Does my phone need Anti-Virus protection?
This is a subject of much debate between phone users. No matter which phone we have, the desire to keep our data protected is on everyone’s mind. Many people nowadays store lots of personal details on their mobile phones and even use them for banking. This means that if anyone did manage to infiltrate your phone, all of your data could be copied.
A lot of users simply put a lock on the phone, like a pin number or a password, so that other people would not be able to gain access to the phones apps without first knowing the lock code. This is great if the phone is picked up in person but does nothing to protect from downloaded attackers. Just like a computer, your phone and mobile devices can be susceptible to viruses and hackers. Unfortunately there is no guarantee that this will never happen to your device. All you can do is try to protect your devices so that the chances of this happen are very slim.
There are applications available for your device which will offer extra protection. You may even get the same manufacturer as the anti-Virus you have on your computer. These applications will scan you phone and help you manage it better. They offer back up services, remote wiping of your phone and even location services to help find a lost phone.
Although this is all true, what the anti-Virus companies don’t say is that you might not need their app in the first place. The thing is, the services that these anti-Virus programs offer are already included in a lot of phone systems. All of the latest Android, Windows or Apple devices have the ability to back up, remotely wipe and locate your device. With the latest Android System, Marshmallow, they have even included more security to protect against unwanted software. Apple and Windows devices also have built in protection but they also have a protected application store. Both the App Store and the Windows Store only have applications that have been approved by Apple or Microsoft. The Google Play Store does not do this pre-approval but instead learn by the feedback from users. This means that you can potentially download a harmful app before Google has found out about it.
There is a huge market for anti-virus apps so there is a lot to choose from, this also means that you need to be able to choose the right one for you and not an imitation that could itself be letting viruses in. This link shows the best rated anti-virus protection for android mobiles, if you are considering protecting your device, make sure you have one of these tried and tested apps.
http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/test-centre/security/best-android-antivirus-tested-2015-uk-may-3355021/
So, the big question is, do you need anti-virus on your phone? The Answer is simple, No. You do not NEED anti-virus however it can be very useful in keeping your phone safe. If you are in any doubt then get protection. If anyone borrows your phone regularly or you received it second hand then it is always better to be safe than sorry.
If you use the internet browser on your phone frequently then it might be best to get some form of protection as not all websites are secure. Be mindful of which sites you are visiting and try to avoiding downloading files unless you know where you are getting them from. The most common form of viruses gain access by pretending to be an advert and then activating when you click to learn more. The easiest way to avoid these is to know what your phone looks like in use and to understand where these adverts get placed. If you need advice on this then by all means pop in store.
You are probably wondering if we here at M-Viron have anti-virus protection on our phones, well keep reading and you will find out.
Personally I have never placed any anti-Virus or protection application on any of my mobile devices. This is not because I don’t believe that this could happen or that there are people out there who would want to access my personal data. This is simply because I do not do as much on my phone as I do on my computer. I only download apps that are produced by companies that I have heard of and I make sure to read the comments from other users first. If it sounds too good to be true then it probably is in the case of most apps.
Tony has not put anti-virus on his phone because he does not keep personal data on his phone. He only uses it for calls and texts so only keeps contacts on his phone. These contacts are secured on his google account so if anything happens to his phone, he can stay safe knowing that if he resets the phone he hasn’t lost any data. He also does not download apps that use personal data, like banking apps.
We hope this article has helped you in some way. If you have any more questions, please feel free to pop in store or give us a call. We are always happy to help.