Today, the Google Android operating system is a particularly attractive mobile platform for distributing malware. Therefore, in this review we will look at AVG Anti-Virus Pro antivirus products for protecting Android smartphones.
1. Introduction
2. Install AVG Anti-Virus Pro for Android
3. Functional content
4. Anti-virus module AVG Anti-Virus Pro for Android
5. Anti-theft subsystem
6. Conclusions
Introduction
When smartphones are called computers, this is not an exaggeration, because today, in terms of functionality, smartphones are not inferior to their “big brothers” - with their help you can exchange messages by email, communicate on social networks and instant messaging systems. Unfortunately, smartphones and desktop computers have in common not only their functional content, but also information risks in the form of receiving spam, which is often a vehicle for the distribution of malware in the form of links to download installation archives, phishing sites, and so on.
Compared to computers, the situation is even worse, since a smartphone has direct access to a cellular operator’s account, essentially to money. This fact was appreciated by virus writers, and the number of mobile viruses has increased significantly over the past year. In addition, mention should be made of a type of threat such as physical theft or loss of devices. Devices running the Android operating system are a particularly attractive platform for the spread of malware. Therefore, in our review we will look at the AVG Anti-Virus Pro for Android protection solution.
The AVG Anti-Virus Pro product is designed as a comprehensive solution to combat all types of these problems, so the name “Anti-Virus” does not reflect the completeness of its functionality. It was created for devices running on the Android operating system, which this year became the world and Russian leader in smartphone sales, as well as the leader in the number of viruses that appeared.
Installation is possible both from the Android Market and by direct download from the manufacturer’s website. This is relevant for owners of devices that do not have Google services. The application runs on all versions of Android, from 2.1 to the latest, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.
Conclusion, my opinion
- Everything is fine. But an antivirus must remain an antivirus. AVG Protection has many additional features that not everyone needs.
- In order for all the circles to be green on the main screen of AVG Zen, you need to use shamanism, and you also need to install some extension in the browser. If you want to play with it, you can install it for yourself.
- Remote device management is interesting, but of dubious use in practice.
- I can’t say the most important thing - but I think that AVG is hardly in first place when it comes to virus detection (my opinion).
My personal opinion is that the antivirus is crammed with many unnecessary functions. Instead, it would be better to focus on technologies that can detect hidden viruses and prevent their occurrence.
The new big trend in the antivirus industry is cross-platform solutions for multiple devices. Instead of searching for separate products for Windows, Mac, and mobile devices, you can use one single, multi-platform subscription to protect all your devices and be managed in a central console. Some solutions provide a limited number of licenses, while others have no restrictions on the number of devices. AVG Protection Free (2016) offers absolutely free multi-platform protection. However, even the price issue cannot compensate for the fact that the solution cannot compete with the best antivirus products.
AVG Protection Free helps you centrally manage installations of the free AVG antivirus on Windows, Mac OS and Android devices (iOS not supported). The user can upgrade to the trial version of commercial protection AVG Protection (2016). If you do this and then want to keep the Pro features, you'll have to pay $59.99 for an annual subscription for unlimited devices. A McAfee LiveSafe (2016) subscription costs $89.99, but you get protection for iOS devices, Blackberry devices, and full Mac support. For the same money, you can purchase a Symantec Norton Security Deluxe license for 10 devices with 25 gigabytes of cloud backup storage. However, none of the competitive vendors offer a free version.
Antivirus module AVG Anti-Virus Pro for Android
The organization of the anti-virus module is similar to that used on desktop computers: resident protection and on-demand scanning. Residential protection has virtually no effect on the performance of the smartphone or on energy consumption - the module works only in those moments when there is a risk of infection of the system, for example, when installing applications, saving files and opening web links. Also, when installing an application, a notification appears that it has been scanned by AVG and is considered safe.
AVG Anti-Virus Pro for Android scan statistics
During the first installation, as well as at certain intervals (for example, once a week), the developers recommend conducting a general scan of the smartphone’s memory for threats. This process is designed as conveniently as possible for the user - you need to touch the symbolic “tablet” on the application screen and wait until the check of all storage media is completed.
Figure 3. AVG Anti-Virus Pro for Android scanning process for threats
Performance will depend significantly on both the speed of the smartphone and the speed of the memory card, but on a smartphone with Android 2.2, a dual-core Tegra2 1 GHz processor and a not-fast class 4 memory card (32 GB), a full scan took 27 seconds - despite the fact that more than 200 applications were installed on the smartphone, and the memory card was filled with music files and other media content. The presence of content plays an important role here, since it also contains the search for vulnerabilities. Based on the results of the scan, a final report is displayed that not only lists the malicious objects found, but also makes recommendations on the most secure settings for the smartphone if the user settings are not secure enough.
Figure 4. AVG Anti-Virus Pro for Android
The remaining functions of AVG Anti-Virus are available by pressing the “Menu” button, followed by selecting the “Remote Protection” or “Tools” items.
AVG Anti-Virus Pro for Android “Settings” menu
Remove AVG AntiVirus Free
In fact, these are detailed step-by-step instructions. That is, you can also see the whole process, but it’s not easy to read what to do.
Advice! After this process, do not forget to install a new antivirus program on your device (for example, Kaspersky Internet Security, which you can read about here), since it needs protection, whether it is a smartphone or a tablet.
So, let's begin:
- First you need to go to “Settings”. To do this, go to the application menu and click on the “Settings” icon.
- Now you need to look at all your applications, since the antivirus is one too. Click the "Applications" menu item.
- Find AVG there and click on it.
- Now, I think, having seen the “Delete” button, you understand what needs to be done. And don't forget to confirm the deletion.
That's it, AVG AntiVirus Free Edition for Android no longer exists on your device's system, and all data from this application is also deleted.
There is another way to remove an antivirus - removal through the Play Market
- Go to Play Market. And go to the “My Applications” section.
- In “Installed”, find AVG AntiVirus Free and click on it.
- Now, as you can see, there is a “Delete” button on the left. Just click on it and confirm your choice.
Try to do everything correctly and then no problems will arise. And in general, as you can see, the methods are not particularly different from each other.
Now you know what the antivirus so often mentioned above is. I think that it will be the best choice to protect your Android device (read about other antiviruses for Android in separate articles, read about Kaspersky here, read about Eset NOD32 for Android here). I hope the information I have provided will help you in some way. Have a nice day everyone!
Anti-theft subsystem
One of the main functions for protecting a smartphone is the Anti-Theft function for a smartphone. After all, when a device is lost, the user loses not only the device, but also all his data on it, all photos, correspondence, and so on. Therefore, AVG Anti-Virus Pro provides the owner with several ways to respond to theft - you need to choose the most appropriate one in a particular situation.
Figure 6. Remote control of the Anti-Theft subsystem
The first level of protection is to block the smartphone, display the message “Return to so-and-so for a reward,” and sound a loud beep. It will come in handy if you forgot your phone in your large and crowded office or even in a quiet apartment - at the bottom of your bag in silent mode.
Figure 7. Anti-theft blocking message parameters
The second level of protection is to provide the GPS coordinates of the smartphone in order to understand its current location. If you don’t have it in your pocket, maybe it’s lying quietly at home? If not, welcome to the third level. Complete destruction of smartphone contents by remote command. In all cases, commands can be submitted in two ways - via SMS to your own number or via the Internet, using the control center on the website avgmobilation.com
Figure 8.Displaying the location of a smartphone running AVG Anti-Virus Pro for Android
To control your smartphone through the website, no complex manipulations are required. Initially, after installing the application, you need to submit a registration command from your smartphone in order to give your consent to use the remote monitoring function.
Figure 9. Smartphone remote control
Then, if you have lost your smartphone, everything is simple - go to the website avgmobilation.com, select the “Remote management” link, the Google website opens, where you need to enter data from your Gmail account, after which you go to the AVG Mobilation control panel , where you can see the position of the smartphone on the map, as well as remotely block it, erase it, and turn on the sound.
In addition to the file scanner we are already familiar with, there are three very useful tools for protecting personal data. These are antispam, password protection of applications and reliable removal of compromising evidence. Antispam, which is important, protects not only email correspondence, but also SMS. Moreover, it is possible to manually set unwanted numbers, or generally prohibit SMS from unidentified numbers. When an unwanted SMS arrives, it is deleted without any visual or sound effects.
Figure 10. Setting up Antispam AVG Anti-Virus Pro for Android
Password protection of applications makes it difficult for unauthorized access to your correspondence, photo gallery and other personal data. You can give your smartphone to friends or relatives to “look at” without fear of possible awkward situations.
Figure 11. Password protection of applications
You must set a password and select protected applications from the list. They can only be launched after entering the password. A tool for “cleaning” personal data completes the picture. It works with the required degree of selectivity - you can simply clear your browser history or SMS correspondence, or you can delete everything on the device, for example, before selling it.
Figure 12.Deleting personal data
Also, do not neglect regular backups of your data. The built-in backup module solves this problem by copying user applications to an SD card. It is recommended to transfer the archive to your computer in case you change your smartphone.
Figure 13.Backing up data using AVG Anti-Virus Pro for Android
Theft and viruses are, fortunately, a disaster that does not come very often. But various kinds of “brakes” in the operation of an Android smartphone happen quite often. To minimize the inconvenience caused by problematic applications, AVG Anti-Virus Pro is equipped with a standard set of task management tools. By monitoring the energy and memory consumption of applications, you can stop, unload, or completely remove unnecessary or incorrectly working programs.
Figure 14. Monitoring smartphone energy consumption using AVG Anti-Virus Pro for Android
Figure 15. Indication of free space on the smartphone
AVG introduced AntiVirus PRO for mobile devices on Android Mobiles
Nowadays, every person has a mobile phone and we can say that this gadget is an integral part of life. But, like every computer, a mobile device needs good protection, since it can be difficult to work without the Internet. AntiVirus PRO antivirus from AVG Technologies will protect your mobile device and, best of all, increase its performance.
With AVG AntiVirus PRO antivirus for Android Mobiles, you can monitor the operation of multiple devices from a distance. You just need to connect to a secure network and watch program analysis. If a failure occurs on one device, you will instantly know about the error, and most importantly, you will be able to fix it. Thanks to the simple interface, you can easily find a virus on your device, and remove it before a more difficult problem occurs.
Make purchases online without fear of your money getting into the hands of hackers. The antivirus will easily protect you from any kind of network attack, and you will always feel calm. One of the most useful functions of the antivirus described above is that if it is stolen, the phone is blocked and all personal data is deleted. Thus, a fraudster will not be able to use your data for fraud or simply view material that is of a personal nature.
Every phone has a problem with unwanted messages or unfamiliar calls. AVG AntiVirus PRO antivirus for Android Mobiles, using certain settings, will solve all problems and troubleshoot problems. If the robber does not want to return the phone, then using a remote program you can take a photo of it, which you will receive by mail.
This way you can prove that the phone belongs to you and find the criminal. Watch the information you are interested in on the Internet without advertising, which constantly interferes. Antivirus will help you improve your phone's performance and extend the life of your operating system.
Buy We recommend that you make a purchase from an official representative; you can go to him using the AVG banner in the article. This antivirus software can be safely called very affordable; by modern standards, its cost is absolutely ridiculous.
Price:
- 150 rubles 1 device for 1 year
- 250 rubles 2 devices for 1 year
You can also download a trial version, this is where the review of AVG antivirus aimed at smartphones ends.
conclusions
Conclusion: AVG Anti-Virus Pro, contrary to the name, protects your smartphone not only from viruses, but also from all other threats typical for this class of devices. First of all, from theft, viewing of personal data by strangers, as well as incorrectly working applications that lead to rapid battery drain or slowdown of the system. The minimalistic interface does not intimidate even beginners and leaves no room for error - all recommended settings are made automatically.
Figure 16.Saving smartphone security settings
Thanks to proper layout, constant protection modules work only at those moments when it is necessary. That is, the SMS filter is triggered only when an SMS is received, and the anti-virus scanner is triggered at the moment the file with the application is downloaded. This solution allows you to not slow down the smartphone or reduce battery life - while ensuring maximum protection and peace of mind for the owner.
