How to check your phone for viruses: antivirus programs for Android

The development of mobile technologies is also used by scammers - they update schemes to deceive users. To protect your device from hacker attacks, you need to be able to check your phone and get rid of viruses in time.

How to scan your phone for viruses through a computer

The most common virus on Android is considered to be spyware, popularly called "trojans". Their task is to collect information about the owner of the phone and forward it to the desired server.

The main sign of the presence of a Trojan program is a decrease in the speed of a mobile device and a high consumption of Internet traffic.

To check your phone for viruses through a computer:

Enable USB debugging on your smartphone in the "For Developers" menu ("Developer options" or "Development").
Connect your gadget to your laptop or desktop PC via a USB cable, then select Media Transfer Protocol ("MTP" or "Mass Storage Mode") mode.
A new storage will appear on the computer in the "Devices and drives" section. After that, run the antivirus program available on the PC (if it is not there, install it).
In the settings of the antivirus program, open the "PC Scan" - "Removable media" mode. Click on the "All drives" tab - the phone will be scanned for viruses. If infected objects are found, they must be deleted.

Smartphone check online

Phone security can be ensured by effective and free anti-virus scanners that work through an online browser. With their help, you can find out about infection without downloading and installing third-party utilities on your smartphone.

An application with an online check will test the contents of the apk file, check the data with virus databases.

Practical use of the program:

Find and download the application you like through the Google Play Market.
Install on Android. Select files to scan, run online check.
Upon detection of viruses, trojans, malware and other types of pests, the service will offer to delete or quarantine suspicious files.

Top 5 best utilities

There are many different applications for checking the phone online. List of the most popular antivirus scanners:

Program	Main characteristics			Additional features
Doctor Web Online Scanner	Designed to check for link safety. Scans attached files, html pages, examines for malicious code	Takes up little space on your smartphone	Very minimalistic, only an antivirus shell, will not be able to cure an infected file
Kaspersky Online Scanner (VirusDesk)		Does not require installation of additional modules	The scanner does not treat or remove viruses - the user does it on his own	Regular database updates
ESET Online Scanner	Comprehensive antivirus that works from the browser without requiring installation	Successfully copes with phishing threats, worms, trojans, the latest viruses	Not detected	Removes viruses on its own
	Designed to search for malware in apk files	Supports data up to 7MB	You can only upload one file at a time	When scanning, it uses Buster Sandbox Analyzer, ssdeep, APKTool.
VirSCAN (single use)	Online scanning of apk and other files up to 20 MB for malicious code.	Large list of antivirus software.	Slow speed, lack of settings and scanning options.	Huge database of access to constantly updated scanners (kaspersky, drweb, avg, symantec and others).

How to find a virus on your phone using special programs

If the smartphone has lost its functionality, then the easiest way to neutralize malware is to install a permanent antivirus program. It's not hard to do this:

Open the built-in Play Market application on Android, launch it.
Find the antivirus program you like, use the "Install" button.
After installing the program on your phone, run it. Scan your gadget.
After receiving the result, if there are viruses, the program will offer to clean your smartphone from them.
Periodically activate the downloaded app to check your phone.

Rating of free antivirus applications

The list shows the best antivirus apps for Android according to experts and users. Each program has its pros and cons:

Application	Main characteristics
AVG Antivirus for Android	Popular with over 100 million downloads. Scans flash and SD cards, internal memory of the phone	Contains a set of additional functions for locking and clearing the memory of a smartphone, anti-theft protection and others	Takes up a lot of space in the internal memory, lengthy check
Kaspersky Internet Security	The Android version is paid and free. The first is equipped with basic functions: a scanner and a virus blocker. The paid version works for a month, after which the user will be prompted to buy a license	Ability to scan SMS, user-friendly interface, high speed checks	Does not protect Internet traffic from malicious attacks; in the free version, scanning is done manually
G Data Internet Security Light	Reliable real-time antivirus (scans programs during download and installation), allows you to sort installed utilities into groups, checks all system folders, memory card data	Good design, fast operation, convenient operation	Extended version - paid
Avast Mobile Security	In addition to basic functions, the free version has geofencing that blocks the reception signal in certain areas, which helps to avoid downloading malicious files.	Gives advice on how to neutralize viruses when they are detected, it is possible to save backup copies of all files	The optimizer, which is designed to update the program, must be downloaded separately
ESET NOD32 Mobile Security	Can block malware and recognize phishing sites that mimic the design of popular web pages.	There are three scan modes: fast, deep, smart.	There is no protection for network connections.

Built-in passive protection Google Play Protect

In May 2017, Google announced the creation of a new Google Play Protect application. In fact, this is a software package that protects the device. They do not need to be installed separately, since this is part of the Play Market (from version 11). The main functions of the application are to scan the operating system and applications for viruses. The process takes place in the background, but this does not affect the performance of the device. How to enable the program:

Go to phone settings.
Open the Google menu item.
Go to the "Security" section.
Activate the "Google Play Protect" option.
Disable/enable the "Scan for security threats" function as needed.

Built-in passive protection analyzes applications from different sources that are installed on the phone. The search for malicious files is also carried out in software updates.

If a virus is suspected, the application will be stopped and the information will be transferred to the owner.

Among the advantages of Google Play Protect, users note the protection of visited sites in the Chrome browser. When you go to a suspicious resource, the system will immediately warn you.

Another advantage is that if the phone is lost, an alarm siren is turned on remotely, and the protection blocks the smartphone and displays information on how to contact the owner. The disadvantage of the application, according to long-term testing, is a weaker level of malware detection compared to similar ones.