Virus Protection for Android Smartphones - There's an App for That

Posted: May 19, 2011

Diving head first into the world of Android smartphones, I was compelled to investigate the need for anti-virus protection. Sound anal? Well, that's just me. I've been bitten by too many times by viruses that caused hours of work rebuilding computer files and cost me money. I[caption id="attachment_8627" align="alignright"]© mipan - Fotolia.com[/caption] protect everything I can and feel you should too — including your smartphone.

As I began my research, I was on the fence about posting this info as a Biz Tip. I encountered a ton of information along with lists of pros and cons of anti-virus apps. Most were cons.

They included:

Hindering the performance of the phone
Slowing down other apps
Shortening battery life
Lack of necessity for protection

"It just isn't necessary to protect your phone," said some experts and self-proclaimed gurus. Apparently because Android phones are based on the Linux operating system, they aren't supposed to be susceptible to viruses.

That wasn't enough to convince me to remove my anti-virus app from my phone. And, FYI, I haven't noticed any negative performance or battery-life issues, so I've keep it....just in case.

I'm darn glad I did.

I recently learned that victims of smartphone viruses can be charged $200 or more to send the phone away to be cleaned and repaired.

I also had a scare recently. I received a notification from my anti-virus app that I though was an app update. When I checked it, my virus paranoia become reality. The app indicated a file that needed attention. The app didn't clearly state the file was a virus, malware or phishing threat. It simply identified it as suspicious.

Enter the app's fix option. The app found a suspicious SMS (text) message. Upon investigating, it wasn't a virus or other malicious program, but I selected fix anyway.

For me, it was enough that the anti-virus program identified and warned about what could have been a devastating threat. I'm an app user for life.

Weigh the pros – protection from viruses that already exist, and threats that will undoubtedly occur in the future – and cons, and decide whether anti-virus protection is something valuable.

There are numerous protection options in the Android Market — ranging from free (ad supported) to $50 per year; offering basic protection to advanced options, including:

Capability to locate a lost or stolen phone
Ability to back up and restore data
Functions that allow locking and/or wiping the phone clean, remotely, if it's lost or stolen

Click here to visit the Android Market and compare virus protection apps.