Worried about your device’s health? Don’t worry it can’t catch covid. But if you feel it still needs protection, Microsoft has just launched Microsoft Defender, a security application that works on any and all platforms. With apps for Android, iOS, and Windows, it aims to provide different security features, depending on the platform.
Microsoft Defender may sound familiar to you if you interacted with Windows Defender security apps in the past. But, this is a brand new security app, which will be much more robust than the Windows Defender ever was. Additionally, the built-in Windows 11 security software will not be named Defender in lieu of Microsoft Defender being the new cross-device app.
To help solidify your online security, Microsoft Defender won’t replace your current anti-virus apps, instead, it will work to complement them. So, it provides malware protection like any anti-virus app on systems where malware protection isn’t built-in like Android and macOS. On Windows and macOS it will offer security tips. Whereas on Android and iPhone, it will scan other apps for malicious code and can offer protection against phishing by scanning links as you surf the web. Uniquely, on Windows, it will defer to existing anti-virus apps for anti-virus protection. On failure of those apps, the Defender will take over.
With real-time alerts, Microsoft Defender will have an overview of your security across all platforms. It’s like getting a guard dog for your existing guard dog… You just have to feed it ₹489/month to keep the service running on one device. Although it’s free if you’re already on a Microsoft 365 Personal or Family account.