Table of Contents
Introduction
We love our iPhones more than ourselves but are we providing enough security for them? Apple is known to take good care when it comes to software security against malicious programs as it keeps the ‘better safe than sorry’ approach. Your device might have your memories, contacts, files and emails which can be corrupted due to the malware. Hence, we need to do all that we can to ensure the safety of our device and the data that it holds.
How Does an iPhone Get a Virus?
Malware is designed to steal data or gain unauthorized access to a device. Once a virus enters the device, it interacts with other applications for complete control over the device. The situation is a little different for Apple products.
Apple has designed its iOS operating systems in a way to reduce the chances of viruses entering the device and tampering with its performance or imposing danger to the security of the user’s data. iOS restricts the interaction between apps, which does not let the virus (if entered) to corrupt other applications. All it can do is cause a little disturbance in the working of the specific application through which it came in. Additionally, to install an app, it has to be approved by the App Store and its security measures which drastically reduces the chances of a virus getting through.
So what are the rare chances of an iPhone getting a virus?
The main cause of iPhones getting a virus is when it’s jailbroken. Jailbreaking can expose your device to a lot of risks such as being easily hacked, shortened battery life, software crashes and freezes, and stability issues. To conclude, an iPhone gets a virus only by the user’s activities and not by itself.
Things to do to Avoid Your iPhone from Getting a Virus
Here are a few tips to keep your iPhone secure:
Update your iPhone
Keeping your iPhone updated enables it to protect itself from new malware. All you have to do is
- Go to ‘Settings’
- Select ‘General’
- Choose ‘Software Updates’ and turn on ‘Automatic Updates’
This will notify you if an update is needed and prompts you to act upon it.
Reset Your Device
If you notice your iPhone behaving strangely, the one thing you should do is to reset it. Here’s how to do it:
- Go to ‘Settings’
- Select ‘General’
- Choose ‘Reset’
But before you reset your device, make sure to backup all your data as resetting it can erase all the content and settings if you choose to. If not, it gives you the option to select the apps that you want to reset. It can fix small bugs and malware.
Delete Suspected Application
If you notice crashes or any other unusual happenings right after installing an app, then I suppose you know the culprit. Delete the app and try to find a more secure one for the purpose.
Restore
Restoring your iPhone is like getting a brand new one. It wipes out all the data and restores it to factory setting, making your phone turn to what it was when you first bought it. It is like the heavier version of resetting your iPhone as it clears all the settings, apps even the firmware and the OS. To restore your device, you have to follow these steps
- Backup your data
- Unlink your Apple ID by going to ‘Settings’, selecting ‘iCloud’ and turning off ‘Find My iPhone’.
- Open ‘Settings’ go to ‘General’ tap ‘Reset’ select ‘Erase All Content and Settings’ finally select ‘erase’ and wait for a few moments before your phone restarts anew.
Avoid Jailbreaking
Do not jailbreak your iPhone if you want to avoid malware, period.
Use an Antivirus
The easiest way to save your iPhone from getting a virus is through installing an antivirus app. These apps prevent any chances of your device being infected by malware. These antivirus apps are specially designed for Apple’s products. They provide protection from harmful websites, advertisements, web trackers etc. that might affect your device. There are many of these apps with certain functions and desirable features to match your requirements. The following are the top five of such apps that you must consider.
5 Best iPhone Virus Removal Apps
Avira Mobile Security
Avira offers extraordinary online security with its antivirus engine for iOS. The Avira Mobile Security app provides a protected online surfing experience through its VPN which uses military-grade encryption to keep your data safe at a ’Top Secret’ level. Its auto-secure function detects trusted and untrusted WiFi networks and does not save your log files. It identifies and blocks phishing and spam to provide you with fraud-free and safe web surfing.
It has an Identity Safeguard feature to scan your email addresses and of your contacts to protect them from leaking online and alerts you of a security breach.
The Anti-Theft tool helps you recover your phone if stolen or lost. Its online dashboard enables you to locate the phone on a map and to lock it or reset to factory settings remotely. It allows you to trigger a loud sound to find the misplaced phone or scare the thieves. Plus it pops notifications to help the finder contact the owner easily. It offers call block and contact backup options too.
The app is available for free in the App Store, though it also offers in-app purchase features.
Pros
- Runs smoothly in the background without slowing down other functions of the device
- Available for free
- Avira VPN has a speedy connection
- Easy installation and setting
- Has a size of 100 MB which does not take much space
Cons
- Frequent ad pop-ups
- Incompetent heuristic functions
Verdict
Avira Mobile Security is a cheap, effective, and multipurpose app to protect your device from online as well as other dangers and security breaches.
Lookout: Security and Identity Theft Protection
Lookout promises comprehensive security and theft protection to its users. It ensures safe browsing by securing the network and blocking malicious web content. It alerts you on connecting to a dangerous WiFi network. It reports you on data breach and also advises you on how to remediate the situation to protect your personal information.
Lookout monitors all your personal information online from being used fraudulently including email, contacts, financial details, social media, SSN, etc. It offers Lost Wallet Recovery to help quickly cancel and reorder your identity contents.
Its backup option enables you to secure your photos and contacts with a tap. Plus it has an impressive theft identity feature to help you locate your device, make it ‘scream’ even if it’s on silent-mode and send messages on the lock screen as signal flares in case it’s lost or stolen.
Pros
- Works well in the background and does not affect other functions
- Easy installation and functionality
- Proactive cybersecurity
- Scan apps for updates
- Provides secure backup
- Detects immediate location of the device
Cons
- Missing update alerts
- Consumes a lot of battery
- Expensive premium features
Verdict
The Lookout: Security and Identity Theft Protection offers real-time protection to your device against serious threats. Many of its features are free though the others that you buy completely pay off.
McAfee Mobile Security
McAfee Mobile security is the ultimate protection program for your iOS device. It runs security scans to identify unsecured WiFi networks and hotspots and out-of-date operating systems.
You can secure your media with McAfee’s Media Vault feature which locks your photos and videos behind a secure PIN. You can gain quick access to the vault with the Face ID and Touch ID. It enables you to back up contacts easily or recover them from a stolen or lost device.
Its anti-theft feature allows you to locate your device through GPS tracker and activate an alarm which can be initiated from an Apple Watch too. The app even saves your location when the battery is low for a greater chance of finding your device. It enables you to clean your iPhone if lost remotely. The feature offers an extraordinary function of capturing a snap of the intruder (in case of theft) and sending you its GPS-tracked location through email.
The battery indicator lets you check your iPhone battery level through your Apple Watch. Some of its premium features include Safe Web and Unlimited WiFi Guard VPN.
Pros
- Unique anti-theft feature
- Media security
- Update notifications
- Identifies unsecured WiFi and Hotspot networks
- Enables a Guest-Mode
Cons
- Provides an average malware protection
- Irritating ads in free version
- Expensive premium features
Verdict
The McAfee Mobile Security protects your device against malware at a basic level. Its anti-theft feature and guest mode are its unique offerings. However, it has a comparatively high premium cost which makes it less recommendable.
Trend Micro Mobile Security
The Trend Micro Mobile Security enhances and secures your digital life with its amazing features. It offers a built-in Content Block feature for Safari to protect you from accessing harmful websites, ads or trackers. It can be enabled from your iPhone Settings. It protects your personal information and reduces data usage and loading time. It offers secure browsing and private surfing without recording your history.
Its iMessage Protection filters your messages and sends the ones with suspicious web links to the junk folder. The secure QR code scanners let you access useful links with a peace of mind.
The Wi-Fi Checker alarms you when the device connects to an unsecured network which might expose your device to risk. It scans your Facebook and Twitter account settings to report any privacy concerns as a part of its Social Network Security feature. The anti-theft feature enables device tracking through GPS, WiFi or cell towers.
Pros
- Excellent web protection
- Offers superfast scans
- Messaging protection
- Does not slow down the device while running in the background
Cons
- Limited free features
- Lacks some extra features offered by other antivirus engines
Verdicts
The Trend Micro offers very basic features on its free plan, though it is best for web security among another antivirus.
F-Secure SAFE
The app performs effective web filtering by blocking harmful websites, disabling them on your device. It offers a special Banking Protection feature which quickly scans each website you visit to make a transaction online. This keeps your financial information protected and saves you from fraud.
F-Secure has a unique parental control which no other brand offers. It enables parents to filter web content and limit browsing time for the kids. It also provides an anti-theft feature which locates your device and triggers an alarm if lost or stolen. However, this feature is very basic and does not offer remote control from another device.
Pros
- The app offers parental control features
- Enables secure online transactions
- Provides a protected web experience
- Runs quick scans
Cons
- The antivirus has a very basic anti theft feature
- Does not offer backup features
- The app costs more than it offers
Verdict
The F–Secure antivirus protects your device online but costs more than it does.
Things to Consider when Choosing an Antivirus for iPhone
- The engine’s scanning speed
- Detecting suspicious behaviour as it occurs
- Defence against phishing
- Web protection features
- WiFi and hotspot inspection
- App’s effect on the system’s speed
- Anti-theft features
- Media and contacts protection
- Alerts about information breach
- Extra features
- User support options
Recommendations
The Lookout: Security and Identity Theft Protection give the best overall performance as compared to other antivirus apps which excel in one or the other aspects of the area. It has useful free features and can be updated to premium for full protection at a worthy amount of money.
Conclusion
You can choose one of these apps to protect your iPhone from malware. Each one of them offers a free trial for you to test and select the one most suitable for your device.
