Remove adware, pop-up ads and redirects from Android phone (Guide)

If your Android phone is constantly being redirected to suspicious sites or your browser homepage and search engine have been changed without your consent, then it is possible that you have a malicious app installed on your smartphone.

Can Android phone get infected with malware?

Adware, browser hijackers, and other malicious apps are these days able to infect your Android phone. When a malicious app is installed on your phone, unwanted advertisements will pop-up or your browser homepage and the search engine will be modified without your consent.

Here are the most common actions that a malicious app will perform on an infected Android phone:

• Collect and send your location data, contact lists, e-mail addresses
• Steal your banking or financial details
• Subscribe your device to unneeded premium services
• Record phone conversations
• Download other malware on your phones
• Display advertisements in places they shouldn’t be such as the lock screen or overlaying other apps and sites.
• Change the web browser’s homepage and search engine without your permission.

When an Android phone is infected with malware, you may notice poor device performance, a battery that drains much quickly, unexplained data usage, or apps that unexpectedly crash. You should keep in mind that some of these symptoms can just mean your device is simply overloaded with junk.

How did my phone get infected with malware?

Malicious apps such as adware or browser hijacker are installed by the users, whether that is knowingly or not. The key thing to remember about malware on Android is that you have to actually install the malicious app. Malware writers will use increasingly clever techniques to try and trick you into doing just that.

As malware writers try to earn money for their bad deeds, they continually look for new ways to get their malicious software installed on your phone. The best recommendation is still to think twice before installing untrusted software or clicking on strange-looking links.

When downloading apps it’s recommended that you only do so from a legitimate app store such as the Google Play Store, Samsung Store, or another major manufacturer. It goes without saying that you should not install software that you don’t trust.

To remove malicious apps and check your phone for other malware, please use the free malware removal guide below.

Remove adware, pop-up ads and redirects from Android phone (Guide)

This malware removal guide may appear overwhelming due to the number of steps and numerous programs that are being used. We have only written it this way to provide clear, detailed, and easy to understand instructions that anyone can use to remove malware for free.
Please perform all the steps in the correct order. If you have any questions or doubts at any point, stop and ask for our assistance.

To remove unwanted adware, pop-up ads and redirects from your phone, follow these steps:

• STEP 1: Remove malicious device admin apps from your phone
• STEP 2: Uninstall the malicious apps from your Android phone
• STEP 3: Use Malwarebytes to remove viruses, adware, and other malware
• STEP 4: Reset your browser settings to remove adware and pop-ups

STEP 1: Remove malicious device admin apps from your phone

In this first step, we will check the phone to see if there any malicious apps with administrator privileges installed on your phone.

The administrator privileges are used by apps to perform legitimate tasks such as device management or for antivirus apps to do a remote wipe. Unfortunately, these elevated privileges are also being used by malicious apps to prevent victims from removing the malicious app from the phone.

1. Open the “Settings” menu.

   Tap on the “Settings” app from your phone menu or home screen.
   

2. Go to “Device admin apps”.

   When the “Settings” menu opens, if you’re using a newer version of Android or a Samsung phone, tap on “Biometrics and Security“, then tap on “Other Security Settings” and then on “Device admin apps“.

   However, because there are phones with different versions of Android the “Device admins apps” settings may be in a different menu, so below we’ve listed other common ways to reach the “Device admin apps” options:

   • Security > Device admin apps
   • Security & privacy > Device admin apps
   • Security > Device Administrators
   • Lock Screen and Security > Other Security Settings > Phone Administrators.

   If you’re having trouble finding the “Device admin apps” settings, you can use your phone built-in search function to search through the Settings.

   

3. Disable administrator privileges for the malicious app.

   Once you’ve accessed the list of device admin apps, disable admin rights by tapping the option to the right of the app. This will remove the checkmark or toggle the button to the off position. Now you can delete the app normally as seen in the below step. On some phones, you can tap the app right there in the admin apps list and then use the Uninstall app link to remove it immediately.

   
   If there is no malicious app with administrator privileges on your phone, then you can continue with the next step from this guide.

STEP 2: Uninstall the malicious apps from your Android phone

In this second step, we will check if any malicious apps are installed on your phone. Sometimes browser hijackers or adware apps can have usable Uninstall entries that can be used to remove these apps.

1. Open the “Settings” menu.

   Tap on the “Settings” app from your phone menu or home screen.
   

2. Tap on “Apps”.

   When the “Settings” menu opens, tap on “Apps” (or “App Manager”) to see all the installed applications on your phone.
   

3. Find the malicious app.

   The “Apps” screen will be displayed with a list of all the applications that are installed on your phone. Scroll through the list until you find the malicious app. Look out for any suspicious app that could be behind all the drama – anything you don’t remember downloading or that doesn’t sound like a genuine program. Most often, cybercriminals hide malware inside the video or photo editing apps, weather apps, and camera apps.

   Here are some known malicious apps: ES File Explorer, Xender, Amber Weather Widget, GO Weather Forecast & Widgets, Kitty Play, Touchpal, Z Camera.

   The malicious program will most likely have a different name on your phone. If you cannot find any malicious app on your device, you can exit “Safe mode” (as seen below) and continue with the next step from this guide.

   

4. Uninstall the malicious app

   When you find a suspicious or malicious app, tap on it to uninstall it. This won’t start the app but will open up the app details screen. If the app is currently running press the “Force stop” button, then tap on “Uninstall”.
   

   A confirmation dialog should be displayed to confirm you want to uninstall the app, tap on “OK” to remove the malicious app from your phone.

   

STEP 3: Use Malwarebytes to remove viruses, adware, and other malware

In this third step, we will install Malwarebytes to scan your phone for malicious apps and files. Malwarebytes Free is one of the most popular and most used anti-malware software for Windows, and for good reasons. It is able to destroy many types of malware that other software tends to miss, without costing you absolutely nothing. When it comes to cleaning up an infected phone, Malwarebytes has always been free and we recommend it as an essential tool in the fight against malware.

1. Download Malwarebytes.

   You can download Malwarebytes by clicking the link below.

   MALWAREBYTES DOWNLOAD LINK
   (The above link open a Google Play Store from where you can download Malwarebytes)

2. Install Malwarebytes on your phone

   In the Google Play Store, tap “Install” to install Malwarebytes on your device.

   

   When the installation process has finished, tap “Open” to begin using Malwarebytes for Android. You can also open Malwarebytes by tapping on its icon in your phone menu or home screen.
   

3. Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the setup process

   When the Malwarebytes will open, you will see the Malwarebytes Setup Wizard which will guide you through a series of permissions and other setup options.
   This is the first of two screens which explain the difference between the Premium and Free version. Swipe this screen to continue.
   
   Tap on “Got it” to proceed to the next step.
   
   Malwarebytes for Android will now ask for a set of permissions that are required to scan your device and protect it from malware. Tap on “Give permission” to continue.
   
   Tap on “Allow” to give permission to Malwarebytes to access the files on your phone.
   

4. Update database and run a scan with Malwarebytes

   You will now be prompted to update the Malwarebytes database and run a full system scan.

   

   Click on “Update database” to update the Malwarebytes definitions to the latest version, then click on “Run full scan” to perform a system scan.

   

5. Wait for the Malwarebytes scan to complete.

   Malwarebytes will now start scanning your phone for adware and other malicious apps. This process can take a few minutes, so we suggest you do something else and periodically check on the status of the scan to see when it is finished.
   

6. Click on “Remove Selected”.

   When the scan has completed, you will be presented with a screen showing the malware infections that Malwarebytes has detected. To remove the malicious apps that Malwarebytes has found, tap on the “Remove Selected” button.
   

7. Restart your phone.

   Malwarebytes will now remove all the malicious apps that it has found. To complete the malware removal process, Malwarebytes may ask you to restart your device.

STEP 4: Remove redirects and pop-up ads from your browser

If your phone is still redirected to unwanted sites or you see pop-up ads, we will need to reset the web browser settings to their original defaults.

Resetting the browser settings to their default it’s an easy task on Windows or Mac computers; however, when it comes to Android, this can’t be done directly because it’s not an option built-in into the browser settings. Restoring the browser settings on Android can be done by clearing the application data. This will remove all the cookies, cache, and other site settings that may have been saved. So let’s see how we can restore your browser to its factory settings.

Your computer should now be free of malicious apps. If your current antivirus allowed a malicious app on your phone, you may want to consider purchasing the full-featured version of Malwarebytes to protect against these types of threats in the future.
If you are still having problems with your computer after completing these instructions, then please follow one of the steps:

• Restore your phone to factory settings by going to Settings > General management > Reset > Factory data reset.
• Ask for help in our Mobile Malware Removal Help & Support forum.