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Do I need an antivirus?

DannyG86

Newbie
Dec 12, 2013
10
5
Hey guys.

I'm just wondering if I need to bother with an antivirus, and if so which one to use?

I currently have Avast and malwarebytes installed and it feels like total overkill.

One of them should be enough right? Or should I not even be worried about viruses/malware on android at the present time?

I've just moved over from iOS ( about 2 weeks ago ) and am still finding my feet.

Thanks for your time,
Danny
 
Those two kinda do different things .. at least, on a PC. I'd suggest you do what I do with my PC and pick one (Avast) to keep running and occassionally re-enable (or re-install) the other one (Malwarebytes) and run a quick scan.

Having said that, I've never used AV on my phone. I'm reasonably careful what I do on it - like never opening attachments unless they're things I'm expecting to receive - plus I avoid doing anything very sensitive like internet banking on my phone.
 
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Dealer's choice :)

If you use the forum search you will see that some people never use an anti-virus with Android.Myself I just use Avast as well on all my devices including windows.It has a very small resource footprint and is free so,"Why Not" :)
Also the app version has other nice features like being able to track your phone if stolen and the ability to hide the program from a would-be thief.Also,unlike some bloated AVs I've never had a lock-up or crash with Avast since winXP or before.

My 10 Penn'th :pcguru:
 
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Dealer's choice :)

If you use the forum search you will see that some people never use an anti-virus with Android.Myself I just use Avast as well on all my devices including windows.It has a very small resource footprint and is free so,"Why Not" :)
Also the app version has other nice features like being able to track your phone if stolen and the ability to hide the program from a would-be thief.Also,unlike some bloated AVs I've never had a lock-up or crash with Avast since winXP or before.

My 10 Penn'th :pcguru:

Thanks for the advice. I did turn off realtime scanning in malwarebytes as I didn't want to have both of them scanning.

I like how avast can also disable internet access to apps also. That alone cuts down on dodgy advertising in apps (live wallpaper apps are atrocious for this it seems)

Thanks
 
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Thanks for the advice. I did turn off realtime scanning in malwarebytes as I didn't want to have both of them scanning.

I like how avast can also disable internet access to apps also. That alone cuts down on dodgy advertising in apps (live wallpaper apps are atrocious for this it seems)

Thanks

"Live Wallpapers" may look nice but they can be a big battery drain.Just a thought :)
 
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I dont think we need antivirus apps tbh but if like me youre lazy about reading app permissions, its good to have an app that warns you about ads or possibly harmful permissions while the app downloads and before installation. (I use Appbrain Ad Detector)

As for live wallpapers, they only use CPU/battery while youre on homescreen so dont worry about battery unless you spend a lot of time staring at it, in which case its probably worth the battery drain :D
 
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As long as you're careful about where you're getting apps from (stick to the official Google Play Store rather than shady sites offering paid apps for free), you really shouldn't need antivirus. Google already scans every application in the play store for malicious code, and they've also recently added an option to even scan apps loaded from elsewhere (Settings > Security > Verify Apps). Until recently, I still suggested apps like Avast solely for their anti-theft offerings, but Google has recently taken care of that as well.

One last word - pay attention to the permissions that applications request when you install them. If you encounter a flashlight app that wants to know your location and personal information and have full access to the Internet, run. (No antivirus would protect you from that sort of shady app anyway.)
 
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As long as you're careful about where you're getting apps from (stick to the official Google Play Store rather than shady sites offering paid apps for free), you really shouldn't need antivirus. Google already scans every application in the play store for malicious code, and they've also recently added an option to even scan apps loaded from elsewhere (Settings > Security > Verify Apps). Until recently, I still suggested apps like Avast solely for their anti-theft offerings, but Google has recently taken care of that as well.

One last word - pay attention to the permissions that applications request when you install them. If you encounter a flashlight app that wants to know your location and personal information and have full access to the Internet, run. (No antivirus would protect you from that sort of shady app anyway.)

Got it :)

I don't download apps from anywhere but google play. That would go against the grain for me.

If an app is worth it, i'll buy it.

Thanks!
 
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I'm sure you've gotten the answer you needed but here is my 0.02 cents worth. I run Avast on my phone just for precautionary stakes. I only download from the play store. I also run Addon Detector for push adds that the antivirus doesn't stop. To me this is the biggest "Virus" Android has is stuff like push adds and other types of advertisement. I generally purchase all my apps so that I can get add free versions and support the developer. There are a few free apps though that I use quite a bit that do not offer a "Pay" version but no adds have been associated with them as far as I can tell.

So the question is do you need Anti-virus well the real answer to that is dependent upon how you use your device and how you obtain apps. How you download attachments and from who.
 
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