external SD cards.
Created by another major antivirus brand for Windows, Trend Micro Mobile Security provides real-time virus protection and complete analysis, as well as protection against possible risks in Facebook and 50 MB free space to save your data with automatic backups. In addition, the paid version includes more features such as possibility to locate your lost or stolen Android device, and remotely delete or block all data from the device.
With Zoner AntiVirus you have at your disposal a handy real-time virus protection, which also has extra anti-theft protection, call blocking and process manager, among other extras. Although it is very comprehensive on several fronts, unfortunately it consumes a lot of phone resources, so unless your device is very powerful such as a Samsung Galaxy S4 you will notice a decrease in performance.
Finally, VIRUSfighter Antivirus Free is another free antivirus with real-time and scheduled scanning which is relatively quick and updated regularly, as I mentioned earlier.
Tips to protect you from viruses on Android
Common Sense. Do not accept files from strangers, and be wary of the files received from unknown sources.
Use official sources. Google Play, Amazon Store … Try to download applications through official stores. Avoid suspicious pages and Android underground. Especially watch out on websites that offer full versions of applications and games for free. Many of these installers bring a gift: malware.
Even with official sources caution. Even if you download an app from Google Play, it may not be entirely safe. Check out reviews of other users to make sure it is clean.
All updated. Whenever possible, keep your Android up to date, as newer versions are more secure. The same goes for the applications such as email clients, instant messaging or web browsers.
Control the use of data. It is logical that an Android phone is full of apps that consume lots of data on your mobile monthly bill, but sometimes excessive consumption may result from unwanted applications which send your personal data without permission.
