Android (Genuinely) Free Antivirus Software

[Old_Geezer]

Asking for another; are any Android AVs still genuinely free ?  Not just free trial, nor 'give us your bank detail first'.

 

Cheers.

[Ellipsis]

I've had Android phones for years, and never had antivirus software other than the built-in security on the phone itself. I've only ever had Samsung and Google phones though. More details here:

https://www.howtogeek.com/793462/does-your-android-phone-need-an-antivirus-app/

[Gizmonster]

As well as the info provided by Ellipsis, there's also an extra inbuilt safety called sandbox.  This separates all the apps from each other and prevents them from interacting with other apps, so even if you managed to download a malicious app, it wouldn't be able to read data and interact with other apps:

https://source.android.com/docs/security/app-sandbox

 

Having said that, I still have an antivirus app on my phone called AVG.  It's free, supported by ads ..... it keeps asking me to upgrade to the paid version for better features, but the free version is enough.

[Old_Geezer]

I did suggest AVG already, but she tells me it just tells her to select her plan (all with a fee). She's getting regular warnings regarding being infected which effect her ability to use the phone. I did suggest she tried Malwarebytes too. Unsure if she has yet.

 

I'll take a look at your links, thanks both, but she does already have something that needs fixing.

[PsalmEquipt]

Hypatia is a free, open-source Android malware scanner with a real-time detection feature. It works offline, requiring internet only for downloading signatures, and automatically restarts on boot or updates. https://apt.izzysoft.de/fdroid/index/apk/org.maintainteam.hypatia