Extend Bitdefender Mobile Security to Android Wear devices. Don’t lose your device with the help of Phone Alert and Scream. (Android 4.3 and up required) Please Note! This app requires device admin permission. This app uses Accessibility services. Bitdefender Activation with Bitdefender Product Key 100% Security Bitdefender is the best compatible antivirus among all the devices. It is a solid and robust combo of cloud scanning technology which protects your operating from all harmful elements.
A recent update gives the Bitdefender app a much-needed visual refresh. Tools are now easily accessible from a left tray, and the app looks much cleaner and flatter than before. It's a great new design, but I did notice that whenever I tapped the overflow menu in the upper right-hand corner, an ugly border accompanies its opening. This is clearly a glitch, and one that will hopefully be quickly fixed.Anti-Malware DetectionTo test Bitdefender's antivirus protection, I downloaded the EICAR app from Google Play. This app is perfectly safe, but it is designed to be detected as malicious for testing purposes. Bitdefender flagged it immediately on installation, and it gave me the option to uninstall the app or ignore the warning.
When I pressed ignore, the Bitdefender home screen immediately updated to show me that something was still amiss. That's great. However, Bitdefender does not include an ignore list for apps you want excluded from scans. That isn't an issue for most users, unless their phones are filled with custom software.Though my testing confirmed that Bitdefender works, it doesn't evaluate how well it works. For that, I look to independent research labs. In its July 2015 report, one such lab, the, found that Bitdefender detected an outstanding 100 percent of the 3,336 malicious samples. Another lab, found in its August 2015 report that Bitdefender also detected 100 percent of its 2,365 malicious applications.
That's an impressive performance. In previous reviews, I found Bitdefender's on-demand scanning to be so fast that I wasn't sure it was doing anything at all. That's still true today. On a recently wiped phone, the app completed a scan so quickly I was unable to time it accurately. With a dozen apps running in the background, Bitdefender completed a full device scan (including SD storage) in about 6 seconds. That's excellent, making Bitdefender one of the fastest Android antivirus apps available.The developer explains that Bitdefender is able to achieve those speeds by extracting information from only the files that can harm your device—apps, APKs, and others—and performing the analysis in the cloud.
It also provides constant protection by scanning apps as they're downloaded or updated and by scanning the entire device whenever it is connected to another computer. This approach delivers lickety-split scans and protection only when you need it. It also means you can only scan the device when it's connected to the Internet, but without an Internet connection you're also unlikely to download any potentially dangerous apps.I test the impact of a security app by comparing reboot times before and after the app is installed.
In this test, Bitdefender added only a second to the reboot time. I also play to see how a scan affects performance. Given how fast Bitdefender works, this test was rendered more or less moot.
You're not likely to notice Bitdefender working on your phone.Privacy AdvisorAndroid users may not be aware that apps can leak their personal information, track their location, and do more besides. Apps that do these somewhat unseemly activities are not really 'malicious,' but you might not want them around, either. To give you greater visibility into hidden app behavior, Bitdefender bundles its into its security app in the App Advisor section. Read my review of Clueful for a full list of its features.I like the App Advisor's filtering options, which lets you quickly sort your apps by dangerous behavior. That said, I'm still not too keen on the idea of a 'privacy score,' and I wish that Bitdefender would provide more information about what makes an app dangerous. The latest version of Norton Security and Antivirus goes even further with information about how much data apps use, and how much they impact your battery's performance.
Norton also integrates directly into Google Play, letting you see warnings about an app before you even download it. Theft ProtectionAndroid malware is a real threat, but it's not one most people will actually encounter if they only download apps from the Google Play store. A far-bigger threat to your Android device is loss or theft. To that end, Bitdefender has included tools to keep you in control of your phone no matter where it is.With Bitdefender, you can remotely lock, locate, or wipe the device, or trigger an alarm. You access these tools primarily through the excellent Bitdefender website, which I found to be clean, well designed, and easy to use. However, Bitdefender should make it clearer within the app where users can find these tools.When you remotely lock your phone from the Bitdefender website, you create a new passcode (a minimum of four digits) to unlock the device.
Bitdefender uses the stock Android lockscreen, which means you can be assured your device is secure, though a thief can see notifications on the device.If you're not near a computer, you can trigger these tools using special SMS commands. One command, which forces your phone to call the number sending the SMS command, is is a great way to find a lost or stolen phone.
With this feature, you can listen in on a thief or give instructions to a helpful soul looking to return your lost device. Note that the phone sending the Wipe command must be enrolled within the Bitdefender app as a trusted number. That's a good check against potential abuse.
Doesn't have this fail-safe, but instead lets you select which SMS commands your phone will respond to.On the website, the Locate tool displays your device on a Google Maps map within a reasonable margin of error. When you send this SMS command, the target phone responds with a link to Google Maps. In my tests, the Alarm activated quickly and rang at a suitably annoying 93 decibels. It has lost the distinctive dubstep beat from previous versions, but will still definitely startle a thief (or help you find your Android in a messy room). The Wipe command immediately triggered a factory reset on my phone, leaving nothing behind.
The Bitdefender website also lets you scan your device remotely, though you can't take action on anything it might find. Bitdefender also keeps an eye on your SIM card, and it can send an alert to the trusted phone number you provide when the SIM card is replaced. I like that this feature is switched on by default and cannot be disabled. However, it does not lock your device automatically, or let you 'trust' more than one SIM card, as does. Also, if your phone is in airplane mode or without a SIM, you won't receive a warning.Some security apps include a spy-camera feature, to capture images of the person using the stolen/lost Android. This feature makes it possible to press charges against a thief or recognize a good Samaritan trying to reconnect you with your device. And Kaspersky both have this feature, but Bitdefender does not.Google also supplies theft protection for free with its.
This excellent service can secure your phone through a Web portal, but doesn't support SMS commands and cannot call you on command. Bitdefender handily beats this baseline.Web ProtectionEven on your smartphone, you're a target for phishing sites designed to trick you into giving away your personal information. Bitdefender, like many Android security apps, blocks these sites to keep you safe. Bitdefender distinguished itself in my hands-on testing.
I visited ten confirmed phishing sites listed on, and Bitdefender blocked all but one of them. This is a small, simple test but Bitdefender is currently tied with Norton for the top score.
That's not too surprising, considering that desktop software also features excellent phishing protection.Other FeaturesThe trend in security apps for Android has been to go big or go home., for example, includes lots of features like battery optimization that go way beyond security (unnecessarily, in my opinion). Bitdefender keeps it simple, but includes an App Lock tool, a Reports tool, and support for Android Wear smartwatches.Reports simply shows all the activity carried out by Bitdefender to keep your phone safe. App Lock, as the name implies, lets you lock apps. When someone taps a locked app, Bitdefender prompts them to enter the PIN you assign. It works quite well.Bitdefender does not include a call blocking feature as many other Android security apps have done.
I don't miss it. If you're looking for call-blocking, or SMS blocking if you're running Android 4.3 or earlier, you have many apps to chose from.The support of Android Wear devices is a rarity among security apps. If you have an Android Wear smartwatch, you can activate the Bitdefender Alarm to help locate your phone and launch the app from your wrist.
The best feature is a warning that you may have forgotten your phone, which is triggered when you wander too far away from your Android. Get BitdefendedBitdefender Mobile Security and Antivirus has been a long-time Editors' Choice winner for Android antivirus, and it retains the title. Its reasonable price, excellent malware detection scores, and light footprint make it an ideal mobile security app. Continued improvements and the refreshed Web interface make it an even more-attractive choice. But Bitdefender is joined by the slightly more-expensive but highly capable Symantec Norton Security and Antivirus as our other top pick for Android antivirus.
Bitdefender has been developing antivirus software since 2001, and the company currently boasts an installation base of more than 500 million devices worldwide. The company's primary Android offering, Bitdefender Mobile Security, has had more than 5 million downloads from Google Play, where it's listed as Bitdefender Mobile Security & Antivirus. For $14.95 a year, the app offers an evolving suite of features and an easy-to-use interface for smartphones, tablets and even Android Wear.The app lacks a call or text filter, which are commonly found on other Android security apps but can be inconsistent. But Bitdefender Mobile Security's consistently excellent malware-detection rate, coupled with solid execution on a limited feature set, is what sets it apart from the rest and makes it our top choice among, free or paid.MORE:Costs and What's CoveredBitdefender Mobile Security is one of the only Android antivirus products that goes with a single, straightforward price for the product instead of using the freemium model. Following a 14-day free trial for new users, you must pay either $1.49 a month or $14.95 a year per device.If you are also looking for a Mac or PC antivirus solution, or an option for the whole family's devices, you might want to consider for $90 a year (covering up to five devices) or Bitdefender Family Pack for $120 a year (covering unlimited devices). Additional discounts for multiyear subscriptions are available, and first-time buyers get substantial discounts on their initial purchases.For users interested only in antivirus protection, Bitdefender does have a separate app called simply that delivers the same excellent Android antivirus protection without any additional bells and whistles. There's also, which is also free, but it offers only anti-theft and breach-notification features, with no antivirus component.Malware ProtectionBitdefender Mobile Security has some of the most consistently high-performing malware protection around, but this product also has perhaps the most bare-bones scanning functionality.
Users can conduct manual scans of their entire devices; the only option to toggle is whether to include external storage (microSD cards) in the scan. For me, this process took about 30 seconds to complete.While the lack of scheduled scans is a disappointment and an odd omission, it isn't a deal breaker by any means. New apps and updating apps are automatically scanned, and having to remember to run a manual scan occasionally isn't a significant hardship.If you have a Bitdefender account, you can also start a scan from the Bitdefender Central web portal. Remote scans took approximately 40 seconds to complete, a marked improvement since last year, and displayed the resulting information only on the web portal. There was no indication on the device that a remote scan had taken place.Bitdefender finished in fourth place for performance impact with just the app installed, but in first place for performance during a malware scan.Bitdefender's web-security feature automatically blocks malicious sites and downloads based on a real-time connection to the Bitdefender Cloud Services database.
Browser support for this feature has been broadly expanded since our last review. It now covers Chrome, Dolphin, Firefox, Opera, Opera Mini, the Samsung standard browser, the browser in the Facebook app and the browser in the Facebook Messenger app.I deliberately visited a number of known phishing and malicious sites.
In every case, the Bitdefender app warned me that the site was unsafe, with a brief description of the specific concern. It gave me two options: the prominent 'Take me back to safety' and, in smaller text, 'I understand the risks — take me there anyway.' Malware PerformanceBitdefender managed a perfect score in German independent lab of Android security products, conducted in September 2017.