Removing malware from android

How to remove malware and viruses from your Android phone

Just like your computer, your Android phone can fall victim to malware. It slows your system down and creates glitches that make it difficult to even use your phone. You have to stop it fast to protect your phone and yourself. Whether you’ve downloaded an infected app or visited a corrupted website, there are steps you can take to remove the malware and protect your phone in the future.

The first step is to find the malware on your phone. We’ll walk you through how to do that, then we’ll give you some options for protection and antivirus apps you can use to restore your phone’s health and keep it safe in future.

Step 1: Shut down until you find out the specifics

Once you’re sure your phone is under attack by malware, hold the power button down and turn the phone fully off. It may not stop the malware from causing damage, but it can stop the problem from getting worse, and may halt ongoing malware attempts to access nearby networks.

Shutting down also gives you time to think and research. Do you know the specific infected app that brought malware onto your device? Do you know what other types of software it may have downloaded without your consent? If not, then move to another computer and look up your symptoms (as well as any new apps you tried out) to narrow down the issue. If you can’t find the app at the root of the problem, you can’t remove it.

If your research turns up nothing, you may want to turn your phone back on and skip down to step five. Anti-malware apps can help identify what is causing your problems and may even be able to remove the infected software for you. However, this will also require restoring phone access to the internet again, which involves some risk.

Step 2: Switch to safe/emergency mode while you work

When you turn your device back on and plunge in to isolate the problematic app, switch over to safe mode first. This will help limit the damage the infected app can do.

For most Android devices, you can switch to safe mode by holding down the power button for a couple seconds when your device is on, then tapping and holding on the Power off option. This should bring up a few power options, including the option to Reboot to safe mode. Choose this mode and wait for your phone to reboot before you continue. If you can’t find a safe mode, activate airplane mode instead, to cut your device off from any networks. You can usually find that option at the top of your notifications shade.

Note: If you can’t find out what’s causing your malware problem, even after downloading a security app, this is not the time to tinker. Ask a professional for help and if you should wipe your phone. This is a good strategy if increasingly common ransomware takes over your phone and blocks your actions.

Step 3: Head to Settings and find the app

Visit Settings on your Android device. Settings typically has a gear-shaped icon, but that depends on your themes and arrangement: Search for it if you have trouble locating the right spot.

In Settings, scroll until you see the section called Apps, and enter. Look for a list of all your current apps — you may need to choose App Manager to locate the full list. Once there, scroll until you find the infected app at the center of your problems.

Select the app, and this should bring up options to Uninstall, Force Close, or Force Stop (often you cannot uninstall core apps, only disable them, but these apps are unlikely to be the problem).

Step 4: Delete the infected app and anything else suspicious

Simply choose Uninstall, and your Android device should remove the app in question. It’s also a good idea to review your app list and uninstall other suspicious downloads — if you haven’t looked at this list before, you may be surprised at some of the odd things your device has on it.

Note: In some cases, you can’t uninstall the problem app. In fact, the option to delete may not even be there. Instead, you’ll see Disable on the menu, and that will be all. An app with super smarts (and dangerous malware or ransomware) can hack your administrator settings. The app may have given itself administrative settings, protecting itself from deletion.

Fortunately, this is often a relatively easy issue that you can fix on your own. All you have to do is navigate back to the original Settings menu and scroll down to Lock Screen and Security (or a similar corresponding section). When you get to the Security menu, look for a tab that says “ Phone (Device) Administrators .” Keep in mind that you may need to visit “ Other security settings ” first, depending on your security menu’s hierarchy. In Phone Administrators , you should be able to track down the setting that enables the malware to camp out. Then, all you have to do is simply adjust those settings and you can finally delete the app.

Step 5: Download some malware protection

It’s a smart idea to give plenty of security and malware protection to each Android device, and it’s particularly crucial to install antivirus software if you have been unlucky with questionable apps before. After you manually delete the app causing you issues, you will need to increase your phone’s overall security.

Fortunately, there’s no shortage of security apps out there. Look for a security app with all the features you want in one, rather than downloading several apps where each just does one or two things. A good security app will be able to delete junk or spam files, scan for viruses, and keep your information private. Some apps have settings to delete any questionable software automatically. We recommend Safe Security , AVG Antivirus , or Avast Antivirus , all available in the Google Play Store. We also have a complete guide to Android security and antivirus recommendations . Once you’ve downloaded proper protection against malware, you’ll even notice your device functions better overall.

Keep in mind that you should always keep your software updated to the latest version. Your devices should do this automatically, but you can also check for installs regularly. Without these regular software updates, your phone will be far more open to attack .

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How to Remove Malware from Android

Best Anti-Malware App

MalwareFox for Android

• Cleans Virus and Malware from Phone
• Protects from Adware / Spyware
• Secures Privacy

Your Android phone contains more sensitive information than your computer. It has your pictures, credit cards, messages, and other valuable data. If malware gets access to this information, it could lead to severe damage. So, it is essential to remove the malware from your phone as soon as you suspect it. But first of all, how do you know that you have a malware infection?

How to Check your Phone for Viruses

Malware and viruses are designed to do certain jobs. When they enter in your phone, they start taking that action. If you pay little attention, then you can identify an infection easily. Malware like spyware hides in a way that you cannot find them with plain sight. However, an antimalware could detect it and remove it easily. Let’s see some symptoms of malware or virus infection.

1. Android is too slow – Malware hides but they have to perform some actions. Thus they use processor and memory. It could make your phone slow. So if you android phone start lagging then it could be a sign of malware infection.
2. Apps Crashes – Your apps start crashing often.
3. Pop-ups – You see pop-ups and ads banner in the notification area and the keyboard area.
4. Unexpected Charges – If you see unexpected charges then it could be due to malware infection. There is some malware that automatically sends SMS to premium numbers or purchase something with your credit card.
5. Battery Draining – Malware continuously uses your phone resources. So, the battery starts draining quickly.
6. High Data Usage – Malware communicates with their command and control servers so they will use the data. If you see high data usage, it could be a sign of malware infection.

Types of Android Malware

Malware is created to earn revenue. Cybercriminals use several methods to make money. They may not directly steal your money, but they track your data and sell those to earn money. Based on these methods, Android Malware is categorized.

1. Adware

Such malware disguises themselves as a legitimate app that has something to offer. When a user installs them in their phone, they start displaying ads. They could display ads as pop-ups, banner in the notification bar, the upper keyboard area, or in the browser. Some adware also redirects you other pages filled with lots of advertisements. The adware is also able to track your confidential information and act as spyware.

2. Spyware

Spyware is same as the adware, in fact, adware could also be spyware. Such apps pretend to be a good application like a simple game or weather information app. Spyware tracks your sensitive information and sends it back to their makers. They could track your OS version, IMEI, IMSI, phone number, etc. Spyware could also track your browsing history. It could record your key taps and steal information like credit card number and login credentials.

3. Worm & Trojans

Worms and Trojans can expand themselves and spread using the SMS and MMS. They could also use the syncing apps to infect other devices. Such apps start consuming your device resources and make your phone slow or sometimes could crash it. They could bombard SMSes to premium numbers and could increase your bill.

4. Expander

Such apps exploit the feature of WAP billing. Hackers list a fake product on the WAP and such apps automatically purchase that product. You will see the charges in your bill. This way they earn money. Also, such applications could automatically send SMS and calls to the premium numbers that charge you.

5. Phishing Apps

Like Phishing websites, phishing apps disguises itself as a popular app or service. They almost duplicate everything so that user consider them as the original app. When the user enters their login credentials in the app, it steals them. If you enter your credit card information in the app, it also takes them.

How to Remove Malware from Android Smartphone?

Removing Malware from the Android is easy if you know about the guilty app. If you know which app contains the malware you can uninstall it. However, if you are unsure which app is causing the trouble, then you can follow the below steps-

How to know which App has Malware?

1. If you have recently installed an app and after that, you start seeing the malware symptoms, then you know the culprit.

2. If you see the ads in the notification bar, then you can long tap on it and then touch on All Categories to know which app is displaying the advertisement.

3. Check your battery consumption details. If you see any app that you did not use but still consumed battery, then it is malware. To check battery usage, go to Settings > Battery and monitor the usage. If you recently charged your device, you will see Battery usage data isn’t available. Wait for 1-2 hrs once the data becomes available.

4. Check the data usage. If you see any app that is using data without any need, then it is the guilty one. To check data usage go to Settings > Network & Internet > Data usage > Mobile data usage / Wi-Fi data usage.

If you find the app that has malware, then follow the next step to remove it. But if you don’t see it then take help of malware removal tool.

How to Remove the Malware App?

Now you know the culprit app, all you have to do is uninstall it. To remove this app go to Settings and tap on Apps & Notifications. Now locate the app that you want to delete. Tap on it, and choose Uninstall.

If you see the Uninstall option is greyed out or it is not there, then it means that the app has admin rights. Some apps that have malware get the admin rights to exploit the resources. They also do it so that users cannot remove them easily. However, it doesn’t mean that you cannot remove it.

To remove the admin rights. Go to Settings > Security & location > Device admin apps. Now tap on the checkbox and then tap on Deactivate this device admin app. Again go to the Apps & notifications to remove it.

Restart your phone and check if the symptoms still appearing. If it is still there, then take help of malware removal tool.

Remove Malware with MalwareFox Antimalware

If you followed the above steps and your problem is not solved then take help of MalwareFox. It will also help you if you don’t know which app has the malware. It automatically detects malware and removes them.

Tap on the MalwareFox Menu button. Then tap on Settings. Enable these options as shown in the image. Anti-Keylogger and Real-Time Protection are the premium features. If you want those features, then visit MalwareFox website and purchase the license for Android.

Now go Back and tap of Full Scan.

It will scan and remove malware from your device.

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With over 100 million installs, Avast Mobile Security for Android is the leading free mobile antivirus tool. Stay protected from threats online with comprehensive, adaptive security that detects and blocks malware before it has a chance to infect your device. World-class mobile security, absolutely free.

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