T-Mobile announced on Wednesday, Oct. 24, a new partnership with mobile security company Lookout in a bid to fortify the Android smartphones and tablets it carries.
To help T-Mobile customers protect their devices against malware and viruses, T-Mobile and Lookout will offer a product called Automatic App Security, and it will be at no cost to users. The software will come preloaded on select devices this year, and T-Mobile will later it out to most Android devices in 2013.
"As we rely more on our mobile devices, for everything from business to social to banking, it is increasingly important that we protect them from threats," said Lookout Chief Executive John Hering.
Automatic App Security is designed to scan all apps that users download to make sure they are malware-free and will not harm the device. If the software detects any harmful or suspicious apps, it will notify the user. As Automatic App Security will come preloaded and already turned on in T-Mobile smartphones and tablets, users will not need to register or set-up the feature themselves.
T-Mobile, however, is not the only carrier making efforts to help customers protect their devices from malicious applications. Verizon has also recently launched its Mobile Security app for Android, a free application designed to give users basic antivirus protection and alerts.
Android devices are increasingly popular worldwide, but that popularity has also made them notorious malware targets. According to a McAfee report (PDF) last month, 13,000 types of mobile malware surfaced this year, marking a huge increase from the 2,000 discovered in 2011.
"During the past few quarters, we've seen that the Android OS is the most popular target for writers of mobile malware," reads McAfee's report. "This quarter was no different; practically all new mobile malware was directed at the Android platform. The mix included SMS-sending malware, mobile botnets, spyware, and destructive Trojans."
The LG Optimus L9 smartphone and the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 will be the first devices on T-Mobile to get the Automatic App Security preloaded in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, customers who own different devices can download the security software from Google Play.
