Google Play Protect: Is it really the worst safety solution on Android?

Av-test Institute has tested several dozen safety solutions on Android.After reading their latest study, you will be tempted to install an antivirus.Wait, we explain why it is not necessary.

Google Pixel 5 // Source: Anthony Wonner - Frandroid

The comparisons of the AV-Test Institute are expected by specialists in the sector, this is a classification of antivirus which is carried out by an independent company.Avast, AVG, Bitdefender, F-Secure, G Data, Kaspersky, McAfee, Nortongiflock or Trendmicro, all await these comparisons to add them to their official communication in order to convince us that they have the best solution to protect us.

In the latest ranking of June 2021, the vast majority of antiviruses have the best score and 100 % efficiency.Surprise, Google Play Protect is last in all rankings with a very low note.The comparison taken up by several media does not really explain what is really going on on your smartphone.

The maximum score (18 points) was obtained by 9 out of 15 antivirus.All infected applications (100 %) have been detected by several antivirus: Bitdefender, G Data, McAfee, F-Secure, AVG, Nortonliflock and Trend Micro.

Why are these antiviruses unnecessary on Android

Android has become the most used bone in the world, making it a priority target.You cannot spend a week without coming across the history of a malware that will definitely destroy 100 % of Android smartphones.Antivirus companies regularly use these stories to promote their software.In reality, their communication consists in overestimating real risks, especially since the definition of malware is often quite vague.

Normally, you will download 99.9 % of your applications via the Google Play Store.The Google platform has the ability to search for malware known when downloading.It is precisely the work of Google Play Protect which is installed on all smartphones certified by Google.

Play Protect indicates that it checks the safety of applications before downloading from the Play Store.But, the service goes even further: the applications downloaded from unknown sources are also verified by Google.So you do not have, theoretically, the surprise of ending up with malware after downloading an obscure APK file on the Internet.

To go further Play Protect: how anti-Malware works for Android applications

Android antivirus applications consist in installing a safety series that manually analyzes each application (via a white / black list), monitors your web traffic ... In addition to redoing the work carried out by Play Protect, these applications tend to exhaust resources,And therefore the autonomy of your device, and they are generally boring with many notifications and contextual windows.

"Malventy programs" can include unimportant threats such as applications that collect certain personal information or trigger contextual advertisements.You want to avoid them, of course, but antivirus will not help you.

Some third -party features can be useful, such as the function to locate your lost smartphone.Nevertheless, Google offers the location function free of charge.Same observation for the optional VPN function, dedicated solutions will be more effective.

Common sense and some tips

It only takes a little bit of common sense to avoid malicious software on Android.Limit your Play Store apps downloads will protect you from almost all threats.Antivirus applications are generally unnecessary, and even worse, they can have a negative impact on the performance of your smartphone.Then check the authorizations required by an application.If they prove strange compared to the functions proposed by the app, it will probably be necessary to pay attention.

We advise you to read and reread this file, it will be much more useful to you than an antivirus application.

Do not lie, few of us have the right security reflexes.However, our smartphones, our tablets and our PCs shelter very much private data.So surely you have to follow these… Read more

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