Apple users believe that their devices do not need protection, and therefore doubt whether antivirus is needed. However, protection against malware is not all that modern antiviruses can do; they have tons of other useful features.
The likelihood that the file system will be infected with viruses is minimal, because it is protected from any unauthorized interference. However, it is still recommended for users of Apple technology to download and install an antivirus - virus programs are becoming more advanced; perhaps, over time, they will learn to bypass the protection of "apple" gadgets. If you want to protect your expensive gadget from all potential threats, you should pay attention to the following applications.
Price: Free +
Lookout Security is an antivirus that not only helps keep your iPhone's file system safe, but also helps you find your lost or stolen device. It is enough to connect to the Internet and go to Lookout.com, and the user is provided with information about the location of the device. Antivirus can also:
- Remotely making the iPhone sound a loud beep is useful if the user has lost the gadget in their apartment. Interestingly, the iPhone will “scream” even when in silent mode.
- Display an SMS message with the coordinates of the owner on the screen of the lost device - perhaps the finder will turn out to be a decent person and want to return the gadget.
Lookout Security is a free antivirus for iPhone, however, there is also a paid version - Premium, which costs 1,790 rubles per year. Paid antivirus makes backups of all photos from the iPhone and informs the owner if someone tries to perform suspicious actions with the iPhone, for example, enters a PIN.
McAfee Mobile Security
Price: Free +
McAfee is a powerful program that blocks worms and Trojans from entering the device's file system. In addition, the antivirus does not allow the user to visit those sites that may pose a threat to the smartphone.
Malware protection is not all that antivirus can do. It is equipped with many features that are useful when the device is stolen:
- Capture Cam. If the thief entered the PIN incorrectly on the iPhone several times, he made a critical mistake - the gadget takes a photo of him on the front camera and sends it to the owner's email.
- Remote destruction of contacts.
- Media storage. All photo and video files can be PIN protected remotely if iPhone is lost. Plus, the antivirus is able to back up important data from the device.
McAfee antivirus is completely free to download.
Secure Line VPN
Secure Line is one of the best paid antivirus software that allows an iPhone user to visit websites anonymously. The software manufacturer - Avast - offers a free period of 7 days so that the user can decide if he needs an antivirus; after this period, you will have to pay $ 3 per month.
Secure Line provides other benefits as well:
- Security. The Internet connection is encrypted, therefore, they will not be able to get to the registration data and calls that are made through the Skype and Viber applications.
- Removal of restrictions. If the website is geographically restricted, the antivirus can change the user's IP address to appear as if they are using the Internet in another country.
Conclusion
Despite the fact that Apple technology is famous for its protection against malware, installing antivirus software will not be superfluous. The review shows that modern antiviruses not only know how to fight Trojans, but are also able to help the user if his gadget is lost.
According to statistics for 2015, the damage from the loss of Apple devices and the data that were stored on them exceeded $ 3 billion. Even if the antivirus does not help to find the gadget itself, it will be able to recover personal information, which is sometimes more valuable to the user than the device itself.
In recent years, there has been a tendency towards a decrease in the number of adapted antivirus programs in the App Store. All due to the fact that the closed "operating system" of the iPhone - iOS, and so does not allow any applications to interfere with the operation of the system. Therefore, the use of antivirus seems to be superfluous. But the stored content (in the same cloud) can be potentially dangerous for your other devices: a computer, tablet or smartphone of another brand. And in this case it is better to play it safe, as they say.
Protection under control?
A small set of antivirus applications in the company store and their low functionality is partly a kind of message from the manufacturer: "The iPhone does not need additional protection!"
If you do not expose your smartphone no software "upgrades", you shouldn't be afraid of catching a virus with a 98% probability. In general, the user has practically no influence on the operation of the system, and this is for the best. By downloading the necessary applications from trusted, approved sources, you further increase the level of security. Fortunately, the manufacturer has its own Internet resource containing a lot of various programs adapted to the special requirements of iOS. 
Apple Like no one else, he monitors the quality of content in his virtual store, and imposes very strict requirements on developers. In a sense, being on iTunes product lists is prestigious for development companies. Therefore, it is for iPhones, first of all, that new versions of most programs are written.
As they identify various vulnerabilities that attackers can use as loopholes in the system, Apple programmers promptly release updates to suppress all potential threats. No other competing platform can boast such a quick response to eliminate system bugs. It is clear that each time the system is additionally strengthened against possible targeted virus attacks. For this, in part, you pay such a high cost, and it is foolish to voluntarily give up such a significant advantage in order to install a couple of third-party applications. Maximum protection against hacking is the strong point of the company's smartphones.
If you subjected your iPhone to jailbreak, consider that the mentioned powerful protection is automatically leveled.
No one will give you a guarantee that there are no viral fragments in the hacking program itself and in the applications downloaded from third-party resources later. Also, you will not be able to update the system until the "hacked" jailbreak versions are released, which may contain a malicious script that steals user passwords or personal data. These "modified" iPhones will probably have to install antiviruses, since the risk of infection grows many times over.
Is there a benefit?
In essence, any modern antivirus is more of an administrative function in iPhones, filtering spam and hidden advertising. But you don't know what will happen next for the gadgets? And if now it is not really needed, then the appearance of user complaints about hacking of accounts last year is already a wake-up call. Since the company's super-secure servers are hacked, what can we say about simple account holders. So it is possible that in a short time everyone will have to install an antivirus on their phone, even on such a secure one as an iPhone. In addition, all of us, without knowing it, go to potentially malicious sites, and sometimes just visiting them is enough for the "uninvited guest" to settle in some registry in order to further block access to the owner's accounts or cause other harm.
Still, many antivirus - applications are very useful, and not only as detectors for viruses. So, for example, they can be used to quickly find out if a proposed used model has been jailbroken. Also, in case of loss (theft), you can remotely trigger an alarm siren or send a signal to the smartphone's camera so that it quietly takes a picture of the fraudster and forwards it to the owner. So the chances of finding a loss are much higher. Antivirus helps block data to prevent thieves from gaining access to it, regularly backs up user information, notifies about unauthorized access attempts, and much more.
It's fair to say that some antivirus apps are still in the App Store. Among them: AviraMobileSecurity, NortonMobileSecurity, McAfeeMobileSecurity, Lookout - Backup - they help to find a lost iPhone, create copies and block data, Dr.Web Mobile Control Center - allows you to administer an anti-virus network, AVG PrivacyFix is an excellent option for securely browsing social networks. Some of them provide safe web browsing - they exclude from the search list and block any sites unpleasant for the user, you just need to install a certain filter. For example, KasperskySafeBrowser works according to this principle. 
Trial versions of these programs are often free. At the end of the trial period, the user can either purchase the full version, with the maximum set of functions, or continue using the free version, with a limited number of features.
At the moment, antivirus in iPhones is really not needed. And the possibilities that third-party programs provide can be found in the built-in resources of the smartphone. So if you are not a hacker (or geek) and you have enough of the functions that the manufacturer has put into the phone - refrain from using antiviruses, currently they are still ineffective (even if due to artificial restrictions on access to iOS). IPhones are self-sufficient - that's their beauty.
In this article, we'll talk about antivirus on iOS and, in principle, about viruses on iOS. Is it worth installing antiviruses on the device and be afraid that the iPhone or iPad may be infected with something that can ruin the system. After all, viruses are what spoils the life of many people on computers or Android devices.
Viruses come in different types and work in different ways. Some steal data, others block the device, gain control over it, and thus fraudsters extort money. It is not so important what exactly the virus is. It is important to understand what threatens iOS users. According to rumors, the OS is protected and nothing is able to penetrate it, but in reality everything may be different. Let's figure it out further.
Many have heard about the fact that Apple devices, and it doesn't matter if they are iOS or MacOS devices. A natural question arises whether the OS is really so secure that there is no reason to worry about malicious applications getting into the system. There is no definite answer, but it is important to say that the device certainly has the ability to do more things when compared to Android devices.
The file system is closed and therefore there is no way, for example, to dump music or other files without using iTunes or another that is capable of bypassing Apple's protective walls. You should use such applications only at your own peril and risk.
This has certain advantages, we list them:
- Firstly, the presence of antivirus is not so important.
- Secondly, there is no reason to be afraid for the confidentiality of your information.
- Thirdly, there is no fear for the security of data and information, for the risk of losing it.
It is clear that any system is hacked and you cannot completely protect yourself from hackers and privacy problems. Remember at least the case with the leakage of photos of stars from iCloud. However, this no longer depends on Apple, it has done everything possible to protect the user's personal data. However, it should be said that this often applies only to serious and influential people, who make sense to hack. After all, hacking is not the easiest thing, so hackers are unlikely to waste their time and resources on ordinary people.
Do I need to install an antivirus for iOS on iPhone?
However, does all of the above mean that an antivirus must be installed on the device? This question is asked by many users who have just bought a device from a Cupertin company for the first time, without experience using it before. If we talk about a device on an Android, then most users install an antivirus immediately after purchasing. After all, the OS is not at all secure and even in the Play Market branded store there is a huge number of threats and virus spyware that are able to obtain the necessary information and direct it against the user.
When switching to iOS or MacOS, many people instinctively want to download an application that could protect the device. However, it should be said that the situation is different here.
Apps and toys are scanned by Apple and there can be no malware at all. It is possible to download applications from the outside, simply by following the link. If the user is not sure that the source is safe, it is better not to download. Separately, it should be said about the jailbreak, with which you can use third-party app stores. By analogy with a race from the outside, there is a chance to pick up a virus or malware spyware. Without iTunes, you cannot upload photos or programs to your computer, so protection is everywhere.
Moreover, it is very difficult to find a program in the AppStore that would perform the function of an antivirus. A lot of programs that bear this name do different things, block ads, and so on, but they just do not protect against viruses.
Where and how to choose an antivirus for iPhone
As already mentioned, in the AppStor brand store, the user will find a large number of programs and applications that are called antiviruses and that are installed on the device without problems. There are Norton or McAfee programs that have a strong association with antivirus programs that can protect against viruses, because these programs perform the same functions on desktop computers or laptops.
You should understand in more detail and understand what exactly such programs do and why they are needed:
- Protect files with pin codes.
- Backs up some files and data on the device.
- Restore contacts.
- The user is alerted to a hack.
- It becomes possible to safely conduct shooting.
- Find your phone or tablet on the map you have lost.
The list can be large, sometimes smaller. It depends on the specific program, but does not protect against viruses. The functions are more superficial, able to protect against thieves or those people who would like to view information or open a program only by picking up the gadget.
Hence, it is clear that installing such programs is not worth it and there is not much sense, because most of the functionality has long been introduced by Apple itself with a more comfortable interface. If you don’t believe it, then go to the program and read its description, you can even download it to make sure that the manufacturer does not offer anything radically new.
How to clean iPhone from virus if the device has been infected
Next, let's say a few words about how to clean the phone from viruses that have infected it. Android owners know to clean their devices periodically and often enough. If not clean, then at least check for viruses.
This habit developed after using a stationary computer on Windows, where there are enough viruses, due to the popularity and weak security, which means that antivirus needs to be installed.
If we talk about Apple, the technique works a little differently. The technique works for the comfort of use. The file system is protected and resists virus attacks. The only way a virus can appear is downloading from third-party resources or the presence of Jailbreaks, which make the system vulnerable. Therefore, there are only two tips: do not download anything to the device after the message that it may be unsafe and do not install a jailbreak, which, in fact, is not required in the new OS from Apple.
Free antivirus for iPhone
There is a large selection of top antiviruses for the device, which are even free and will help. However, no one writes that applications will not do anything to the device and will not help in the event of a real problem. This is the usual list of all useless apps that are free.
There are not even stories about the fact that the gadget was infected with a virus. Apple has created a safe technique that has thought through every point to the smallest detail so that malware does not get on the phone or tablet and does not infect the device. And they did it, there are really few precedents. Without downloading third-party programs from the Internet, and not from the AppStore, nothing bad will happen. Even so, it is very rare that there is something there that would endanger the device.
Even just to upload files to a gadget, you need to use iTunes, which monitors and protects the device. There are third-party applications and programs for Windows or MacOS that bypass aytyuns and allow you to bypass data. We strongly advise against downloading and using them. The risk increases, which means that the virus is able to penetrate the device. There are keylogger viruses that track what the user types and then use it to harm. Even a set of passwords is visible, which means that not only the device is not protected, but also many accounts.
When buying appliances from Apple, the simplest advice would be to enjoy it, enjoy the simplicity and ease of use. After all, it is made to make the user feel comfortable and safe.
conclusions
It turned out to be a long article, which has one main result: there is nothing to be afraid of and antiviruses are not required for the device at all. Programs that claim to be antivirus are more likely to lie and perform the functions that Apple performs by default. We hope you have found the answer to the question you were looking for and are convinced that Apple technology is safe to use. It is important not to download third-party files and then there is nothing to be afraid of.
