I think I may have a virus or malware

You may be experiencing any of these issues:

Erratic phone performance
Warnings from requiring payment
Pop-ups on phone preventing normal use
Fake anti-virus messages
Redirection to unintended website or app downloads
Unaccounted phone bill charges
Friends receiving unintended SMS or emails
Unintended posts or upload to social media sites
Appearance of new apps
Unexpected data usage
Noticeable reduction in battery life after the installation of the new app

A preventive measure is to place your phone in Safe Mode. Safe Mode prevents third-party applications from functioning and is useful when troubleshooting issues caused by installed apps or services.

Follow the steps below to identify the source of the problem and take appropriate measures:

Press and hold the POWER button until the Phone Options appear.
Press and hold Power off until the Reboot to safe mode prompt appears.
Tap RESTART.
Go to Settings > Apps.
Look for suspicious or unfamiliar Downloaded apps. Tap the app, and then tap Uninstall or Disable.
- If you see the fake “‍Adobe Flash Player“‍, it will most likely not allow you to uninstall it but may uninstall itself if you enter a random, long-enough number to satisfy the MoneyPak (15-digits) demand.
- If you do not see any suspicious apps, uninstall any recently downloaded apps that were installed shortly before the symptoms appeared.
Go to Settings > Security > Device Administrators to remove apps which do not provide the option to uninstall or disable.
Uncheck the app to be uninstalled and Deactivate it.
Uninstall the app.
Restart your phone.

A factory data reset can also resolve some software issues.

Note: Factory Reset Protection may be enabled. Before taking the following steps, ensure you have the login information of the main Google account that is logged into the phone or you will be unable to use the phone.

Go to Settings, and then tap Backup & reset.
Tap Factory data reset or Reset phone.
Tap Reset phone or OK.

Was this information helpful?

Yes