Google Play Protect

[Seth Volcano]

Hello everyone, today I was reading a news that said that google play protect is not safe, since it gave a low score in the AV tests. Should I then download a third-party antivirus?

I have a samsung cell phone, and as I see it comes with an antivirus solution in partnership with mcafee, but I can't see if the database is up to date.

 

[hallux]

Was that news article posted by an antivirus app developer? Do you have the source for your article or are you just going to say you read some random article that said this?

 

[Seth Volcano]

It came out in the news section that google chrome brings, the website is movilzona.es (it is in Spanish), and it frequently appears in the news section of chrome

 

[B. Diddy]

That sounds like a typical misleading fearmongering article. I wouldn't trust that, and I don't think you need a 3rd party antivirus. Review this: [GUIDE] How To Avoid Malware - Android Forums at AndroidCentral.com

EDIT: I assume you mean this article: https://www.movilzona.es/noticias/smartphones/antivirus-gratis-google-no-protege-maximo-movil/. It discusses testing by an antivirus company (which of course, stands to gain by scaring readers into believing they need to install their security app), and basically says that Google Play Protect isn't as robust as a full-fledged antivirus app. That may be the case, but with Android, as long as you follow some common sense guidelines (as I mention in the above guide), there's still no need for a 3rd party antivirus app (which will also likely bog down the system).

 

[Seth Volcano]

I understand, thank you very much for your answer! And about the antiviruses that come integrated with cell phones (for example, my samsung has a malware analysis option provided by mcafee), how reliable are they?

 

[B. Diddy]

If it were my phone, I still wouldn't use McAfee, and try to uninstall or disable it if possible. At least it's a reputable company, so you can be sure it's not malicious itself (which is a risk for many of the supposed antivirus apps from more obscure companies). But again, it's really not necessary if you avoid behavior that exposes you to shady apps and sites.

 

[Seth Volcano]

Ok, thanks for your asnwers!