Welcome to our Android Virus Pop-ups removal instructions. They should work on most Android devices.
A very commonly encountered issue among Android users is when their device gets invaded by a pop-up virus/malware. In the next several paragraphs, we will go over the most common and typical characteristics of these viruses, while also providing valuable and helpful tips to our readers in the process.
How To Pop-ups for Android Work
As the name suggests, an Android pop-up virus is an unwanted and sometimes potentially harmful piece of software that is known to invade Android tablets or smartphones without the user’s knowledge or permission and display intrusive pop-ups on the device’s screen. Though the pop-ups are the most typical trait of this type of malware, there are also several other possible issues that the user might face if such a virus has infected their device. For example, oftentimes the unwanted software might also cause browser redirects to shady and potentially hazardous websites. Additionally, the device itself might get significantly slower and could start to experience crashes and freezes. The pop-ups themselves, apart from being incredibly unpleasant and obstructive, could also potentially expose the smartphone or tablet to other forms of malware such as, for example, Ransomware viruses. That is why, if your Android device gets infected by pop-up malware, you must be very careful not to click on any of the nagging banners, box messages, etc. or you risk getting even more viruses on your smartphone or tablet.
How harmful are these viruses?
As we stated above, viruses of the pop-up type are capable of exposing the system of your device to more serious software threats such as the infamous Ransomware. However, on their own, Android pop-up viruses are not all that harmful. While they might be intrusive and frustrating, your device will likely not get damaged by the unpleasant piece of software. Usually, the primary goal of this type of malware is to generate income for its creator through different aggressive advertising techniques (most notably, the pop-ups that we mentioned). That being said, you must make sure that, as soon as you notice its presence, you take adequate measures so as to get rid of the malware as soon as possible. We can help you with that within our Android pop-up virus removal guide which is located below the current article.
How do they get onto users’ devices?
With PC viruses, there are a lot of different methods of spreading and distributing them. On the other hand, when talking about Android malware of the pop-up type, there is one major and very effective technique that most hackers use in order to infect more and more devices with the virus. We are talking about the employment of a seemingly agreeable application that serves as both a decoy and as a vessel to the actual malware. Generally speaking, users that tend to download apps from sources other than the Google Store are more prone to landing an app that carries the virus since the security levels of third-party providers are not as good as those of the Store (if there is any form of security at all). However, this is not to say that if you download your apps exclusively from the Store, your device’s safety is guaranteed. There are numerous examples of hackers managing to smuggle their shady apps into the Store and thus infecting numerous unsuspecting users with the pop-up virus.
Our advice for your smartphone’s/tablet’s security
In this paragraph, we will sum up the most important rules that you must adhere to if you want to avoid getting your Android device infected by viruses of this or any other type.
- Avoid downloading and installing apps outside of the store. Even though this will guarantee that your device will not get invaded by a virus, it will significantly reduce the chances of it happening.
- Even when using the store to download new applications, it is a good idea to take a few moments and google the name of the app that you are about to install. Keep in mind that oftentimes hackers artificially boost the rating of their apps that have made it into the Store via fake profiles, which is why you are not advised to base your decision whether to get the app solely on reviews and ratings from the Store.
- Last but not least, try to avoid visiting websites on your phone/tablet that are shady and have a lot of obnoxious banners and ads since tapping on those could also result in landing a virus. Also, as we said earlier, if you already have pop-up malware on your Android device, do not interact with any of the displayed pop-ups, in order to avoid making matters even worse by getting your system infected with additional viruses.
Android Virus Pop-ups Removal
It might be enough to navigate to Settings -> Application Manager -> Downloaded -> Locate (Name of Virus Pop-up) -> Uninstall
If this option is not active then try this: Settings -> More -> Security -> Device Administrators
Make sure that only the Android Device Manger has permissions to alter your device. Also make sure that under the Security settings you don’t have Unknown Sources marked out.
Remove Android Virus Pop-ups from Chrome
Go to Settings -> More -> Application Manager
Now Go to Application Manager -> Downloaded -> Chrome
Now Force Stop -> Clear Data
Remove Android Virus Pop-ups from Firefox
Again, Go to Settings -> More -> Application Manager
Now Go to Application Manager -> Downloaded -> Firefox
Now Force Stop -> Clear Data
Remove Android Virus Pop-ups From “Internet”
Settings -> More -> Application Manager
Application Manager -> All -> Internet
Force Stop -> Clear Data
Reboot your Android Device. Your problem should now be fixed.
If you run into any trouble – ask us for help in the comments section!
