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Keep Google Play Protect enabled on every Android phone. It is a useful free baseline, but it is not a complete answer for spyware or stalkerware: in the 2025 AV-Comparatives/EFF test it detected 53% of the samples. Malwarebytes detected all 17 samples in that test; Bitdefender, ESET, Kaspersky and McAfee detected 94%.
The right comparison therefore looks beyond a single malware score. Give priority to dedicated stalkerware detection, full-device scanning, real-time monitoring of new downloads and installations, clear warnings and removal guidance, resistance to interference, and continued updates. General malware results, phishing filters and anti-theft tools are useful context, but they do not by themselves prove that an app is good at finding spyware.
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What counts as spyware on Android?
Spyware is software that secretly collects information such as messages, location, call history, photographs, microphone activity or account credentials. Stalkerware is a particularly abusive form: it is installed to monitor another person, often by someone with physical access to the phone. It may hide its icon, abuse accessibility or device-administrator privileges, or disguise itself as a harmless utility.
That behavior makes spyware testing different from ordinary malware testing. A product can score extremely well against thousands of common malicious files yet miss a stalkerware package that is less obviously malicious, uses evasion techniques or relies on excessive permissions. A spyware-focused result should therefore be treated as its own measure, not inferred from a broad “protection” percentage.
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How the major tests compare
The following results are snapshots of named app versions, Android configurations and test samples. They are useful for choosing a protection layer, not a guarantee that one product will remain permanently ahead.
Dedicated stalkerware detection
| Android security product | Samples detected | Test context |
|---|---|---|
| Malwarebytes | 100% (17 of 17) | AV-Comparatives in cooperation with EFF, 2025 |
| Bitdefender | 94% | AV-Comparatives/EFF Stalkerware Test, 2025 |
| ESET | 94% | AV-Comparatives/EFF Stalkerware Test, 2025 |
| Kaspersky | 94% | AV-Comparatives/EFF Stalkerware Test, 2025 |
| McAfee | 94% | AV-Comparatives/EFF Stalkerware Test, 2025 |
| Avast | 88% | AV-Comparatives/EFF Stalkerware Test, 2025 |
| Avira | 88% | AV-Comparatives/EFF Stalkerware Test, 2025 |
| F-Secure | 88% | AV-Comparatives/EFF Stalkerware Test, 2025 |
| Norton | 82% | AV-Comparatives/EFF Stalkerware Test, 2025 |
| Sophos | 82% | AV-Comparatives/EFF Stalkerware Test, 2025 |
| G DATA | 65% | AV-Comparatives/EFF Stalkerware Test, 2025 |
| Trend Micro | 59% | AV-Comparatives/EFF Stalkerware Test, 2025 |
| Google Play Protect | 53% | AV-Comparatives/EFF Stalkerware Test, 2025 |
On this specific spyware test, Malwarebytes is the strongest result. The 94% group is the next tier, while Play Protect’s 53% shows why people facing a higher stalkerware risk may want a dedicated second layer.
One sample interfered with Norton’s operation during the test. That detail matters: an app that recognizes a threat but can be disabled or manipulated by it is less useful than its detection percentage suggests.
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AV-TEST tested 12 Android products with current versions and default settings in July 2026. Protection, performance and usability were each scored from 0 to 6, for a maximum of 18 points.
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| Products scoring 6/6/6 | Product scoring below a perfect total |
|---|---|
| Google Play Protect, Avast, AVG, Avira, Bitdefender, F-Secure, Kaspersky, McAfee, Norton, TotalAV and Sophos | G DATA: 5.5 protection, 6 performance, 5 usability |
These results show that many products provide strong broad malware protection and acceptable day-to-day behavior. They do not overturn the stalkerware table: the two tests ask different questions.
Longer endurance testing
In an AV-TEST endurance test covering July through December 2025, more than 18,000 malware samples were used. Avast, AVG, Avira, Bitdefender, Kaspersky and Norton achieved 100% detection in the reported sets. Google Play Protect detected 99.6% in real-time tests and 99.7% in reference sets.
Those figures make Play Protect a credible baseline against broad malware. They also illustrate why a broad result should not be presented as a stalkerware guarantee: the same service recorded 53% in the dedicated 17-case stalkerware test.
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Google Play Protect is built into certified Android devices. It combines on-device scanning with cloud analysis for apps installed from Google Play and from other sources. It automatically scans installed apps once a day, offers a manual scan, warns about potentially harmful apps, prompts you to remove them and can block a future installation of a detected app.
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To check it, open Google Play Store, tap your profile picture, choose Play Protect, and run the scan. Keep Scan apps with Play Protect enabled. On some phones, a separate setting allows improvement of harmful-app detection by sending unknown apps to Google; the wording and availability vary by Android version and manufacturer.
Play Protect is most valuable when it is combined with Android’s own visibility controls. In Settings, review Apps and each app’s Permissions; inspect Special app access for accessibility, notification access, usage access, “display over other apps,” install-unknown-apps and device-administrator privileges. Also check the app’s installation source and battery or mobile-data use. A monitoring app that consumes unusual resources or holds powerful access deserves immediate scrutiny.
Play Protect cannot replace a dedicated stalkerware scan. Its 2025 result is evidence of that limitation, not a reason to disable it.
The protections that matter most against spyware
1. A dedicated stalkerware result
Start with a test that actually contains stalkerware. The AV-Comparatives/EFF results above are more relevant to a spyware question than a perfect score against generic malware. Check the test date and sample count, because a percentage based on 17 cases is a focused signal, not a measurement of every spyware family.
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2. Full scan coverage
Look for a scanner that examines all installed applications and stored installer packages, not only the app you opened most recently. Stored APK files can be a source of reinfection if they remain on the phone. Confirm whether a scan can be started manually and whether it includes apps installed outside Google Play.
3. Real-time monitoring
On-demand scans find what is already present. Real-time protection watches new downloads, installations and updates, ideally warning before a suspicious package runs. Verify that Android allows the security app to operate in the background and that battery-optimization settings are not stopping its monitoring service.
4. Actionable warnings and removal help
A useful alert identifies the app and explains why it is risky. It should offer a clear quarantine or removal path and tell you what to do if Android blocks deletion. Vague messages such as “threat found” force users to make a dangerous decision without enough context.
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5. Resistance to interference
Spyware can attempt to stop a security app, hide its own launcher icon or abuse administrator and accessibility privileges. The Norton interference observed in the 2025 test demonstrates why resilience deserves its own question. Prefer products that continue monitoring after a reboot and warn when another app changes security settings.
6. Broader safeguards, kept separate from detection
Phishing and dangerous-site blocking can prevent credential theft; permission auditing can expose over-privileged apps; anti-theft tools can help locate or lock a lost phone; privacy dashboards can show recent sensor access. Each feature adds value, but none should be counted as proof that the product detects stalkerware.
7. Performance and usability
Frequent scans that drain the battery or produce confusing false alarms will be disabled. AV-TEST’s standardized 0–6 protection, performance and usability scores provide a common baseline. Read them alongside spyware-specific evidence rather than substituting one for the other.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to check an Android phone for spyware
Use a calm, documented process. If you suspect a partner, family member or other person may react violently when monitoring is removed, do not confront them from the monitored phone. Consider contacting a trusted support service from another device and preserve evidence before changing anything.
- Update first. Install pending Android security updates and update Google Play system components. Restart the phone so a scan begins from a clean boot.
- Run Play Protect. In the Play Store, open Profile > Play Protect and start a scan. Record the app name and warning text if a threat is found.
- Run a second, dedicated scan. Use a reputable app with a published stalkerware result, enable its real-time protection, and request a full scan of installed apps and available APK files.
- Review high-risk access. Open Settings > Apps > Special app access and inspect accessibility, notification access, usage access, overlay permission, unknown-app installation and device-admin entries. Remove access from anything you do not recognize, but note that disabling a monitoring app can alert its installer.
- Check ordinary permissions. Review microphone, camera, location, SMS, contacts, phone and files/media permissions. An app should have a clear reason for each permission; revoke unnecessary access.
- Investigate unfamiliar software. Sort the app list by recently installed or recently updated. Search the web using the exact package name only after recording it, and avoid deleting a system component solely because its name looks unfamiliar.
- Remove or quarantine safely. Follow the security app’s instructions. If Android refuses removal, first revoke administrator or accessibility access, then retry. A factory reset may be necessary when a threat cannot be removed, but back up only documents and photographs you trust; restoring every app and setting can restore the problem.
- Secure accounts from a clean device. Change the Google account password, review signed-in devices and enable multi-factor authentication. Change sensitive passwords only after you are confident the suspected phone is no longer observing keystrokes or notifications.
Which app fits which risk?
| Your situation | Practical starting point | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Ordinary Android use with no specific warning | Play Protect, kept enabled and updated | It is built in, scans daily and showed 99.6% real-time and 99.7% reference-set detection in AV-TEST’s 2025 endurance test. |
| Concern about stalkerware or a partner monitoring the phone | Play Protect plus a dedicated stalkerware scanner | Play Protect’s 53% result in the 2025 focused test leaves meaningful gaps; Malwarebytes detected 100% of that test set. |
| Need broad protection plus a strong focused result | Consider products in the 94% stalkerware group: Bitdefender, ESET, Kaspersky or McAfee | Each combined a high focused-test result with a perfect 6/6/6 AV-TEST score in July 2026. |
| Older or low-powered phone | Compare performance and usability before enabling every optional feature | AV-TEST scores can reveal trade-offs that a detection percentage does not show. |
No table can account for every Android manufacturer, regional build or future sample. Treat the dates and versions in the tests as essential context, and update the app before relying on its current protection.
Common mistakes that weaken protection
- Disabling Play Protect because another scanner is installed. Two independent layers are generally more useful than replacing the built-in layer.
- Using only a one-time scan. A clean result today does not monitor tomorrow’s download; enable real-time protection when available.
- Equating a generic malware score with spyware coverage. The 2025 contrast between Play Protect’s 99.6% endurance result and 53% stalkerware result is a direct warning against that assumption.
- Ignoring sideloaded apps. Apps from browsers, file managers and messaging attachments may not receive the same review as Google Play installations.
- Deleting evidence immediately. If harassment or coercive control is involved, save screenshots, app names, permissions and dates somewhere safe before removal.
- Installing several scanners without checking their behavior. Multiple always-on products can consume battery, generate conflicting alerts or interfere with one another. Use one primary real-time layer and an occasional second-opinion scan unless a product’s documentation says otherwise.
How to read future antivirus comparisons
Ask five questions before accepting a headline score: Was the test specifically about stalkerware? How many samples were included? Which app versions and Android editions were tested? Did the evaluation include real-time protection, manual scanning and removal? Did any sample interfere with the security product? Answers to those questions reveal more than a single rounded percentage.
AV-Comparatives notes that “the perfect mobile security product for all devices and all users does not exist.” AV-TEST likewise says Play Protect offers protection “right out of the box,” but “does not always keep the devices safe.” Taken together, the practical conclusion is layered protection: keep the free baseline active, add a focused scanner when your risk warrants it, and inspect permissions and special access yourself.
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