Antivirus apps for Android devices

Should you use an antivirus application for your Android device ? If yes, tell me a few good anti virus apps for my Android device.

If you have been using Windows on your desktop or laptop, then a Google search for antivirus software is a common thing. But should you use an antivirus for your Android device too ?

Some argue that Android consists of a kernel based on the Linux kernel, so there is no need to use an anti virus. They could be wrong !! There have been live instances to show that Android devices can also be vulnerable to attacks - Android malware is growing at an alarming rate, up something like 472% from May of this year.

Now that it is proved that the threats are real, let us take a quick glance at what features these apps offer. Here below I have listed some famous apps :

Norton Mobile Security LITE

• Can lock your phone remotely in case of theft.
• Claims that it does not affect the speed of the mobile and that of other apps.

ESET Mobile Security

• SMS commands help you remotely locate, lock or wipe your Android device in the event it is stolen or simply misplaced
• Define trustworthy contacts with customizable black/white lists or simply block messages and phone calls from unknown numbers.

 Kapersky Mobile Security

• Has a parental control option that is you can limit their access to calls and sms and keep a track remotely using GPS.
• Hide or unhide the contacts or messages that you don’t want others to see.

 Bit Defender Mobile Security

• Has anti-theft feature that helps locating the device or also helps wipe out the sensitive data remotely.

 Antivirus Free (AVG)

• Find/locate your lost or stolen phone via Google maps
• Kill tasks that slow your phone down
• Lock apps to protect your privacy and safety or lock your device setting to secure your device configuration

There are many other anti virus apps in the market, but I just shared the above few to list out their main features in general – might help us get an idea about what features these apps offer.

Here is a list of all the free anti virus apps for Android sorted according to popularity.

If you still really wonder if an antivirus app does really protect your Android device, read this article on LifeHacker.

Simply put, these anti virus softwares are still in incumbent stage and yes they protect upto some extent and not as robust as their desktop versions are.

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