First of all you probably dont have a virus on your Android phone and what you’re seeing is an ad that tries to convince you that your Android device is infected and you need to download an app or you have dodgy pop-up.
If it is a dodgy pop-up just look at clearing your cache.
- All Android viruses are delivered via apps installed on your device, so the best way to avoid it is to be very careful which apps you install and really never install software outside of the Google Play app store and by default your phone or tablet settings will be configured to prevent this , so do not alter this.
- Start your Android device in Safe Mode
This should prevent any third-party apps running, including any malware. With many devices can press the power button to access the power off options, then press and hold power off to bring up an option to restart in Safe mode or Google your device eg: How do i start the Galaxy S7 in safe mode ? Safe mode will be displayed then at the bottom left of the screen. - Now look at your device by opening your Settings menu and choose Apps and look for the Downloaded tab and look for anything that appears dodgy or that you know you haven’t installed and or shouldn’t be running on your device.
- Find and tap on the app to open the App info page, then click Uninstall which should in most cases be sufficient however you could find the uninstall button greyed out. This is because the virus has given itself Device administrator status so exit the Apps menu and tap on Settings, Security, Device Administrators. Here you’ll find a list of any apps on your phone or tablet with administrator status. Simply untick the box for the app you want to remove, then tap Deactivate on the next screen. You should now be able to return to the apps menu and remove that app.
- If that does not work then a factory reset is the next option , which should return it to the original state when you bought the device.
After all of this you may want to install a piece of software such as Lookout but also remember the golden rules for Android
- Keep your device updated
- Get apps from the Google Play Store
- When your device does not receive updates anymore – look at getting a new one and remember the most secure Android device on the market now is the Google Pixel
