How to find and remove viruses on your Android phone

How to find and remove viruses on your Android phone

Modern phones have long ceased to be a common means of communication. We can say that they have almost completely replaced a desktop or laptop computer. With a smartphone, you can access the Internet, find out the information you need, send a message, and even pay for an item in a store. However, cybercriminals also keep up with the times and try to get hold of a person's personal data by creating malicious software and phishing sites. Let's look at how to find and remove viruses on your Android phone, and also understand their varieties and features.

Varieties of modern mobile viruses

Today there are a huge number of different viruses, each of which is designed to acquire certain information. We suggest that you take a closer look at their varieties using the list below:

  • Fakes. This type of threat is disguised as an ordinary application, most often a social network or messenger. An unsuspecting user downloads and installs a dangerous program on his smartphone. Nothing happens before launching it, but after that the system begins to collect the information embedded in the code. This can be bank card data, photos, text files or saved passwords.
  • Trojans. This is one of the most dangerous forms of mobile viruses, but it almost never shows itself. A special code is embedded in frequently used programs, and then collects the necessary information and passes it to attackers. This threat is capable of intercepting keystrokes on the virtual keyboard, Wi-Fi passwords and account data.
  • Advertising virus. Such a threat is the most innocuous, because it does not cause any damage to the device at all. However, constant advertising banners can slow down the phone, which leads to uncomfortable operation.

If you want, you can allocate special subcategories, but for the general introduction of the given information will be enough.

How to know if your device has a virus

Sometimes it can be difficult to determine on your own that there is a virus on your device. However, based on a number of signs it becomes much easier to do so:

  • Phone discharges quickly, shuts down for no reason, often reboots.
  • Unknown numbers have appeared in your call and message log that you did not call or send anything to.
  • The mobile number was quickly deducted from my account.
  • Unknown applications are installed on the smartphone, the desktop layout is changed, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and other functions are automatically turned on.
  • During operation, advertising banners occasionally pop up or third-party videos are launched.
  • When you try to unlock your phone, a message appears on the screen stating that you have committed an offense and must pay a fine.
  • Antivirus uninstalled for no reason or simply stopped running.
  • In the list of running processes some unknown programs have started to appear which you did not install yourself.

The list of possible signs does not end here, but the main part of them was presented above.

What are the options for removal

The simplest viruses can be removed with an anti-virus application. But more advanced threats can be dealt with in other ways:

  • Using Safe Mode on your smartphone.
  • Reflashing or updating the device.
  • Using a special program on your computer.
  • Reset the phone to factory settings.

As you can see, there are quite a few options for manually removing the threat from your smartphone, so let's move on to a detailed review of each method.

Cleaning Android from viruses

The principle of cleaning your phone from a virus directly depends on the type of threat. In this regard, we present you several ways to completely remove malware from your smartphone. When following the step-by-step instructions, we recommend you to be careful and cautious not to turn your phone into a "brick".

Kaspersky Internet Security

Let's start with the simplest methods of virus removal, which implies using a special antivirus program. The Kaspersky Internet Security application, which detects and removes malware, has proven its worth among experienced users. You can install this utility on your phone via Google Playby typing in the search box with the corresponding query. Once the installation is complete, run the software and perform the initial setup:

  1. Give the system access to the memory and contacts by pressing the button "Next", and then by selecting "Allow" in the window that appears.
  2. Accept the license agreement by clicking the button "Next".
  3. The program will offer to buy a paid subscription for a month or a year. Most users do not want to invest in virtual software, so let's choose the option "Skip".

Kaspersky Internet Security

Now you can use the application in principle, but you need to do some fine-tuning to detect hidden threats. To do this, we recommend that you use the following guide:

  1. Open the side menu by clicking on the three bar icon in the upper left corner of the display.
  2. Go to "Scanner".
  3. On the page that opens, find the item "Advertising autodialer and more"and put a checkmark next to it.
  4. Next, go to the tab "Check".
  5. At "Treat"Be sure to put a check mark on it. And in the tab "If treatment is not possible" select "Quarantine". If you want to control the process yourself and check each threat, set the option "Request Action".

Kaspersky Internet Security for Android

Many people will ask: What do we do next? But there's nothing else to do. It remains to run the scanning procedure and, if threats are detected, perform their removal. With the right settings the utility will clean the phone from viruses by itself, and completely without the participation of the owner.

Dr Web

Dr.Web Light antivirus
Dr.Web Light antivirus
Developer: Dr.Web
Price: Free

The second most popular antivirus for mobile devices is Dr Web. The utility is notable for its high quality scanning and thorough removal of threats. So, the first thing is to go to Play Market and install the application on your phone. And after that we perform the first launch and some settings:

  1. Accept the license agreement by clicking the appropriate button in the window that appears.
  2. Give the application access to the file storage of the device. To do this, click on the button "Allow".

Dr Web for Android

As for the default settings, they are chosen quite intelligently. However, for a quality check it is not superfluous to visit several sections:

  1. Click on "three points"at the top right of the screen and open the tab "Settings".
  2. Go to "Scanner"and put a checkmark in the "Files in the archives".
  3. Next, go to the menu "Additional options"and make sure that the check for adware and potentially dangerous programs is turned on.

Dr Web

And now you can move on to finding and removing viruses. To do this, return to the main screen of the program and then follow the recommendations of the instructions:

  1. Click on "Scanner".
  2. Choosing "Full check".
  3. Wait for the end of the scanning procedure, the duration of which depends on the number of available files.

Dr Web

If potential threats are detected, the system will prompt you to delete them. Of course we agree and clean our smartphone from dangerous files and folders.

Avast

Avast Antivirus & Security
Avast Antivirus & Security

Avast antivirus is particularly popular among computer users because of its high degree of protection and the program's free-of-charge nature. The developer has decided to expand the scope of its work by releasing a mobile application to protect against viruses. Let's install it and then do the initial setup:

  1. Open the app.
  2. Press the button "Start using".
  3. Review the information for review and click "Continue to".
  4. Grant permission to access the smartphone's file system.
  5. Choose whether you want to work with the program: paid or free. There are particular advantages to PRO-version is not, except for the lack of advertising, so we'll stop at the public version.

Avast Mobile Security

For a more comprehensive and thorough check, you need to make some settings, which are described in detail in the following instructions:

  1. Open the side menu by clicking on "three vertical strips" at the top left of the screen.
  2. Go to "Settings".
  3. Open tab "Protection".
  4. Check the boxes next to: "File protection", "Scanning internal memory" и "Web Security Lite".
  5. Go back to the main screen to save your changes.

Avast

Now start the scanning procedure by clicking on the central button on the start screen of the application.

Avast

The antivirus will check all files, folders, and applications, and if it finds any threats, it will remove them. By the way, this method does not require root rights on the device.

Safe Mode

Some types of threats interfere with the antivirus program, so the device must be switched to safe mode. To do this, use one of the following options, which depends directly on the smartphone model:

  • Turn the phone off and then turn it on. You need to catch the moment when the logo appears and immediately start periodically tapping on the fingerprint scanner. This method works on Xiaomi phones, but starting with MIUI 9 firmware, unfortunately, there is no safe mode.
  • Turn off the device, and then start it up. When the logo appears, press the volume down button. The same algorithm is suitable for smartphones
  • Hold down the power button until a menu with options appears. Then make a long press on the button "Turn off" or "Disconnect power". The system will ask for permission to go into safe mode, click the button "Ok" in the window that appears. Note that the method works on smartphones with Android version lower than 4.4.
  • When you turn on the machine, press the button "Home"and hold your finger on it until the startup is complete.

Now go to the phone settings, where you follow the path indicated in the detailed manual:

  1. Go to "Advanced settings".
  2. Open tab "Privacy".
  3. Go to "Device Administrators".
  4. On the page that opens, uncheck all the programs on the list.

Enabling safe mode on Android

And then run any anti-virus and perform a full scan of the device. If threats are detected, be sure to remove them. Speaking of which, How to turn off safe mode you can read in one of our articles.

Reflash/upgrade

It is advisable to use this method only in extreme cases when it is not possible to find the virus using the above methods. Reflashing involves reinstalling the operating system, which is Android. It requires a computer, a USB cable to connect the device, as well as special programs. As an example, let's consider flashing a smartphone from Xiaomi, as this manufacturer is one of the most popular in the field of phones.

So, the first thing to do is to install the Mi Flash program on your computer. You can download it from official website or another third-party resource. Just go to the desired portal and click on the button "Download Xiaomi Flash".

Xiaomi MIFlash Tool

Then choose the desired version of the program and download the archive.

How to find and remove viruses on your Android phone

Open the application and select the C drive as the installation location. Next, load the necessary drivers by clicking on the button "Install" in the window that appears.

How to find and remove viruses on your Android phone

Go back to the phone and make sure that the bootloader is unlocked. To do this, go to the settings, open the tab "For developers" and go to "Loader status" or "Status Mi Unlock".

Checking bootloader unlocking on Xiaomi

Next, choose the correct firmware for your device. For example, you can look up the information on Xiaomi forum. And now switch the smartphone to Fastboot mode. To do this, turn it off completely, and then hold down the power button and the volume down key. As a result, a hare in an earflaps should appear on the phone screen, fixing the Android robot.

The downloaded firmware must be unzipped in the folder with Mi Flash. To do this, right-click on it, then select "Extract files"and specify the path to the desired directory. Finally, click "Ok".

How to find and remove viruses on your Android phone

Return to the program and specify the path to the unpacked firmware (press "Select"). Update the list of detected devices by clicking the button "Refresh". In the bottom panel of the application select "Clean all" and start the procedure with the key "Flash".

How to find and remove viruses on your Android phone

You can only disconnect your smartphone from the computer when it says "Success" in the "Result".

Via computer

Sometimes there are situations when the anti-virus on your phone cannot detect a well-hidden threat. Then the computer comes to the rescue, namely the protection program installed on it. First of all we pass to phone settings and activate debugging via USB. This is done as follows:

  1. Get the developer rights. To do this, click several times on the firmware version or build number of the device.
  2. Go to "Advanced settings".
  3. Open tab "For developers".
  4. Move the slider to the right next to the line "Debugging by USB".

How to enable USB debugging on an Android smartphone

And then use the USB cable to connect the phone to the computer. Be sure to change the parameter "Charging by USB" at "Transferring files". To do this, open the notification curtain and tap on the corresponding item.

Enabling USB data transfer on Android

It remains to run any antivirus on your computer and check the phone. For example, in AVG you need to click on the button "Scanning USB и DVD".

How to find and remove viruses on your Android phone

You can also go the other way by using the Android Commander utility. Its difference from the usual Windows Explorer is that it allows you to view hidden files and folders. However, there is one disadvantage - your phone must have root rights in order for the program to work.

Reset Settings

The decision to reset your smartphone to the factory settings when a virus is detected is the most correct one. You don't need to use additional programs, run anti-viruses and perform other actions. All you need to do is to follow the recommendations in the following instructions:

  1. Open the settings.
  2. Go to "Advanced settings".
  3. Go to the tab "Restore and reset".
  4. Click on "Reset Settings".
  5. On the page that opens, select "Reset Settings".
  6. Confirm the deletion procedure by pressing "Ok" in the window that appears.

Factory reset on your Android phone

If you cannot follow the instructions because of malware, your only option is to factory reset via the "Recovery" menu. By the way, this is also described in detail in one of our articles.

Remove adware virus

Although ad viruses are the most harmless, they cause a lot of trouble for the owner of an infected smartphone. Firstly, these are constantly popping up ads with very strange and sometimes illegal ads. Secondly, it reduces the autonomy of the device due to the constant operation of the background application. This should not be left like this, so let's move on to the removal of the threat, code-named "promotion". The first thing to do is to uncheck all the applications in the settings section "Device Administrators".

Remove adware virus

Then follow the recommendations of the instructions:

  1. Go to "Permissions".
  2. Choosing "Autostart".
  3. Move the slider to the left next to each application in the list.

How to find and remove viruses on your Android phone

In the end, scan the device with an antivirus program and remove any detected threats. Sometimes the application writes that the user has no rights to destroy the problem file. In this case, install a third-party file manager on your phone, for example, ES Explorer, and use it to erase the file in question.

Recommendations for protecting the device

It is difficult to protect yourself completely from malicious programs, but the following recommendations can reduce the risk of virus infection to a minimum:

  • Avoid downloading files and applications from unknown sources. It is better to use official software stores, such as Play Market.
  • Periodically scan your phone with an antivirus.
  • Do not connect your smartphone to unfamiliar computers or laptops.
  • Do not visit questionable sites.

We also recommend that you activate the protection option in Google Play. This is done as follows:

  1. Open the side menu by clicking on "three strips" in the upper left corner of the screen.
  2. Go to "Play Protection".
  3. Click on the gear icon in the corner of the screen.
  4. Move the sliders in front of the two items.

Recommendations for protecting the device

Now each installed program will be pre-checked by the system, not allowing you to download a viral application to your phone.

Video tutorial

Answers to popular questions

Question: How do viruses get into my phone?
In general, viruses get into the phone after installing an infected application or after clicking on a link prepared by an intruder.

Q: How does an adware virus harm my device?
First, its appearance interferes with the comfortable work because of the constantly popping banners. And secondly, the adware virus creates an unnecessary load on the device, reducing its autonomy.

Question: What is the best way to remove viruses?
There is no universal option, because everything depends on the type of threat. However, it is best to try resetting your smartphone to factory settings.

In conclusion, let's note that there are different ways to find and remove a virus on your Android phone. Carefully read each of the options given in the article, and then choose the best method for you.