Over 69% of all smartphone users, or more than a billion people, rely on Google\u2019s Android operating system. Despite all of its security features, even the safest places have cracks from which troubling viruses and malware can start pouring in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Android phones are often targeted by cyberattacks, but It’s easy to notice the symptoms: check for monthly data usage and battery consumption, note whether your phone is overheating, and look for newly installed apps<\/strong> that you\u2019ve never installed yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This article will show you how to detect a virus on your Android device, reinforce its security and protection features, and restore the phone to normal functions after it has been compromised by a virus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Android has a significantly more open architecture than Apple, with vast amounts of data that goes through the phone daily. It’s also home to well over three million apps on Google Play. This accessibility and incredible freedom of choice come at a security cost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Android as an operating system is more vulnerable and prone to hacking attacks<\/strong> than its direct competitor, iOS. It also allows its users to download and install unverified third-party software with corrupted data from all sorts of shady internet sites. Whatever the virus’s origin is, here are several symptoms that can help you detect a virus on your Android phone:<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the first things you should do if you think your phone might have a virus is to check the phone’s data usage<\/a>.<\/strong> You can quickly check the data usage on your phone or notice it on your monthly report. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Either way, to detect a virus on your Android phone, you\u2019ll need to compare the data usage to the data used in previous months. Search for significant unplanned increases in data bandwidth<\/strong>, especially if your browsing habits during this time remained unchanged. <\/p>\n\n\n\n These data usage spikes most likely come from infected smartphones with excessive background data usage generating income for the hacker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Checking for the monthly data usage on your Android phone is quite simple. Swipe from the top of the screen downwards once or twice until you see a gear icon<\/strong>. Tap on it to enter Settings, and in this menu, search for Connections or Data Usage options. Here, you’ll find the Mobile Data feature<\/strong> with a detailed overview of the data expenditures. Here\u2019s where you\u2019ll be able to find evidence of an Android virus and detect it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some Android models have different placements for this function. If you cannot locate Mobile Data from the swipe menu, press the Settings icon from the main menu. Locate and press the Network & Internet menu, and press Mobile Network<\/strong>. You’ll see the data you’ve used during the current month at the top of your \u200bAndroid phone\u2019s display. <\/p>\n\n\n\n To detect a virus, scroll below this option. You can find the App Data Usage settings with a list of apps ranked by data usage, starting from the most demanding ones. Once you find the suspicious app, press on it and tap on Background Data to disable its ability to use data when working in the background<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Viruses are known for conducting plenty of operations in the background and being CPU-intensive. Always check if your smartphone is overheating<\/strong>, as it’s a sure-fire way to detect a hidden virus on Android.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another evident syndrome of an infected phone is the battery drain. Just as with data usage spikes, malicious apps affect battery life<\/strong> significantly. Devices with suspicious third-party programs or unverified apps will most certainly shorten the daily lifespan of the battery significantly<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Malicious data, including ad-related malware, can add spam messages, site shortcuts, and bookmarks to the home screen or in the mobile browser. Most pop-ups come from apps installed a long time ago that have since become abandonware and ripe with malware<\/strong>. You\u2019ll probably need a dedicated Android app to detect a virus pop-up, as many free app creators with no ill intentions use similar ads to earn money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Apps that were not downloaded from and verified by Google Play may harbor malware and viruses with annoying pop-ups<\/strong>. If you start getting a sudden flood of notifications, it\u2019s often a sign that your phone has been infected with a virus. Not only are these pop-up messages a significant inconvenience, but they’ll also usually slow down the operating system and install additional malware.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another telltale sign that a virus has infected your device is the arrival of unusual SMS charges on your phone bill. The most likely culprit is malware that sends messages to premium-rate services and gets you charged for it.<\/strong> Even if you use the best app to detect a virus on an Android phone, it may still miss this form of malware attack, so you have to monitor mobile bills regularly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Most installed apps deteriorate in performance over time, causing them to close or crash unexpectedly. However, when it starts happening to newly installed apps, your phone needs to be checked for viruses and malware<\/strong>. Some security-savvy users even lock new apps with passwords and use password managers to generate complex codes for added security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is crucial to keep an eye on the apps you’ve installed. Hackers often imitate popular apps that get swapped with malware after a software update<\/strong>. One of them was the malware app that hijacks Facebook login info, which could be prevented by using any good free app to detect a virus on your Android device. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This particular malware app was available on Google Play and got installed over 100,000 times, so just relying on Google\u2019s internal scans is not a foolproof way of avoiding malicious apps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Adware and trojan malware tend to download more malicious apps when you install them on the phone<\/strong>. As soon as you notice an app you don’t remember downloading, it is best to delete it immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To remove suspicious apps:<\/p>\n\n\n\nSigns of a Virus Infestation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Increase in Monthly Data Usage<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Phone Overheating<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Battery Impact<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Unexpected Pop-Ups<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Unexpected Phone Charges<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Random App Crashes<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Unknown and Decoy Apps<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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