Testing Norton 360 on Mac and Android phone: Here’s what I learnt

Norton 360: What’s the cost, benefits offered and devices supported?

The standard version, which costs Rs 1,199 per year will come with protection for one device, up to 10 GB of cloud backup for your PC and a secure VPN. The Norton 360 Deluxe will cost Rs 3,499 a year, and includes protection for five devices, up to 75GB of PC cloud backup, parental control and VPN.

The most expensive is the Norton 360 Premium, which costs Rs 5,199 for a year, with protection extended to 10 devices, 100GB of PC cloud backup, parental control and VPN. All of the Norton 360 editions come with a password manager.

Also Read: Airtel, Symantec announce partnership for cyber security solutions

The software will work on Windows 10, Mac OS X, Android and iOS. There’s also a PC SafeCam feature to prevent unauthorised applications from accessing your webcam. I kept searching for this feature on my Mac, only to realise it only works with Windows 10 PCs.

Norton 360: Installing across devices

It has been a while since I used an antivirus on any device. I was much more diligent regarding antivirus programmes when I was on Windows, but not so much using my MacBook Air. But with Norton 360, the benefits actually extend beyond just being an antivirus program, so I was intrigued.

Also Read: Many Android, iOS apps put user privacy at risk: Symantec research

Installing the product was pretty simple, and you will need to enter the product key in order to activate it. For features like the Norton Safe Web and the Password manager you will have to install a separate app from either the Mac Store or Google Play Store or App Store. I installed the Norton 360 on my Mac first, and then sent a link to the Android phone for setting it up there.

One issue that kept happening was that the Norton Safe Web kept saying both extensions were disabled, even though I had enabled them.

When you install the Norton Safe Web and Password manager app on the Mac, you will need to enable extensions for both on Safari. One issue that kept happening was that the Norton Safe Web kept saying both extensions were disabled, even though I had enabled them. The issue was repeated several times and I’m not sure what caused this. On the Android phone, you can install the Norton Mobile Security app, but for VPN and Password manager separate apps are needed.

Norton 360: What does it do

Like any other antivirus, you can run your daily scans to make sure your device is protected. This is especially useful and recommended if you are using a device that regularly goes online via a lot of public networks. But you will need constant internet connectivity for this. The Android app will also scan apps as download them from Google Play Store and scan for any malware.

With my Mac, it would warn me every time even my iPhone was trying to connect with the device. I would get a prompt asking if I approved of the connection. If you see an unknown PC or device trying to connect with your device, you can choose to block the connection as Norton will warn you.

The Safe Web feature will be useful for those who are happy to click every single link they receive, given it will check and highlight if the website is suspicious. In Android, the Safe Search feature is part of the main app and helps avoid sites with malware, phishing sites, etc, but I’m not sure how many people will use this, given most of us prefer to browse straight from the Google app.

Also Read: India one of the top countries for mobile malware infections, says Symantec report

The password manager will require you to create a password for the vault, and you can keep your passwords, logins, safe in here. Just make sure you don’t forget the vault password. This will be useful if you don’t wish to store passwords in your web browser and have not gotten a separate password manager app as yet.

My advice before installing this on any child’s device is to read the privacy policy, what data is being accessed and processed very carefully.

There’s also Parental Control as a feature. Now, I do not have a child, but users can create a profile of their child and install the Norton app on their device to track the device. I would suggest you read the privacy policy and terms and conditions before installing this on your child’s device.

You can also set the safety levels when installing the device on the child’s device, so for very young children you would ideally go for the highest and stringent levels, while the levels can be lowered for teens under 17. The good thing is the parent can delete the profile of the child from the app. My advice before installing this on any child’s device is to read the privacy policy, what data is being accessed and processed very carefully.

Norton 360: Should you get it?

If you are looking for a product that combines antivirus protection with other features such as parental control, free cloud storage space, password manager along with VPN, the Norton 360 does not really seem that expensive. It is a comprehensive package and does not require you to get access to different services and subscriptions, and that’s what might make it appealing to a lot of users.