Microsoft this week released the new Microsoft Defender Preview app for Android and Windows devices. For now, the app is only available in the United States, but it is likely to expand to other regions as it undergoes more testing.
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Microsoft Defender is the company’s anti-malware tool and has been available on Windows for a while, and has also been released in some capacity on Android with Microsoft Defender ATP, which was intended only for business users. The new Microsoft Defender Preview version allows you to manage security not only for your current device, but for all your devices that are signed in to the same Microsoft account. On the home page, you can see a summary of your protection status across all your devices, as shown below.
You can click or tap on this panel to see more information about the status of each device. You can see the number of apps and links (on Android) or files (on Windows) that were scanned in the last 24 hours. On Windows, you can also see current settings for things like virus and threat protection, ransomware , and more. You can also view your security history if you want to review past threats.
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For Windows users, this doesn't exactly look like a replacement for Windows Security, but rather a complement to it or a new UI approach that may eventually replace the built-in app. On Android, the usefulness of an antivirus app is questionable, but it can tell you if you have a potentially malicious app installed.
The most useful feature you can get from this is really the ability to check the security status of all your devices in one place. This is especially useful if you share your computer with someone else, so you can see on your phone if another user may have installed or downloaded malware.
If you're interested and live in the United States, you can download Microsoft Defender Preview for Windows from the Microsoft Store and for Android from the Google Play Store. The Windows app will install in regions outside the US, but it won't let you sign in, at least for now.
Information source: xda-developers.com
