How to Check Your Android Phone for Malware

Android has been the most popular smartphone platform and has attracted android device owner and users from all around the world. The heightened popularity of the platform as well as the open source nature of the platform has seen all manner of activity on the platform. Developers are keen to exploit this feature of the platform to avail applications which expand the functionality of android devices. However, even cyber criminals have been quick to exploit the android platform by developing malicious apps and scripts. These malicious apps and other forms of malware are aimed at stealing data and money from unsuspecting android users.

Some paranoia does exists as more and more reports on android malware and the big increases in reported cases are released. For all android users, you have to know how to check your android phones for malware and the measures to take to protect the android device, your activities and data. The issue of malware on android may best be explained by the fact that with its popularity, it is the most targeted mobile platform.

There are a number of ways on how to check your android phone for malware. The biggest threat to android users has been the apps which should be downloaded and installed with a lot of caution. The best way to guard against malware is by making sure that the malicious apps do not take control of your android phone. First and foremost, a number of steps should precede the installation of an app. Research each app and the publisher to pick out if it looks suspicious or the publisher is listed among malware lists.

Other specific steps to take when finding and installing apps and which will help on how to check your android phone for malware are: when installing apps avoid the .APK files. These are not very straight forward since you will only know of the contents of the file when it is already installed and the damage has already been done. Online reviews will also assist in sifting the malicious apps and lastly the permissions of any app should be checked and with any suspicious activity, the app should not be installed at all.

The second way you can employ on how to check your android phone for malware is through the antivirus apps. This is a very good method of checking for malware on apps which have already been installed on the android phone. Scanning the installed apps with a security app will help identify the rogue apps and malicious scripts which can then be removed completely. The security apps will not only check you android phone for malware but will also guard against malware getting installed into the smartphone.

The very first step in how to check your android phone for malware using the antivirus app is by finding the chosen app on the Google Play store, downloading it and installing it. After completing this step, close the Google Play store and find the security app on the applications option on the menu of your smartphone.

Once here, click on get started to activate the antivirus app. The antivirus app will then scan your smartphone for malware. You can also activate other features provided with the app which will guarantee that your android phone is fully protected. After scanning your smartphone to check for malware, the security app will notify you if any is found and will offer the option of removing the identified malicious software.

Do not panic at all with the issues of malware on android, make sure to practice safe web browsing and having a security app scan the smartphone at regular intervals to check for malware.