"Android Antivirus Apps Are Useless". Response?

[ehmen]

What is the response of those who claim that Android AV apps are important?

https://www.extremetech.com/computing/104827-android-antivirus-apps-are-useless-heres-what-to-do-instead

[ehmen]

Nobody has a rebuttal to the claim his Android antivirus apps are worthless?

[DavidR]

Surely you have enough information in the article to make up your own mind !

Given that AVG (AKA Avast) are one of those listed.

Only 23 apps had a 100 percent success rate with all malware samples. A few more were over 99 percent effective. Most of the big names in malware research and protection were near the top including AVG, ESET, Kaspersky, McAfee, and Sophos.

So where is this claim Avast mobile is worthless (a word search on that page doesn't even find avast) ?
Or are they guilty by omission ?

[ehmen]

So where is this claim Avast mobile is worthless (a word search on that page doesn't even find avast) ?

He claims all Android AV apps are worthless, not Avast specifically.

[DavidR]

So where is this claim Avast mobile is worthless (a word search on that page doesn't even find avast) ?

He claims all Android AV apps are worthless, not Avast specifically.

Hardly, given the extract that I quoted, why would you consider those worthless.

But go right ahead and don't bother with any android antivirus program, your phone, your choice.

[Simion]

@ehmen

Nonsense. The webshield alone in AMS makes having the app worthwhile. I'm alerted 1-2 times per month for URL:Mal or URL:Blacklist for links I've clicked. For another 75+/- opinions, I also have the VirusTotal mobile app. It has never found anything that AMS hasn't already found.

[ehmen]

why would you consider those worthless.

I never offered my own opinion on the matter. I was just quoting an article and requesting a response to the assertion that the writer makes.

But go right ahead and don't bother with any android antivirus program, your phone, your choice.

No need to get upset. I didn’t talk about what I do or don’t do, not have I told anyone else what to do.

[DavidR]

why would you consider those worthless.

I never offered my own opinion on the matter. I was just quoting an article and requesting a response to the assertion that the writer makes.

But go right ahead and don't bother with any android antivirus program, your phone, your choice.

No need to get upset. I didn’t talk about what I do or don’t do, not have I told anyone else what to do.

Well if you ask for a response (the title asks for one) you are going to get one.

Basically I don't think they are <b>all</b> useless, so if you are going to blindly believe all are useless even those with 100% and the others with 99% and not offer your thoughts it is going to be somewhat one sided.

[ehmen]

so if you are going to blindly believe...and not offer your thoughts it is going to be somewhat one sided.

I never said whether I do or don't believe, I just asked for a response to the article's assertion.

[DavidR]

Surely you should be able to make up your mind from the information laid out in the article, those with 100% and 99% are hardly useless.

[rocksteady]

Seen this?
https://www.av-comparatives.org/tests/mobile-security-review-2022/

[DavidR]

Seen this?
https://www.av-comparatives.org/tests/mobile-security-review-2022/

It is certainly a more detailed review.  Though this tends to be the antivirus programs from the major players (smaller sample), they are most likely to have been in the 100% & 99% of the previous check in this topic.

[OnlyAMan]

"For the most part, yeah." Because, unless you regularly engage in risky behavior you'll probably never need antivirus on mobile. Phones are more limited, and more secure, than PCs. Android has built in antivirus unless you turn it off. I have AV programs installed only because I like to reverse engineer malware, and often sideload apps for the same reason. For a normal person, 99% of the time, AV is just wasted memory on your phone

[DavidR]

As I have said before, your phone, your choice.