So i just got my Oneplusone and was wondering what kind of virusprotection do people use on their phones? I've never had any and i would like to hear whats good. AVG gets alot of advertising but is it any good on phones?
http://www.av-test.org/en/
I am using Sophos, mainly because it's light and not annoying
For me it's Malware bytes. Super easy, light and customizable. I set it to do a full phone scan at night when I'm sleeping. That in combination with Malware Bytes secure back up or any other back up app (such as avast mobile back up) will aid you if your phone is lost or stolen, by simply wiping the data or just to simply recover the data onto another phone.
Also wouln't be a terrible idea to download some utility cleaners such as CCleaner (now on mobile) and a file management system such as ES File Explorer
No, AVG is not good for phones, neither is any other "anti-virus" app. Best virus protection for your phone is your brain! Don't install random APK's from Chinese markets and read reviews before downloading any app. If downloading ROM's or kernels, make sure to download them either from the dev's own site, or one that was linked by a dev. That's all you need. The only thing all these "anti-virus" apps do is use up your phone's resources slowing it down and kill the battery.
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What MadRussian said. I have an AV just because I feel safer. I would recommend Lookout since its a full fledged AV plus the option to track your phone.
Second that. I've never had a virus *knocks on wood* so far. Your common sense is the strongest virus protection.
There is no point on Android as the Android security model locks down everything
What if the Android phone is several years old? Mine was released March 2019, but only bought it last year. I have tried Sophos but drains the battery really fast. I’m looking for an antivirus that’s light on resources not because I need it, it just makes me feel a little safer.
Just download reputable apps and only from the Play Store. Make sure to browse the internet with Firefox equipped with Privacy Badger and uBlock so that malicious content can’t get to you (mostly). Don’t download files from the internet. That’s as much as you can do. If there are backdoors and vulnerabilities in the base OS there’s no antivirus that will take care of them for you. The device runs without root priviledges so an antivirus would not be able to stop something that goes through a backdoor and runs as root, which is how you take over a phone.
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Thanks for the useful tips! I’ll be sure to only install trusted apps from reliable sources. Firefox with those plugin recommendations sounds like a wise precation too. However, I’m having problems installing the privacy badger on my Firefox for Android. I’ll try it again tomorrow. Thanks again!
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You are out of firmware updates and no amount of AV software will protect your phone from the coming exploits.
Stick to recent phones with ongoing OS, security and firmware updates if you intend to use your phone with something critical like mobile banking, crypto wallets, and email.
For older phones it should be safe to use as a media consumption device (YouTube, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ etc).
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Thanks for the advice, @regulareel! I’ve been using my phone for mobile banking and online shopping, but I’ll stick to my desktop for those activities now. It’s definitely important to be mindful of older software. I’ll start saving up for a newer model to get the latest security features in a year or two.
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“Antivirus” is not part of the Android security model. Android implements strong security mechanisms like SElinux to sandbox apps. If anything an app could try to exploit some vulnerability but a “antivirus” is not going to prevent that.
If you are concerned only get your apps from F-droid
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