How to Protect Your Smartphone from Viruses

You’re well aware of the dangers of viruses from your experiences with your home computer. But what about your smartphone? Do you need to know how to protect smartphones from viruses? What types of smartphones need protection from viruses, anyway? Here’s what you need to know.

How to Protect an iPhone from Viruses

The good news is that you don’t need smartphone virus protection if you have an iPhone. Why? iOS, the operating system for iPhones, simply doesn’t have room in the system for a virus or any other malware like a Trojan horse to get into.

In addition, the only outside code that comes into the iPhone comes from the Apple Store, and every app in that store is scrupulously scanned and vetted for any trace of any kind of malicious code. So, while anything is possible in the future, for now, at least, you have little to worry about with respect to viruses if you have an iPhone.

How to Protect an Android Phone from Viruses

Virtually all Android phones have scanning software built in, so you don’t really need any additional antivirus software. Like iPhones, Android phones have a dedicated source of apps, in this case the Google Play store, that’s strictly guarded against malware. If you’re getting apps from a third-party source, you may want to invest in something like Norton Security for Android, but again, your phone is probably already scanning for and blocking malicious software, so you may not really need it.

How to Protect a Windows Phone from Viruses

Windows phones have some protection against malware, but they’re much more vulnerable to virus attacks than Android phones or iPhones. If you have a Windows phone, you may want to invest in some antivirus software. There are four levels of Windows antivirus protection you can buy:

1. Free Windows Antivirus Software

If you’re looking for a quick and dirty solution to your protection concerns you can download for free right now, try something like Avira Free Antivirus. However, this is a very basic level of protection, which can be counted on to catch only the least sophisticated viruses and malware. This should really be only a temporary method until you can invest in a real antivirus program.

2. Entry-Level Windows Antivirus

Basic Windows Antivirus protection like the kind provided by Bitdefender Antivirus Plus, provide an affordable antivirus solution, usually ranging from around $10 to $25. This level of antivirus software screens websites and emails and updates virus definitions automatically.

3. Mid-Level Windows Antivirus

If you’re feeling like you need a little more than basic protection, you may want to invest in a mid-range antivirus program like Kaspersky Internet security. These range from about $15 to $30 a year and include a two-way firewall, parental controls, a secure browser and some other extra security features.

4. Premium Windows Antivirus

This is a much more sophisticated type of antivirus software than most Windows phone users will probably need, typically costing somewhere in the $50 to $100 range. These programs, like Kaspersky Total Security, may include things like file encryption, password managers, multi-device functionality and secure online storage.