All of our collective lives revolve viciously and undisputedly around the framework of our smartphones. The giant leap of mankind in the space of science and technology has vitalized cell phones in our lives. Right from our workstations to our personal recreational spaces, the merit of a cellphone never goes unwarranted.
At this juncture we’re so used to syncing our schedules on our smartphone that we feel lost otherwise. At a time like this, when we are caught in the midst of a global pandemic, cellphones have assumed critical importance. This type of involvement entails with it a few unsaid liabilities as we. Firstly, because cellphones have invaded both our professional and personal lives, they’re privy to extremely sensitive information. In this scenario, it is the user’s responsibility to ensure their devices against the scope of any tangible external attacks. A virus invasion on android phones is among the most widespread of problems these days. Hence hunting down the best antivirus for android becomes our primary objective.
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What is an antivirus?
An antivirus serves multiple purposes in its operational capacity. Its functionality is not just confined to protecting the confidential and sensitive information on your device. It also extends towards providing your phone the maintenance that it warrants. Most virus attacks end up attacking the phone’s operating system and rendering the hardware invalid as an extension. With an antivirus, you can not only avoid these attacks but also ensure a longer life span for your smartphone.
Choosing the best antivirus for android is a structured decision. You need to be fairly aware of the various vendors in the market to equip yourself accordingly. Additionally, knowledge of the various kinds of android pervading viruses out there gives you an edge as well. A combination of both of these fields shall help you guide in your quest of the best antivirus for android. The objective of this article is to walk you through some already tried and tested operators to accelerate your journey.
Before diving deep into your search for the best antivirus for android, you should be aware of the fundamental concept. Knowing what antivirus is and how it works helps you shape your decisions accordingly. Some computer science enthusiasts consolidate upon their theory of antiviruses to develop their own personal brand of it. At its core, an antivirus is basically a software that you load onto your system or personal cellphone.
How do they work?
Under the broad classification of software antiviruses file themselves under the tag of application software. This essentially means that the user has the liberty to install and uninstall them at any point in time. These sets of programs are specifically designed for the detection and removal of malicious software in your system. It carries out this said protection in multiple ways. Primarily it scans through your existent files and directories and hunts for suspicious or abnormal patterns and activities. Further it also gives the user the liberty of scheduling their own customized scans. These customized scans are highly helpful when the user wants to concentrate their search on any particular folder or directory.
Additionally, antiviruses also entail regular updates in light of the continuous evolution and mutation of the malware online. Modern antiviruses offer protection from a wide range of threats. Notable among them include browser helper objects, browser hijackers, ransomware, backdoors, rootkits, and worms. Antiviruses also offer respite from malicious URLs, phishing attacks, and advanced persistent threat (APT) attacks as well. Antivirus engines usually rely on two methods of detection to recognize malware. They are the sandbox detection technique and data mining techniques.
Primarily sandbox technique is a behavioral-based detection technique that first logs the program in a virtual environment. Subsequently it captures the behavioral fingerprint of the suspected program. On the contrary data mining techniques bank on machine learning algorithms to advance their malware detection functionalities. They analyze the whole behavior of a sequence of file features, to begin with. Subsequently they capitalize on the traits and then categorize the suspected file based on the features that are extracted.
Best antivirus for android
Deciding on the best antivirus for android can prove itself to be a rather demanding task. While the internet is rife with multiple suggestions it is imperative that you are well aware of your operational priorities. Most people, in general, incline themselves towards Norton antivirus android and avast antivirus android versions as a starting step. However there are multiple other options that handsomely prove their point as the best antivirus for android mobiles as well. The key is not to get carried away and misled by hunting for the best free antivirus for android smartphones. The following section aims to be the essential guide to accentuate your search for the best antivirus for android:
Avast Mobile Security
Avast mobile security undisputedly makes its count among the best antivirus for android of all times. The antivirus giant was among the foremost players in this domain and through diligent effort has impressively kept itself relevant. The application that Avast has rolled out for android purposes scales itself way beyond the scope of a conventional scanner. The number of features that it brings to the fore in the capacity of an application is downright astounding. Along with malware protection modules Avast also provides call blocker and firewall utilities as well. The most distinguishing feature of Avast mobile security however is its anti-theft feature. In the event that your Android cellphone happens to go missing, the antitheft module is triggered into action.
Courtesy of this feature you can remotely lock and deny access to your device from your end itself. Additionally, the premium version also allows you to make use of the in-app locking feature. This allows you to exercise extra discretion and security over your installed applications. This feature comes in extra handy when you are an active user of internet banking applications. The Avast Ultimate bundle which comes with a VPN offers a more sophisticated model of security. The complete suite contains a few other features as well. Notable among them is a password management system and a system or disk cleanup feature. The primary objective of this suite is to ensure maximum device optimization.
Bitdefender Antivirus Free
Bitdefender Antivirus Free certainly ranks among the best antivirus for android in the current market space. It is among the most reliable antiviruses software in the competitions as well. Romanian cybersecurity and anti-software firm Bitdefender are among the most prominent exponents in this particular space. Bitdefender’s android antivirus application is basically a more optimized suite of its full system package. Unlike most antivirus applications, the Bitdefender antivirus free doesn’t run untethered in the cell phone’s background. In this light, it facilitates greater system functionality by freeing up system resources and expanding the life span. This particular feature makes Bitdefender antivirus free the most preferred application among the majority of Android users. It gives users the liberty to execute their own manual scans and carry out checkups at their personal convenience.
However, whenever you trigger the installation of a new app in your system, the antivirus scans it automatically. This protocol is held in place just to maintain extra security and protection on your device. Some application developers and creators are not particularly verified and lack credibility. The auto-scan feature helps in filtering out these particular ambiguous applications. In its usage the Bitdefender Antivirus Free is extremely accessible. It launches right after the completion of the installation procedure. Most antivirus applications usually require an initial configuration at the time of their first launch. Such is not the case with the Bitdefender antivirus Free. Keeping in touch with its user-friendliness, the interface of the application is extremely navigable as well. The Bitdefender mobile security version offers additional protection in the scope of antitheft and browser security features.
AVG Antivirus for Android
The AVG Antivirus for Android is certainly among the best antivirus for android out there. Among its competitors, it sets itself apart with its wide array of accessible features. In fact, among all the antivirus applications in the domain, AVG is probably the most features oriented of them all. AVG has one of the most potent malware scanners among all the other antivirus applications out there. However, what really sets it apart from its competition is its incredible Wi-Fi scanner.
Before latching onto an available network, the AVG module makes sure that the network isn’t a compromised one. Very few antivirus applications in the current scenario facilitate this particular functionality. For additional protection of your confidential and sensitive information it also gives you an app and gallery lock for disposal. The AVG Antivirus for android also boasts of a performance enhancement module. By virtue of this extension the security suite terminates zombie processes and removes junk and cache files. Subsequently this optimizes your phone’s memory and chipset and speeds up its overall processing faculties. The performance enhancement module triggers a battery-saving module as well which extends the average life span of your device.
Why choose AVG?
The AVG antivirus android comes packed with an anti-theft feature as well. This feature will help you track down your device if lost or stolen. The tracking takes place with the help of Google’s navigational app, Google Maps. Apart from tracking the device, the feature also allows you to lock it remotely. This prevents your device from unwanted tampering. The anti-theft feature of AVG is a really well-structured module in itself.
As an additional measure the feature can also cause the phone to emit a siren as a warning step. It also captures the front facial profiles of those individuals who attempt a forced entry into your device. To counter spam callers, the AVG antivirus for android comes equipped with a call blocker as well. Further to facilitate anonymous surfing the user is allowed to avail of the services of a VPN. An analytical insight tool helps shed light on your app and data usage and keeps you aware accordingly. As an extension the same feature also lets you in on potential privacy breaches on any of your installed applications.
McAfee Security and Power Booster Free
The McAfee Security and Power Booster Free are arguably among the best antivirus for android in the present time. Known for its express website blocking abilities, this particular application packs a bevy of other utilities and functionalities also. Already a well-established name in the PC antivirus domain, the application serves to extend Mcafee’s exploits in the android domain. McAfee security and power booster are incredibly powerful antivirus scanners. Among other features, the application comprises an anti-theft module as well. A highly calibrated module, it allows for tracking your device as well as capturing the thief’s picture as evidence. The McAfee Security and Power booster also allow you to exercise direct discretion over your installed applications.
The app scanner that is set in place carries out routine checks of all app-related developments. As an additional measure it regularly keeps a tab on all privacy-related matters that your applications indulge in. Any resultant discrepancies and inconsistencies are immediately conveyed to you for your ready reference. The Mcafee security and power booster also give you the feature of maintaining a blacklist of all your spam callers. An active list like this helps you reporting instances in the event that there are any future occurrences of a nuisance. The premium version of the antivirus application allows you to block all unnecessary ads across your applications as well.
Concluding Remarks
Making up your mind regarding the best antivirus fir android might seem a difficult decision at first. However thorough market knowledge coupled with subject comprehension shall always help you in taking an informed decision. Prioritize your phone’s maintenance and the integrity of your sensitive information is of the utmost importance over here. Once done, the need to have antivirus becomes immediate. Subsequently the search for an appropriate one can be guided by the parameters and the options that are listed above.
