When does an android phone need an AV, and when doesn't it need one? And how to know whether an app you are downloading from the Play store is safe?
I don't use one either. How to know when a Play Store app is safe? You don't, regardless. Sometimes that is not discovered for a while. Don't download new apps and research them before downloading. If it's not a reputable company or a mature app use at your own risk.
Some Android AV's (like Sophos) will flag a downloaded app with a "low reputation" warning. It then gives you a choice to uninstall the app before opening it for the first time. Sophos has alerted me several times to "low reputation" apps that I was trying to install. In 90% of the cases, I choose to uninstall the app before it was opened.
I have a lifetime subscription on Dr.Web Security Space for android,but I believe Bitdefender Mobile Security is much better.
dr web has parental control which i really appreciate and need so basically i would choose it mainly for that reason .
Did you ever try Norton Family, or other similar solutions, for Android and/or PC? Do you think Dr Web family filtering service is better?
I've been using Norton on my Android phone for a while. It doesn't seem to impact performance and many of its features, such as real-time malware protection, are free. The feature I use most is the call blocker; I have been plagued lately by spam calls and the Norton call blocker nails them after I add the numbers to the block list.
Now's your chance Seriously, it's worth test driving. They offer a 30 day trial for the premium features. After that it reverts to the free version, which is still useful.