Anybody use an anti-virus or anti-malware app like Lookout or Kaspersky Mobile? Is it even necessary and do they have any adverse affects on functionality or battery life?
Never used any anti-virus apps in the 2 years I've been rooting my android phones. I've literally downloaded hundreds of zip files and flashed them onto my old moment and my current shift. Also I never use task killers.
Edit: Forgot to mention the effects on battery life, I cannot say for anti-virus on my phones but that is the reason I stopped using task killers, even if u kill the application it will keep trying to run in the background, same thing happens with the anti-virus apps. Plus the anti-virus app will pop up a notification asking you permission for everything, and scans every single last file you download. Correct me if I'm wrong just the experience I had bc i had to convince my gf family to take the anti-virus/task killers off their phones bc it was just wasting their battery life.
DWake014 said:
Edit: Forgot to mention the effects on battery life, I cannot say for anti-virus on my phones but that is the reason I stopped using task killers, even if u kill the application it will keep trying to run in the background, same thing happens with the anti-virus apps. Plus the anti-virus app will pop up a notification asking you permission for everything, and scans every single last file you download. Correct me if I'm wrong just the experience I had bc i had to convince my gf family to take the anti-virus/task killers off their phones bc it was just wasting their battery life.
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That's what I'm wondering. I don't mind the pop-ups every time you download something but if it saps battery life, that would be a deal-breaker for me.
No noticeable difference with battery life. I use lookout only for locating phone and to make phone alarm from a secure web site. Once htcsense fixes/ improves their beta program of performing these same tasks I will use that
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Lookout is a must have
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I have used lookout several times and have not noticed any effect on battery life.
Sent from my PG86100 using XDA Premium App
I'm using NetQin Mobile Security Pro (it's free in the market)... Haven't really tested it much but seems really smooth and has a lot of positive reviews. It gives you a lot of options like managing data traffic, backup contacts, and phone finder (some extra features require pro membership). But yeah... It's not all that important with Android but there is always a slim chance you download a malicious app or something, never know.
I have lookout running and haven't noticed any real extra usage in battery because of it.
I used to use Advanced task killer but found it more of a nuisance. Never worried about anti-virus since everything is screened by google before being hosted in the market and if something gets by the can remotely uninstall it, then a hard reset will fix anything that the app could have damaged.
bckoolaid said:
I used to use Advanced task killer but found it more of a nuisance. Never worried about anti-virus since everything is screened by google before being hosted in the market and if something gets by the can remotely uninstall it, then a hard reset will fix anything that the app could have damaged.
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I thought Google let anything on their market, but screened apps brought to their attention by users or companies like Lookout. In fact, Lookout has reported many malicious apps in Google's market.
Plus a co-worker's wife was a victim of a malicious app from Google's market. It started making unwanted calls and texts. I think the extra safety net is worth the minor battery drain. I notice no difference in battery or performance. I still get well over 16 hours of battery (I still have 40% at that time). I use Lookout too since they seem to be the one reporting most malicious apps found.
So I've been using Lookout since yesterday and haven't noticed any difference in my battery life.
Just a quick tip for Lookout - you can schedule when you want it to scan all of your files in the settings. (for those concerned with battery life impact due to scanning).
Yup. I just have it set to scan once a week.
I use lookout and still get great battery life.
Sent from my 3VO using XDA App
Lookout is awesome. the way i see it, it scans my apps to make sure no bad app slipped through the cracks and most importantly i can "scream" my phone anytime from the website. also, the wipe feature is for premium customers but my thinking is that you could purchase at the time of losing the phone and still be able to lock and wipe the phone. definitely a must-have.
I use Lookout, I've used a few other anti malware apps and didn't like them. To many malicious apps on the Market to not have it.
Google only checks apps if they receive complaints.
Anybody have experience with Antivirus Free from Creative Apps? Seems to be less of a memory hog but I'm not sure how effective it is.
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.zrgiu.antivirus
Anyone tried Super Security Standard? I've seemed to have good luck with it and it only scans when I tell it to or when I dowloadan app.
Kaspersky is developing a great mobile solution as well. One of the, if not the best desktop antivirus solutions next to NOD32
VoXPCS said:
Kaspersky is developing a great mobile solution as well. One of the, if not the best desktop antivirus solutions next to NOD32
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They already have one. It's a paid app.
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.kms
Related
Hi,
I installed Amazon App Store app to get one of the free app of the days. But now, it keeps running in the background. Probably collecting info.
I added the app to the Auto-End list (where it SHOULD kill the app after 2 minutes of screen off). The Amazon app seems to start when phone boots up. It also someone resurrects itself. I've made sure to not use it, and at some point during the day I checked running tasks and there it is.
If I kill it manually, it eventually shows up again some time during the day.
There are other apps that turn on by themselves on startup, but don't resurrect themselves. On windows, it's easy to manage auto-startup services. It's in the administrative tool. Is there the equivalent of this on Android?
Amazon is annoying like that; it does the same thing with me. Its really not hurting your battery or phone but just looking at it can be annoying so i understand. If it really bothers you that much get "titanium backup" from the market and freeze it when you aren't using it. Also your phone is smart enough to close apps/end processes on its own, moto just put the task killer there as it really serves no purpose. Also auto killing apps isnt smart; your phone probably uses more battery when it has to open up a new process everytime you open an app since you autokill and dont let it manage process/apps on its own. Android likes to let apps that aren't being used rest in memory in the background...id suggest you stop auto killing apps and do some research for yourself on how the android linux kernel works.
Thanks.
I did read into Android developer's way of thinking about how apps on a smart phone should behave, and their philosophy regarding memory management.
However, this philosophy opens up the possibility for abuse by app developers (Amazon). Programs that I use maybe once a month really don't need to be running (especially on startup), regardless of how little memory they use up, or how awesome Android's memory management scheme is.
I don't intend on micromanaging every process. Just those that are obvious wastes.
coachclass said:
Thanks.
I did read into Android developer's way of thinking about how apps on a smart phone should behave, and their philosophy regarding memory management.
However, this philosophy opens up the possibility for abuse by app developers (Amazon). Programs that I use maybe once a month really don't need to be running (especially on startup), regardless of how little memory they use up, or how awesome Android's memory management scheme is.
I don't intend on micromanaging every process. Just those that are obvious wastes.
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I agree with you. Try out bloatware freezer or other apps in the market that blk apps from starting up when the phone turns on. Android definitely needs to get small issues like this fixed in future builds for sure.
Has anybody checked their battery usage and noticed AVG anti virus just drains the crap out of the battey? I kill this app about 70 times a day because its running in the background always. I can understand running while installing an app or downloading something from browser. But why killing my battery while the device is idle? Anybody here not use anti virus at all? I thought about getting rid of it but I'm a frequently visit of "other" app markets not ran by google or Amazon. If it makes a difference, I'm running unnamed 1.3.1 with setcpu on conservative. Thanks all and have a nice Turkey day!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using xda premium
Both my wife and I had an 'anti-virus' on our phones for a few months and nothing 'malicious' was ever found.
Nor have we ever had a 'bad' app. At least none that we had installed on our phones that got any news about it being malicious elsewhere on the internet.
Not saying it's not doing anything. But I haven't even heard of anyone being saved from a rogue app by having an anti-virus on their phone.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using XDA App
I just checked, and it is at the bottom of the list. Did you set it to auto-scan daily our something? Or maybe you have a virus that it's trying to defend against.
My phone lasts 19 hours per charge with light-moderate use. I only see AVG when I install apps. I have never even see it do its weekly scan.
If you have AVG pro, maybe someone is using AVG's remote feature to track your GPS positions.
By the way, I hope that when you say that you keep killing it because it is running in the background, it is because you see it running in the task manager (hold down the home key), not in settings-> applications-> running services...because the items in the latter list are just services. Services are basically apps that get CPU time once in a while to see if anything needs to be done (they aren't using the CPU constantly like an app in the foreground would).
Hi all,
I just happen to find out that avast releases a mobile security for android and I have been a big fan of avast antivirus until today,....it crosses my mind to ask all of you on your opinion about this one too...
Do We Need Any Kind of Mobile Security for an Android?
and if you think we should have it,
What Are You Using and Why Do You Think You Need It?
Thanks In Advance.....
Personally I have never used an Antivirus on any of my Android phones.
If you install apps from the Market or from any other source you feel is trustworthy, you shouldn't need an app monitoring everything on the phone. This is not Windows, so an antivirus would decrease the phone's performance, while the chances of actually needing it to take action are slim.
iR¡[email protected]!* via Tapatalk
bloodsuckingcomputer said:
Hi all,
I just happen to find out that avast releases a mobile security for android and I have been a big fan of avast antivirus until today,....it crosses my mind to ask all of you on your opinion about this one too...
Do We Need Any Kind of Mobile Security for an Android?
and if you think we should have it,
What Are You Using and Why Do You Think You Need It?
Thanks In Advance.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I always kept Lookout on my previous phone, but because of available memory on X10's, I no longer do. I do have the apk on my sdcard and I've loaded Lookout and scanned and unloaded it a few times just to satisfy myself that it really isn't needed. And the more memory available, the better.
tal333
iridaki said:
Personally I have never used an Antivirus on any of my Android phones.
If you install apps from the Market or from any other source you feel is trustworthy, you shouldn't need an app monitoring everything on the phone. This is not Windows, so an antivirus would decrease the phone's performance, while the chances of actually needing it to take action are slim.
iR¡[email protected]!* via Tapatalk
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I never have one for my self either,but attracted avast for so long,leads me to asking such thing,thanks for your advice anyway,I think I won't be needing one too for now
TAL333 said:
I always kept Lookout on my previous phone, but because of available memory on X10's, I no longer do. I do have the apk on my sdcard and I've loaded Lookout and scanned and unloaded it a few times just to satisfy myself that it really isn't needed. And the more memory available, the better.
tal333
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That is also one of the reason,why I never have any kind installed myself,unless if ever own a phone that comes with 2gb of ram,i'll be rest assured that my phone won't have serious memory shortage...for now I think, I'll pass.
Recovered my mobile data with the help of mobile security app
I use mobisecurity.net which i found to be best anti-theft application till now . It compatible for Android, Symbian and Blackberry.
Recently i lost my Symbian device but with the help of mobisecurity i could track the location and wipe all my personal data before anyone can misuse it. But later i easily recovered and restored it from my account. :good:
No, just use antithief if you like...
I used nod, Norton, avast ....
None of them detected only 1 virus but I keep tons of apps in my sdcard & all of them are cracked (can't buy apps in here, market unavailable )
Wasting CPU performance & ram :thumbup:
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# always wear your seat belt as it saved my life...:beer:
# sorry for English
I think the best antivirus is your brain. If you install apps from playstore than youre good. However some apps that has very low rating, downloads, or the description is very creepy could been harmfull.
I prefer idea that if you use apps like facebook, instagram etc. from playstore so you dont have to scan it with antivirus because they are from trusted developers and they have milions of download. So if they were defected or malware, they could be already reported.
If you install apps from untrusted sources they could contain mallicious code.
Conclusion: For daily user which daily use phone for calling, sms, facebook, gtalk and install "famous" or good known apps from playstore is antivirus useless because it is fast impossible to have malware on his phone. Using apps from other sites is good too but only if you can trust that site .
this is only my opinion. you will never have 100% security but it is fast imposible to catch malware on your phone.
I know that a Virus can be an issue on the nadroid phone but is a BIG issue? And if so which Anti-Virus woukd be ideal both as a free option and paid one, also taking into mind battery consumption and system footprint?
HunterKiotori said:
I know that a Virus can be an issue on the nadroid phone but is a BIG issue? And if so which Anti-Virus woukd be ideal both as a free option and paid one, also taking into mind battery consumption and system footprint?
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anti virus apps aint worth it.. i dont know anyone that uses them.. they deff kill ya battery..
HunterKiotori said:
I know that a Virus can be an issue on the nadroid phone but is a BIG issue? And if so which Anti-Virus woukd be ideal both as a free option and paid one, also taking into mind battery consumption and system footprint?
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Click to collapse
i use norton and yeah they're useful... it found 5 malware apps on my phone... and battery only uses 2 percent batt. so it doesn't eat a lot of bat.
HTC EVO LTE
Just use avg to scan New apps as they are downloaded-installed. Really the only way u can get viruses on your phone since android isn't an exe haven.
As for the active protection internet crap, it is just a battery killer. Unless u have problems clicking on viagra ads and browsing jailbaitvirusjailbreak.com... Who doesn't tho rite?
Sent from my EVO using xda app-developers app
These security firms pad their findings and make it look worse then it is, avg released a report last year about some 200 malware apps and neglected to mention they were apps that were sideloaded because the majority had already been removed by Google. These companies thrive on ignorance and fear.
So I'm guessing that anti-virus apps are kinda useless unless I'm installing apps that are not on google play right?
That's the short story...
There are phishing schemes out there too, so antivirus can help if you click on ads on accident or on purpose.
Best thing for that though is Ad-free or Adaway. They remove all ads from your phone whether it be thru the browser or in app.
You need to be rooted to use them, but they can be found on the playstore easily.
So, if you are looking for protection from apps not downloaded from google playstore then use avg or Norton, whatever u feel is the best. Keep in mind that all you need is the virus scanner and for it to be updated regularly. All the other bells and whistles contained within the programs are unnecessary.
There are only 2 ways you can get malware on your android phone. One is thru installing apks (apps). They are the executable files (exe) to windows. Unlike windows our android phone gets an install prompt to install the app as well, so u have a warning. If u didn't initiate the install or don't recognize what it is then don't install it.
Basically, if u only download your apps from google playstore you have nothing to worry about. Google scans all of the apps before they post them on play. Sometimes things get thru, but they are usually ridiculous apps made in Russia or other foreign countries. That's not to say a great app from the US won't ever sneak a virus in, but typically it doesn't happen.
Oh, and the other way malware can affect you is by clicking on ads. They are usually on sketchy sites anyways. These will be phishing schemes. The sole purpose of them is to obtain your personal info for financial gain.
Like I mentioned above, install Adaway, or adfree. If you have rom toolbox use the ad blocker in there. Or if you are not rooted then just don't click on any ads. If you do then make an educated decision before doing so. Good "phisherman" can disguise whole websites to look exactly like your bank's. Everyone can be fooled so just use your brain my friend.
Well, hope I answered your question thoroughly. I'm off to play some vidya games. Black Friday rules for game prices btw.
Good luck.
Sent from my EVO using xda app-developers app
I already posted about this in the NRG ROM because that's the ROM I'm using, but I am so impressed with the battery improvement after using this app for a week that I had to cross post to a larger audience. I know the battery is the one major drawback on the Amaze. This is just not a problem for me anymore since I started using Greenify.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.oasisfeng.greenify
I've been getting over 24 hours regularly with 3-4 hours screen time. I'm using NRG with stock kernel, but I see no reason why this app wouldn't offer improvement for any configuration. It enables effective hibernation of apps without freezing them. They'll run but only in the foreground. It cuts out all background processes of the apps you select.
You have total control over which apps you want running in the background and allows you to keep the aggressive battery hogs at bay. You select which apps should hibernate. For instance, now Google maps will really stay asleep when it's not being used, no constant wake locks, but unlike with freezing it, you can conveniently launch it when needed. However any apps with background processes that are actually useful are free to do their thing, eg, widgets you want to auto update. It's taming the beast that is android.
And not only is my battery improved, but my phone is more responsive too. Highly recommended. Here's the xda thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2155737
thanks a lot for sharing this, will try it out, always wanted an app like this, the maps kill the battery for no good reason.
My pleasure. I hope your experience is as satisfying mine.
dosnt kill maps most apps remain in idle, pending hibernation mode.
EDIT, opened my eyes and read the FAQ. - maps not gonna die :|
Q: Some of my greenified apps (e.g. Google Maps) seems not hibernating.
A: In short, don't worry about frequently awake apps. It will still hibernate in minutes after screen goes off, thus hardly add observable battery consumption. Use battery statistics in settings or "BetterBatteryStats" to confirm that.
While most greenified apps will stay in hibernation quietly, some apps do break hibernation, due to being waken up by others. Some known cases include enabled account sync, backup agent, and explicit launch by other app.
Since version 1.45, Greenify will now automatically turn off directly involved account sync of greenified apps when going to hibernate, to avoid the periodic account sync wake them up. For backup agents, Greenify will NOT disable them, to ensure your backup of app data is always up-to-date. As backup usually does not perform often, they are thus unlikely to be waken up often.
Google Maps is a typical example of explicit launch by other app. Some Google apps, including Google Now (a.k.a Google Search), will start the NetworkLocationProvider of Google Maps for its proprietary implementation instead of the public Android one if Google Maps is installed.
Since Greenify is designed to not break any explicit usage of greenified apps, these behaviors are considered "normal", and will NOT be "fixed". To clear out your unease, Greenify will still put them into hibernation when standby to protect your battery consumption.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
bilaliz said:
dosnt kill maps most apps remain in idle, pending hibernation mode.
EDIT, opened my eyes and read the FAQ. - maps not gonna die :|
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can manually put them into hibernation mode by selecting them, and hitting the pause button at the top of the screen. To help control maps make sure you don't have Google Now running or have it on in a very limited mode. (Google Now sucker punches battery. Honestly, I just presume that anyone interested in battery preservation has abandoned Google Now.) The other anti-maps tactic I use is to go to System Settings>>Location and disable "GPS satellites" and "Location & Google search." I can easily re-enable these through a widget I have set up when I need Maps capability, but it keeps the program quiet for the most part and Greenify does the rest.
The proof is in the screenshots. I never got any battery life like this before Greenify.
Shabidoo said:
The proof is in the screenshots. I never got any battery life like this before Greenify.
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but in those pics i also see juice defender running, so that may be playing a part too. also there are no phone calls, phone calls take a lot of juice.
regarless of that i have witnessed significant battery improvement with this app, i think i'll be giving a donation to this guy. he deserves it.
bilaliz said:
but in those pics i also see juice defender running, so that may be playing a part too. also there are no phone calls, phone calls take a lot of juice.
regarless of that i have witnessed significant battery improvement with this app, i think i'll be giving a donation to this guy. he deserves it.
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Lol yea juice defender
Sent from my Amaze 4G using xda app-developers app
I've had Juice Defender going as long as I've had my phone. I use the customization in ultimate, but before Greenify, I was getting around 17 hours battery life. So JD has not been a variable for me in evaluating the app.
I'm not a big phone call maker, but I do use bluetooth for music streaming a lot. I think it was so minor in comparison to the screen usage that day that it probably didn't even register 1% battery usage.
So I'm giving it a try. This a pretty much a light app that kills the app you select when you aren't using it.
Sent from my Amaze 4G using xda app-developers app
Trying this out now but just thought I'd pass along some info that really helped me with maps. Using Autorun manager (free on playstore) I killed any process under map that had the word friend in it and it has made a big difference even though Latitude has been disabled since day 1. There are lots of other battery saving and wake lock preventing things you can do with this app.
Justin
Sent from my Amaze 4G using xda app-developers app
mestguy182 said:
Trying this out now but just thought I'd pass along some info that really helped me with maps. Using Autorun manager (free on playstore) I killed any process under map that had the word friend in it and it has made a big difference even though Latitude has been disabled since day 1. There are lots of other battery saving and wake lock preventing things you can do with this app.
Justin
Sent from my Amaze 4G using xda app-developers app
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I did the same and it helped my battery life dramatically.
Sent from my HTC_Amaze_4G using xda app-developers app
mestguy182 said:
Trying this out now but just thought I'd pass along some info that really helped me with maps. Using Autorun manager (free on playstore) I killed any process under map that had the word friend in it and it has made a big difference even though Latitude has been disabled since day 1. There are lots of other battery saving and wake lock preventing things you can do with this app.
Justin
Sent from my Amaze 4G using xda app-developers app
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Click to collapse
Thanks for the tip. I am trying this out as well and after 2 days, my battery life has doubled. :good: Even works very well on my wife's GNex, where the battery life is worse than the Amaze