The subject of security for the Android platform is far from straightforward. There’s some debate about whether you really need antivirus apps on your smartphone. Much depends on whether you sideload apps, but there’s no denying that malware has grown into a much greater concern since we first wrote this article back in 2012. Luckily, security apps have improved dramatically to keep pace with the new threats, so you have plenty of great protection to choose from.

The majority of Android security apps are actually packages that include a host of other tools from contact filtering to remote lock or wipe. We decided to take a look at the top five Android security apps and find out what they do. We are taking a look at these from a consumer point of view, so be warned that some of the “free” apps are only free for personal, non-commercial use.

Sophos Free Antivirus and Security

There are a lot of really good Android security apps out there, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find one that offers this many features, scores a 100 percent detection rate for malware in real-time, and costs absolutely nothing.

Sophos Free Antivirus and Security has been a top performer for months, consistently boasting a 100 percent detection rate for Android malware according to AV-Test. It returned no false positives. It offers robust scanning covering installation, existing apps, and storage media.

You also get an impressive package of extras including loss and theft protection, with support for wipe, lock, alarm, locate, and more via SMS. There’s also web filtering, password protection for apps, spam blocking, privacy and security advice, and a few other tools.

It’s not the prettiest app on the list, but it performs admirably, with minimal impact on your phone in terms of processing, networking, and battery life. Best of all, this is a genuinely free app with a solid list of fully accessible features and without any advertising.

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AVL

Some of you are probably just looking for malware protection that’s as barebones as possible. If you don’t want anti-theft tools, or identity protection, or any of the other possibly superfluous features that come in many security apps, then AVL will suit you.

This app scored a 99.8 percent detection rate for real-time Android malware in the latest tests, rising to 100 percent for malware from the last four weeks, with no false positives. AV-Test also found performance was good with no undue impact on speed or battery life. AVL can scan a variety of file formats beyond APKs and it’s designed to be fast and efficient. If you like it, but you want more, there is an AVL Pro app available, too.

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Avira Antivirus Security

With a consistently high detection rate and no false positives, you can trust the free version of Avira to keep your Android smartphone or tablet safe. It has a light footprint in terms of performance and a sleek, minimalist design that fits in well with the Android platform.

Avira allows you to scan apps for potential trouble and it scans new apps or updates automatically. It slipped a little in the latest malware detection results from AV-Test, scoring 98.9 percent for real-time malware and 99.8 percent for the last four weeks, but it does also offer a lot of extras. There’s the usual batch of anti-theft tools, to help you find your device remotely, lock it, wipe it, or trigger an alarm. There’s also an identity safeguard tool that can tell you whether your email account or the email addresses of your friends have been leaked or compromised. A decent range of blacklisting options rounds off this app, so you can block problem callers or nuisance spam.

Source: www.digitaltrends.com