Webroot Mobile Security is the phone and tablet app from Webroot, an OpenText company, for Android and iOS. It checks the device for malicious apps, blocks dangerous websites, screens text messages for scam links and watches for leaked email addresses. The app is free to download, but it works only with an active Webroot subscription such as Essentials, Premium or Total Protection. The features differ between the two platforms.
Scanning apps and the device on Android
On Android, Webroot Mobile Security runs a first scan right after setup and then continuously scans the device. A manual scan starts from the SCAN NOW button on the home screen. When nothing is found, the app reports the device as protected. When a high-risk item turns up, the status changes to a warning. A message stays on the home screen until the threat is handled.
Each detection opens a tray with three choices:
- Remove deletes the malicious app or file from the device.
- Request a Review sends the detection to Webroot’s threat researchers when the user believes it is a false positive.
- Ignore leaves the item in place. Because Webroot Mobile Security flags only high-risk threats, this choice keeps a real risk on the phone.
Blocking risky sites in Chrome and Safari
Web filtering works inside the browser the user already has rather than requiring a separate one. Webroot for Chrome/Safari adds Webroot’s Web Threat Shield to Google Chrome on Android or to Safari on iPhone and iPad. On Android, the user switches it on from the app and then allows it in the system settings. On iOS, the user enables it as a Safari extension. Webroot checks pages in real time against phishing and social-engineering threats. A Webroot block screen replaces a site judged malicious before it loads.
On iOS this browser protection is the core of Webroot Mobile Security. The iPhone version does not run a full virus scan, since threats on iOS arrive mostly through phishing pages and browser-based attacks. Instead it combines safe browsing with alerts about malicious or phishing sites, a check of the device for vulnerabilities, and security insights with recommendations.
Text message scam detection
SMS protection looks for smishing, the practice of sending fraudulent links by text message. After the user turns on the SMS Protection switch and grants access, Webroot Mobile Security scans existing messages. It then checks incoming ones automatically, comparing their links against Webroot’s BrightCloud threat intelligence. A notification appears as soon as the app finds a harmful link. Flagged messages collect in a list where the user can delete each one, send it for review or ignore it. Ignoring a message removes it from the list and stops further alerts about it.
Data breach monitoring and safety score
Webroot Mobile Security can watch up to three email addresses. It collects publicly disclosed data breach reports and tells the user when one of those addresses appears in a breach.
The Activity Report covers the past 30 days. It lists how many apps were scanned, which threats were detected and how they were resolved. It also shows how many website threats were blocked. The same screen shows an online safety score that rates the user’s current protection and suggests steps to raise it.
Passwords and VPN through the subscription
Two features open companion apps rather than running inside Webroot Mobile Security itself. LastPass provides password management and comes with Essentials and higher plans. The Webroot app directs the user to install the LastPass app, which helps create and use strong passwords for websites and apps.
Webroot Secure VPN encrypts traffic on Wi-Fi and other networks. With Total Protection, Webroot Mobile Security on Android can start the VPN from its own screen without a second installation. Other plans link to the separate Webroot Secure VPN app, which needs its own subscription.
