So my workplace is mostly iPhone users and someone asked me what kind of antivirus software I used on my Android, and I said “none” and he flipped out about how unsafe it was. Other people chimed in saying how all androids need antivirus apps and I’ve never heard of such a thing. I do have ad-blockers and a VPN but never downloaded an antivirus. Should I? If so, what would you recommend? Thanks lemmings, love you.
Absolutely not, that guy is eating marketing
No, antivirus in general is not a good idea these days. It is extremely invasive, consumes resources, and doesn’t actually do much of anything.
Don’t sideload random APKs off the web and you’ll be fine.
There have been far more severe iPhone exploits in the past year or two compared to Android ones.
Apple will never take the brand hit of allowing third party security software, so maybe let your pals know a brand’s fragile ego is putting them in an arguably more perilous position.
There are corporate security solutions and monitoring available for iOS (ex: CrowdStrike Falcon which I handle at work) but since there are privacy implications, it cannot be installed with full privileges unless the phone is registered to the business in Apple Business Manager and set in supervised mode.
You should never trust an apple user for technology questions. If they knew better, they wouldn’t be using apple devices.
You don’t.
Long answer: https://www.androidcentral.com/phones/you-dont-need-to-install-an-antivirus-app-on-your-phone