Virus scanners are used to protect devices such as PCs and laptops from viruses and other malware. But is the use of a virus scanner also necessary for a smartphone or tablet with Android? You can get all the information you need in our article
Android: In these cases, a virus scanner is necessary
According to the developers of Android, the installation of a virus scanner is not necessary. Nevertheless, there are a variety of apps on the market that are designed to help you protect your Android smartphone from viruses and other malware .
It is recommended to install a virus scanner, especially if you regularly download apps as APK files, since they more often contain viruses that can damage your smartphone. Even if you grant root access to the apps on your smartphone, it makes sense to use a virus scanner.
How to use the virus scanner integrated in Android
If you have an Android device with Android 4 or newer, it already has an integrated virus scanner with Google Play Protect. Google Play Protect is free and is automatically installed on your smartphone by an update.
If your device has Play Protect, not only new apps are checked for malware before installation, but also the apps already installed.
- You can find out whether Google Play Protect is active on your device via the Play Store.
- To do this, first open the Play Store, tap the symbol with the three horizontal lines to open the menu and select the “Play Protect” entry.
- There you can view the current security status of your device, find an overview with all the apps that were last checked and make further settings.