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Can anyone recommend an Android AntiVirus (virus/malware scanner) app that DOES NOT perform any real-time scans?

In other words, it must only perform it's scanning on-demand, and never load itself except when the user manually runs it.

The obvious trade-off is less automated security in exchange for greater performance and fewer software conflicts. Ideal for devices that contain no private data and that are only connected to public networks.

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  • I wouldn't use such an antivirus, as Google already scans apks you install, and the apps on the play store are also scanned for malware. Also, android's permission system is pretty secure.
    – Jonas Czech
    Commented May 12, 2015 at 5:50
  • @JonasCz Ah, but that only applies if you use Google's services. I consider Google to be more invasive than some of the malware out there.
    – Amazon Dies In Darkness ♦
    Commented May 12, 2015 at 9:10
  • Fair enough. My point about the permissions system m still stands though. FYI, there are also sites where you can upload songs or binaries to scan them.
    – Jonas Czech
    Commented May 12, 2015 at 15:59

2 Answers 2

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Avast for mobile answers some of your needs:

  • "on-demand scan" -> yes,
  • "no automatic-scan" -> yes, but the settings of the app must be changed,
  • "never loads itself except when the user manually runs it" -> unknown. It loads itself by default, it might be possible to block this automatic loading task by tempering with the settings of the device, and it might be possible to kill the app to close it after a scan but I never tried.

It might be a good temporary solution: you won't have to leave your device unprotected while continuing to look for THE app that complies with all of your demands.

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Generally speaking, if you ONLY download apps from official Google Play Store, it should be safe without the need to download an antivirus app.

However, once installed some apps from unknown sources, it is suggested to check whether the app is a malware or not.

These apps allow on-demand detection. Both apps can scan the apk file before the actual installation.

VirusTotal app (Google acquired) / VirusTotal Web

VirusTotal uses multiple antivirus engines from various vendors so that it is much more accurate.

ALYac Android

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  • if you ONLY download apps from official Google Play Store, it should be safe this is blatantly false, both in the time it was written and nowadays. Over the years, Google has removed MANY programs from its store after viruses were discovered, things that continue happening right now. Being in a software repository means absolute nothing about the quality and security of such program.
    – Alejandro
    Commented Nov 19, 2021 at 19:02

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