Android phone antivirus download

Prevent viruses and other malware from infecting your Android device. The most common threats we detect and protect you from:. Trojan downloader Downloads malicious programs onto your device without you knowing. Locker ransomware Locks and prevents you from accessing your device.

Banking trojan Steals your banking credentials to gain access to your account. Rooter Acquires privileged access to take over and control your device. Fake apps Malware that disguises itself as a real app to trick you into downloading it.

Trojan clicker Secretly clicks on webpages and eats up your data resources. Spyware Infects your device to gather and transfer information about you. Protect your privacy. Keep intruders out of your business, both online and on your device. Secure your photos and apps using a PIN code, pattern, or fingerprint password. Secure your data remotely. Remote control lets you stop thieves from accessing your data and helps you recover your device if it becomes lost or stolen.

Enhance performance. Keep your Android device running as good as new. Take control of your digital habits. Gain insights into how you use your apps and data. It's very useful. Traced uses machine learning to detect malicious apps without excessively draining battery life — it blocked all of the ransomware and cryptojacking apps in my testing, but it missed a small percentage of the spyware apps on my device.

Traced also provides one of the most helpful Wi-Fi network monitoring features of any Android app. Traced is a completely free Android antivirus app with a strong focus on user privacy.

The ones on this list are all safe. Malicious antivirus apps can easily compromise your privacy and security and steal your info. Each app comes from a brand with a strong reputation for creating excellent cybersecurity products. My top pick, Avira Free Antivirus Security for Android , is produced by a company with millions of users worldwide and decades of experience in the cybersecurity industry. Your Android phone or tablet probably contains sensitive data like personal information, banking information, social media, personal pictures and files, etc.

Android OS is notable for having tons of indie developers, coders, and modders around the globe. Unfortunately, this also makes Android a playground for hackers. Ransomware, spyware, cryptojacking software, surveillance apps, and other malware compromise Android users every single day. Android users also face risks from phishing sites, smishing links , and even pickpockets.

To keep your device safe from all of these threats, you need to have a good Android antivirus with real-time protection, web protection, anti-theft tools, and other additional features. If you want a free antivirus, go with Avira. App Lock will also offer to lock potentially sensitive apps e.

Now you'll know if an annoying brother—or master thief—tries snooping on your phone or tablet. When anyone fails 3 times to unlock your device, Camera Trap will take a secret photo of them and then email that photo to you with the time and location of the incident. Technical Specifications. Android 6. AVG AntiVirus for Android is one of the best free antivirus apps for Android because our powerful security app has been specially designed with Android devices in mind.

This comprehensive feature set and world-class anti-malware protection are just two of the reasons why AVG AntiVirus for Android has earned a 4.

Like computers, Android devices are vulnerable to malware and other security threats. And especially in recent years, Android malware has only grown more common. AVG AntiVirus for Android is a powerful cybersecurity tool that can defend your Android device against a wide range of threats, absolutely free. Not only can AVG AntiVirus for Android remove Android spyware and other malware, but it also defends against unsafe Android apps , and helps you track down your phone in case it gets lost or stolen.

The free tier is bare-bones; it just scans for malware and locates lost phones. An unlimited VPN and a data-breach notification service make the premium price worthwhile. It might well be worth the expense. The trouble is that Lookout doesn't often submit its app to third-partly lab evaluations, so we don't really know how well Lookout protects against malware. Its active scans are also slow and heavy. Like Avast, McAfee offers or used to offer a ton of useful features, but its free version is also full of ads and upsell suggestions.

The malware protection is decent, if not fantastic. It's not really clear why this was done, other than to "adjust our product portfolio.

You'll get some good stuff with the free version of McAfee Mobile Security, such as a way to track each app's data usage and a Wi-Fi security scanner. You can get one of the best VPN services to cover all your devices for less. Read our full McAfee Mobile Security review.

Google Play Protect comes built into every Android device that runs Google Play, and it would be great if it worked well. Unfortunately, Google Play Protect's dismal malware detection makes the strongest possible argument for using a third-party Android antivirus app. We did like that Google Play Protect's interface is minimal, there are no ads and the system impact is light. Some of Android's other built-in features, including Find My Device and Chrome Safe Browsing, mirror what third-party antivirus apps do on the side.

Google Play Protect's best feature is that Google can use it to remotely disable dangerous apps. This stays the case whether you're running third-party antivirus software or not. We recommend you not disable Google Play Protect. But overall, Google Play Protect is awful at protecting you from malicious apps.

For your own sake, please use something else. Read our full Google Play Protect review. Ideally, to keep your Android device safe, you should keep its software updated. Each new version of Android is more secure than the one before, and each monthly Android security update fixes newly found flaws. But unless you've got a Google Pixel or Android One phone, you won't get those updates and upgrades right away.

Most device makers need time to make sure changes to Android don't break their devices or software. That lag time can be a couple of weeks, or it can be many months. Worse, some Android phone models stop getting Android OS upgrades after two years, and a few never get monthly security patches at all. That's where the best Android antivirus apps come in. They stop attacks that try to get around Android's built-in defenses, especially those that Google has patched but which your device doesn't yet or never will have.

They also stop new attacks that Google Play Protect won't catch, even on Pixel phones. Freemium apps let you choose between getting a limited set of features for free or paying to get a premium version that gives you all the possible features, similar to fully paid apps.

Apps that offer a lot of features for free may also show you a lot of ads. Such features might include anti-theft mechanisms, an "advisor" to help you examine and choose apps, a Wi-Fi network security scanners, or an app lock that requires a passcode to open specific apps.

Some tack on a super-premium tier that gives you unlimited VPN service or an identity-protection-service, often at a pretty good price.