Does the smartphone come with anti-virus software?

We use our smartphones to connect to the Internet, downloading software and files, which means they are exposed to malicious activity. Does your smartphone come with anti-virus software or do you need to install one yourself?

Do you need anti-virus software on your phone?

In short, you should have some form of security software present and active on your smartphone, be it built-in software or manually installed.

Smartphones can now support millions of different applications, connect to the internet, use Bluetooth and NFC, and allow us to access social networks on the go. There's not a lot you can't do on smartphones, but this variety of capabilities makes them vulnerable to malware. Cybercriminals can exploit your phone both physically and remotely - to steal data, monitor activity, take control of the device itself, or do many other things.

For example, you can send and receive email via your smartphone, which exposes you to email-based phishing campaigns, which are often used to spread malware. Additionally, you can download any number of different files and apps to your phone, which are also common malware vectors. Many of us also store very valuable information on our phones, such as payment information in banking and shopping apps. So, it's safe to say that smartphones are a prime target for many hackers.

If you're using a very basic phone that's not connected to the Internet, it's easy to think that your chances of getting infected with malware are significantly lower. Smartphones come with many security protocols to combat cybercriminals, but that doesn't mean they're safe.

With so many digital threats today, you should equip your phone with a high level of security to ensure that precious data is kept safe. But does this mean you need to download an app yourself, or is your smartphone safe enough?

Do all phones have anti-virus software?

Does the smartphone come with anti-virus software? Picture 1

The answer to this question depends on the type of smartphone you are using. For example, Apple's iPhone product line comes with a highly secure operating system designed to prevent malware and viruses. In general, iOS software acts as an anti-virus layer for iPhone users, but this does not mean that hacking iPhones is impossible.

In any case, due to Apple's built-in antivirus protocols, many iPhone users don't install any additional (and not really necessary) antivirus software.

The situation is somewhat similar for phones running Android. Google, the developer of the Android operating system, offers Google Play Protect to Android smartphone users, which is a type of antivirus designed to keep users safe from malicious apps. According to Google, Play Protect scans 125 billion apps daily to ensure no malicious activity is taking place on the device.

Google Play Protect also comes with on-device security features, such as PHA (Potentially Harmful Applications) scanning, Safe Browsing API, and reCAPTCHA for risk analysis. This software is used by many smartphones running Android, including Samsung, OnePlus and HTC.

In the past, Google Play Protect has been criticized for its poor malware detection.

If you're using a Samsung phone, you can also use Knox. Samsung Knox is a type of security management solution available as a default feature on many Samsung devices (including smartwatches). It provides anti-malware and virus protection and secure data storage to protect your device and the data it stores. However, Knox is more aimed at professionals and businesses than individual users.

In fact, there are many smartphone manufacturers that equip their products with built-in anti-virus capabilities, including:

1. Iphone
2. Samsung
3. Oppo
4. Huawei
5. Motorola
6. OnePlus
7. Pixels

However, it is important to note here that some smartphones are more secure than others. For example, OnePlus uses Google Play Protect but does not install any other type of anti-virus software. There's a degree of protection offered here, but it doesn't seem to be as comprehensive as other brands, like Samsung and Apple.

If your smartphone comes with some kind of anti-virus software pre-installed, you're probably safe enough without downloading anything else. Many people consider the default antivirus protocols to be enough on smartphones, but if you're concerned about security, you might consider installing an additional antivirus app to give you an extra layer of protection (or at least give you peace of mind).

There are many antivirus apps for smartphones from reputable names, such as McAfee, Norton, Bitdefender, and Malwarebytes. Some of these applications will be free to use, especially if you have signed up with an antivirus software provider on your computer. Make sure the app you want to use has a good reputation before installing.

Additional ways to protect your phone

Does the smartphone come with anti-virus software? Picture 2

Antivirus software is certainly not the only way you should protect your phone. If security and privacy are your top priorities, there are other things you can do to keep your device safe.

For example, when you are connecting to the web on your smartphone, using a VPN can ensure that your browsing traffic and IP address are hidden from your Internet service provider, government, and other parties. . Most VPN providers offer smartphone apps for users, including ExpressVPN, SurfShark, ProtonVPN, TunnelBear, NordVPN, and IPVanish. There are also free VPN apps for smartphones, but make sure they are trustworthy as free VPN services can be dangerous at times.

Additionally, you can prevent email phishing attacks by using the anti-spam features of your email client and blocking suspicious addresses.

Some malware can also be manually installed on smartphones, such as spyware. To prevent any unauthorized physical access to your phone, use password protection, facial recognition, and fingerprint scanning. You can also password protect specific apps, such as those that store very sensitive information.

It's easy to assume that your phone will never be the target of a bad guy, but that's not the case. Smartphones have become lucrative prey for cybercriminals, so it's important to take security and privacy issues seriously. So many smartphones come with some form of antivirus protection, which is great for users, but also consider the extra tips above to keep your phone as safe as possible.

Kareem Winters

Update 27 June 2023