Is Avast Mobile Free good enough as anti virus

[NickduBois]

Hi

I would like your opinion as to whether Avast Mobile Free is good enough as virus protection. Or should I be using something else?

Many thanks
Nick

 

[hallux]

Better than Avast is common sense. I don't get ANY of the pop-ups, malware, etc that so many people complain about and say are a problem with Android. Why? Because I don't randomly click on things. I don't click on random links emailed to me by strangers, I don't click on things in the (rare for me) pop-ups on my screen. I'm also cautious about the apps I install and what permissions I grant them.

 

[mustang7757]

Not a big fan on antivirus on a phone , Andriod does a very good job as it is .

 

[stevenjb2020]

If I were to use a anti-anything, I would use Malwarebytes.

 

[B. Diddy]

Welcome to Android Central! I moved this from the Android Apps forum to the Android Antivirus forum since the former is intended for developers to promote their apps.

I would avoid Avast or AVG, since they were in the news recently for selling customer data: https://www.cnet.com/news/antivirus...-analytics-company-over-data-privacy-scandal/

Here's my spiel about the need for antivirus apps on Android:

For the most part, it's still quite difficult to get an actual virus on your phone, because malware requires you to manually accept the installation (which is why they try to fool you into thinking you're installing something legitimate). Use common sense:


1. Avoid shady websites that deal with things like porn, gambling, and "free" (aka pirated) apps/music/movies.


2. Never ever tap on a link that appears in a popup while browsing, especially if they're warning you that your phone is infected -- they're just trying to scare you into installing some bogus "antivirus" app that is probably malicious itself.


3. Only install apps from well-established app sources like Google Play Store or Amazon Appstore. Read a bunch of app reviews before installing an app to look for any complaints about adware or suspected malware.


4. Turn on Google Play Protect features in Settings>Google>Security (or in the Play Store settings). This allows Google to periodically scan your phone's apps to look for malware.


5. Turn off "Unknown Sources" in Settings>Security (or in Special App Access on newer phones). This prevents any app that wasn't obtained from Google Play Store from being installed (which could include malicious apps that are inadvertently downloaded).

 

[me just saying]

not needed if you only use the play store. most other malware you might find when clicking on the wrong link are geared towards windows os. beside you may already have protection on your phone. check to see if lookout was preinstall.