Science and Tech

Is it worth paying for an antivirus for your Android tablet or mobile? the answer will surprise you

The new and great challenges in cybersecurity: artificial intelligence, 'ransomware' or 'hacktivism'

According to IDC figures in its report of smartphone market share, Android has a market share of about 86%, while iOS runs on less than 15% of mobile devices worldwide.

The software anti virus has been recommended for Windows users for many years and few are left who don’t have one on their computer. Now, and on the mobile or tablet is it necessary?

The reality is that viruses Android are not as common as some think and one of the big problems with these antivirus applications is that You can come to assume that you are protected by an app and lower your guard. Research by AV-Comparatives found that two-thirds of the 250 Android antivirus apps it tested didn’t actually work.

Of course, note that other companies such as Bitdefender, Kaspersky, McAfee, Avast, AVG, Trend Micro and Symantec obtained good results in the investigation.

This is how Android protects users of their smartphones

The biggest defense Android has against malware is Google Play Protect.. There are a few different components to Play Protect, including the Find My Device tools, but a big part of it is malware scanning.

All Android devices that listed the Google Play Store have Play Protect. You may have already seen the message “No harmful apps found” at the top of the app and game management section in the Play Store. Play Protect makes sure that the apps you download from the Play Store are safe.

It also keeps an eye on everything outside the store. Even the Applications that have been downloaded from outside the Play Store are scanned by Play Protect.

In addition to scanning apps, it can also protect you when you browse with Google Chrome. Just like Chrome on desktop, if you visit a site with malicious code, Chrome will warn you and take you back to a safe place.

What is malware?

Another great thing that protects your Android device is the monthly security updates. These are smaller updates that usually don’t have new features, but they are very important.

New vulnerabilities and attacks appear all the time. If your Android phone was only updated once a year, these things would accumulate and become dangerous. That is why monthly security updates are necessary.

With all this, these are the tools that Android uses to keep your smartphone safe, but are they enough on their own? They are for the vast majority of people. There is no reason to download an antivirus app on your Android mobile.

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