Is virus protection necessary?

[jsoni413]

Hello all, I've been a long time iPhone user, and finally decided to pick up the S4 as I am fed up with the battery and basic OS on the iPhone. I had question for someone using an Android device for the first time.

Do I need to download a virus protection app.? I will probably be using torrents and other app stores. I obviously wouldn't want my personal data at risk here and was wondering if it was even safe to do these kind of things.

 

[Imnutsnj]

Hello all, I've been a long time iPhone user, and finally decided to pick up the S4 as I am fed up with the battery and basic OS on the iPhone. I had question for someone using an Android device for the first time.

Do I need to download a virus protection app.? I will probably be using torrents and other app stores. I obviously wouldn't want my personal data at risk here and was wondering if it was even safe to do these kind of things.

You should install an anti-virus if you plan on doing any downloading outside of Google Play, there are a bunch of anti-virus apps in the Play Store.

Sent from my HTC DROID DNA using the Android Central App

 

[jsoni413]

Any particular recommendations for the best anti-virus app for someone who has used other app stores before?

 

[meyerweb#CB]

You'll get answers on both sides of this question. My opinion is that while there have been examples of malware on Android devices, they are very rare, and if you take a few simple precautions you don't really need virus protection. These AV programs are known to produce plenty of false positives, too.

The protections: Only download software from the Play Store, Amazon or, in rare cases, software from other sources that have been recommended by people you trust.
Don't download, even from the Play store, any software that has only a very few ratings. Give new software time to build a bit of a reputation, in terms of ratings and reviews, before you trust it.
Don't download any software that appears to be from Russia or China, unless it has a very large number of positive reviews.

OTOH, I just noticed you said you plan to download software from peer networking sites. That is an invitation for malware, as well as hacked, stolen copies of software the deny the developer earnings from his work. I can only recommend against such sources, but if you insist then you may be a candidate for AV products. Just be aware that none of those products are foolproof, either. If you get a lot of software from shady sources, there's a good chance something is going to sneak by the AV products anyway.

 

[fatboy97]

@meyerweb has some very good points... in most cases anything that might be malware is usually apps that want to get to your SMS app or email when they don't need to do that. Stick to highly downloaded and highly rated apps. But if you really want a good virus app go check out "Lookout"... they have some other great uses for their app such as a find my phone feature which can give you a location if you loose it. There are more things in their premium version, but that will cost you a little per month if you go all in... personally, I prefer the no cost version. Download it and check it out... it is highly rated and good piece of mind if you need it.

 

[Dural]

Any particular recommendations for the best anti-virus app for someone who has used other app stores before?

I recommend Lookout. Basic version is free, and it scans Internet usage in realtime if you use the stock browser for Samsung devices.

 

[FARAZ CHOUDHRY]

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