Viruses are malicious computer programs that target cellular phones or compromise a computer system without the owner’s consent.
It is always important for you to detect and remove viruses from your phone(s) so as to avoid malicious damage of files/information and the device as well.
Android devices being the most popular, they are the highest targets of viruses. These viruses range anywhere from popup ad delivery services to sophisticated mobile spyware that allows a hacker to spy on your every action.
Another source of viruses is when you download applications from untrusted sources, for example, CNET Download, sportsmansclub.net among others.
In this piece, we shall show you how to remove viruses from an Android phone so that you know what to do when attacked by one.
1. Uninstall all suspicious apps
Spotting an app you don’t remember downloading should be a red flag. So, if you see apps you didn’t download, uninstall them just to be safe.
To uninstall these apps, go to Settings > Apps and Notifications > All Apps, then click on the app. You will be able to see the Uninstall button.
2. Run an antivirus scan
One of the easiest ways to tell your device is infected with viruses is running an antivirus scan.
Examples of these anti-viruses include Kaspersky, Avast, Norton, and AVG among others. These will enable you to detect and remove viruses from an Android phone.
When you run an anti-virus and it doesn’t show results, try another one since each security programs show variations on the kind of viruses they can detect.
Point to note is that antivirus apps consume a lot of phone battery, especially if you enable a ‘continuous scan’ feature.
Must read: How to download Facebook videos on Android
3. Factory reset the phone
In case uninstalling the suspicious app doesn’t stop your phone from popping up annoying messages or worse, then you may reset the phone to ‘factory settings’ to remove the virus from your phone.
To do this, ensure that you have backed up your files, then head to Settings > System > Advanced > Reset options > Erase all data.
4. Run/boot the phone in safe mode
Android devices have a ‘Safe Mode’ feature which you can use to disable and remove viruses and illegal applications.
However, accessing this feature varies from device to device, depending on the series of Android they’re running.
Read this article to learn the different ways of using ‘safe mode’ to remove viruses from an Android phone.
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