For years now we have been drilling into readers' minds the importance of antivirus software, but times are shifting and whereas previously many of their computing tasks took place on a desktop computer and now they take place on a phone.
Android viruses, leading users to think installing some sort of security software is a good idea. And the more popular Android becomes the more of a target it is for the dreadful guys.
In almost every case, Android phones and tablets do not need antivirus installed. Android viruses are prevalent as media outlets may have you believe, and your device is much more at risk of theft than it is a virus. The huge majority of known Android viruses have been installed on the back of corrupt apps. If you are installing apps outside of Google Play, installing an Android antivirus app is one way to keep yourself secure.
However, the most awful thing you can do is to assume you are protected by an antivirus app and drop your guard. Even with the best antivirus apps, though, false-positive results are common. This means you may find your AV app reports an app as corrupt when it's harmless. In these cases, picking other precautions could be a more tempting way to safeguard your device from Android viruses. Such precautions range from carefully checking any requested permissions before approving to them, avoiding cloned apps and keeping Android up-to-date.
It's worth pointing out that antivirus apps for Android often have other practical benefits, such as the ability to remotely lock or wipe a lost or stolen phone, or backup and cleanup tools. All these tools are available elsewhere, usually through free apps or manual administration but it can help to have everything in one place.