How to remove viruses on Android

How does remove virus on android? One of the good points of Android is that we are free to do practically anything. Thanks to this freedom, we can install applications from unofficial stores, use accessories of practically any brand and obtain Root or super user access to be able to achieve even greater freedom. But this freedom can also bring us problems such as, for example, finding a compromised application in an unofficial store that sends our data to a server to offer us personalized advertising, a type of virus or malware known as Ad-Aware. So how do we have to act to play it safe?

In this article we will try to solve all your doubts, such as the best way to act so that no virus affects us, how to eliminate viruses on Android if we have already been infected or the difference between a Trojan and a virus, although the correct way to call it is "Malware", you can even install some of the best free antivirus for Android. That said, in this article we will teach you how to remove viruses on Android, although we have agreed that it is malware. 

Trojans and viruses on Android, how are they different?

Viruses vs Trojans on Android

Both Trojans and viruses are malware. By definition, malware is software created with malicious intent. But among this type of software there are many different types:

  • Un Trojan it gets its name from the famous Trojan horse. The Trojan horse was supposed to be a gift left at the city gates by enemies, the Trojans brought it into their city without hesitation and were killed by several Greek enemies within it. A Trojan virus acts the same way: it tricks us into thinking it is a good thing, and once we trust it, it acts and does its thing. In other words, they need us to run and trust them in some way so they can infect us and function.
  • Un virus It is a type of malicious application that infects and spreads freely. What exists in Android is malware, which means that they are malicious applications that can function only and exclusively if we allow them, for which they will try to trick us into executing them and providing them with permissions. On Android, no file can run and make changes without our permission, so there are no viruses on Android.

Common sense is the best antivirus

Good use of a device is the best antivirus. Without going any further, I have not used antivirus in Windows for years, and we all know that until recently the Microsoft system was a nest of viruses. In Android, as in any other mobile or desktop operating system, it is easy to enter a website that shows us a warning that our device is infected. This is, directly, a lie. The intention of these windows is that we enter a link and let's download a software which in all probability will be paid. If we see these types of windows, among which we can also see that we have received an award, what we have to do is pass them through them. Another great tip is to avoid clones, as there have already been several news stories in which Samsung S6 replicas They came with software that collected your data.

There are also other types of windows that are much more annoying that will not allow us to navigate. These windows will bombard us with pop-ups that will block our browser in an attempt to make us believe that we have caught a virus of the type Ransomware (which hijack our device, like the famous police virus). One of the windows that will appear will ask us to enter our phone number. Don't do it! What we have to do if that happens to us is, after cursing them, go to the browser settings and delete the history.

In summary, common sense tells us that:

  • Nobody gives prizes for sailing.
  • We will not catch a virus just by visiting a web page.
  • If it appears that our browser has been hijacked, we delete the history.
  • Do not enter pages of dubious legitimacy.
  • Do not install applications of dubious origin.

It's better to prevent than to cure

Avoid viruses on android by activating Unknown sources of apps on Android

This tip might seem the same as the previous one, but it is not. As we have mentioned before, on Android you can install applications from unofficial stores. But do we really want to take that risk? In the phone settings there is an option that is checked by default and prevents the installation of applications from unknown sources. It is best to leave it as it is. If we know someone who does not control a lot of technology and we want them to be sure, we can verify that they have that option activated so that they cannot install applications from outside the application stores.

There is also another option that checks the apps for not allow or warn before installing apps that may cause damage to the device. It is worth having these two options checked, which together with common sense will minimize the chances of being affected by a malicious application.

On the other hand, it is also worth it read all permissions that an application asks us at the time of installation. If an application of a flashlight asks us for access to our contacts, be careful.

How to remove Trojans on Android

Safe mode on Android to remove viruses

But if you are reading this article, it is most likely too late to apply the above tips (or at least for the problem that you will be suffering right now). Before trying to move on to the solution at the end of this article we will try remove the trojan manually. For this we will do the following:

  1. What we will have to do is start the device in safe mode. Safe mode will make third-party applications unable to function, so the malware that is making our lives miserable won't either. To put the device in safe mode, in most devices we will have to press the off button for one second, which will show us the shutdown menu.
  2. Then we go back to press for one second and we will see the option to start in safe mode. If your device does not offer you this option in this way, you will have to do an internet search to find out how it starts in safe mode on your specific device.
  3. We tap on Start in safe mode.
  4. Once started we will have to go to Settings / Applications and access the downloaded applications section.

Apps with viruses on Android

  1. In this list we will have to look for a app with a strange name or it shouldn't be installed. For example, the game Angry Birds if we have never installed it or an application with a name similar to "xjdhilsitughls".
  2. We remove that suspicious application.
  3. It is also a good idea to see what the latest applications have been installed. If we see something strange, we delete it.

Device Manager on Android

  1. Next, we exit the applications menu and go to Settings / Security / Device Manager a route that may vary depending on the device. In this section we will see the applications that have the administrator status. Click on the box of the application that does not allow us to uninstall and click on "Deactivate" on the next screen. Now you can go back to the apps menu and delete it.
  2. Now we restart the device.
  3. Finally, we check that everything works correctly.

Reset device

Factory data reset to remove viruses on Android

At this point, keep in mind that malicious applications are software, which is no secret. In most cases, a virus can be eliminated "roughly", which means by backing up our important data such as contacts, calendars and photos and restore the device without recovering a copy beyond the important data.

How to remove viruses on Android

Android is based on Linux and Linux is based on Unix. Unix family operating systems cannot catch viruses, or this is highly unlikely. If it were the case that our Android device has caught a virus, its elimination should not be different from the elimination of a Trojan. I would say that where we would have to look the most is at the moment of eliminating it manually, since a virus could spread more easily than a Trojan. Although I repeat that it is difficult to catch one, a virus could come out of its own application and infect other folders, so the best thing could be restore device.

Related article:
How to remove viruses on Android

How to prevent viruses from entering Android

If we want to be fully protected, and especially considering that we have just come out of a problem related to malware, it may be a good idea to install a good antivirus. There are many on Google Play, but you have to be careful to download a worthwhile one. Many of the applications that we can find will not offer good protection, so we could be using a device calm that nothing is going to happen to us and we would be making mistakes.

To be safe, here are three of the best antivirus that you can find in the Google application store. The good thing about these applications, in addition to the obvious peace of mind that using applications from such important companies gives us, is that they are totally free.

Avast Antivirus and Security
Avast Antivirus and Security

F-Secure Mobile Security
F-Secure Mobile Security

Are antivirus for Android useful?

Protect yourself from viruses on Android

This would be the million dollar question. Before an expert user, I would say no, that it is not worth it. An antivirus running in the background will only degrade the performance of the device and it is not worth it if we know what we are doing. However, it may be a good idea for someone who does not know so much what he does, but just as a precaution, in case, for example, you try to install a dangerous application. In this case, the antivirus would warn you and not install it, so it might be worth it.

The best antivirus for Android
Related article:
The best antivirus for Android

Conclusion

For malware to affect us on Android, our collaboration is usually necessary. That is the reason why we have to have a head and not believe everything we see on the internet. Security is not worth disabling that the devices bring by default, but if we have already made a mistake, the best thing is that:

  1. Let's try to remove the virus manually by entering safe mode.
  2. If the problem persists, we reset the factory settings.
  3. With everything clean, we will protect ourselves with a good antivirus that protects us from our own recklessness.

Have you been the victim of some malicious software on Android and have you managed to solve the problem? Do not hesitate to leave your experience in the comments and tell us the procedure you have followed to remove virus on android.


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