As reported by CNBC in February , Microsoft had planned to bring Windows 10 's default antivirus to Android devices . The Microsoft Defender for Android app is now available in the Google Play Store as a software preview.
According to the company's description of app , Microsoft Defender for Android won't be available for free to everyone right away. It will initially only be available to enterprise users with a Microsoft 365 E5.
Microsoft Defender ATP primarily serves enterprise users who own devices . As such, it has some enterprise-focused protection features. Some of these features include security administrators who can create custom online. The app can also block users who don't follow a company's threat protection policies.
Additionally, it can warn about suspicious application installations and block malicious websites opened via WhatsApp, web browser, email, etc.
Selective availability puts the Android app at a disadvantage compared to the best antivirus protection apps on the platform. However, since this is just a software preview we do not know Microsoft's plans. Therefore the app may not be aimed solely at business users.
Additionally, according to CNBC, Microsoft Defender will be released for Linux and iOS users. Of course, it would be interesting to see how it would work on Linux, but Microsoft Defender for iOS doesn't seem like such a good idea.
