Android Security Apps

[MyPoorAndy]

I've read conflicting views on whether or not security apps are needed on Android phones. Also I've gotten malware on my phone twice and had to do a factory reset twice and we all know how much fun doing a factory reset is. Therefore, is it possible that I could have gotten this malaware even if my phone had a great security app on it?

 

[ocnbrze]

I've read conflicting views on whether or not security apps are needed on Android phones. Also I've gotten malware on my phone twice and had to do a factory reset twice and we all know how much fun doing a factory reset is. Therefore, is it possible that I could have gotten this malaware even if my phone had a great security app on it?

i have been on android since its conception and i never had any malware or adware infect my phones. i also never had to use any anti-virus apps. i am just careful what i download and install on my phone. if it is a new i'm installing i will always check what permissions the app wants access to. if it seems odd that a wallpaper app wants access to my contacts, i will not download it.

i also am careful on what websites i go to as well.

so for me i agree that anti-virus apps are worthless cuz there are really no know virus that infects android os. malware and adware, sure, but no viruses.

but it is ok to use them. some people just like to have a peace of mind kind of thing. but for me, don't have one and probably never will.

 

[Hadron]

It's impossible to say whether or not you would have got those malware infections if you had been running a security app: it would depend on what malware it was, what the particular security app could detect at the time of your infection, and possibly on how it was installed (whether the app checked that procedure).

If you regularly indulge in unsafe practices, e.g. downloading apps from sites that anyone can upload to, or sites that host pirated software, then you may be safer if you use a security app. But the safest thing is to avoid downloading from such sites.

 

[svim]

There are literally hundreds of thousands of active exploits and compromises floating around the Internet and a lot of them are targeted at the Android platform now that it's so prevalent. But no matter what kind of PR statements the anti-virus/anti-malware providers may make, there is no such thing as any one of them that's 100% effective. At best you should expect a maybe 70% level of actual protection. Plus you have to take into account while some exploits are specific to Android, most focus on our online services -- our phones get more exposure when we're interacting with online, but it's our data that's in our various online sites that are always exposed (we have to go on faith that whichever social media sites we use are keeping our accounts safely locked down).
So pick any A/V app you like, and it may or may not actually protect you, there are hundreds of variable involved. (Odds are you should stick with the more popular ones, they'll have more active development and support and that's really, really important because exploits and malware are always evolving and getting more sophisticated.) When you're so lackadaisical on how you use your phone when interacting with the Internet, A/V utilities can't protect you from yourself.