The Ultimate Guide to Killing Android Viruses: Simple and Most Effective Tips in 2024

Nowadays, the use of mobile phones has become more popular than ever. However, this also means that your mobile device is at risk of being attacked by viruses and malware. So, how can you effectively and simply eliminate viruses on your phone? Let FPT Shop reveal to you how to do it below!

Signs that your phone is infected with viruses

Mobile phone virus infection is a dangerous problem that users need to pay attention to. Not recognizing and handling it in time can lead to the loss of important data, personal information leakage, and even device damage. Below are some signs that your phone may be infected with viruses:

Phone receiving multiple strange notifications

Your smartphone can easily be infected with viruses when using popular browsers such as UC Browser, Chrome, Firefox, and many other applications. This can have serious consequences when accessing unsafe websites.

Some signs that your smartphone may be infected with viruses include: the phone vibrating abnormally, strange sounds, displaying unsolicited suggestive images, and pop-up windows appearing on the screen with warning messages like “Your phone is infected with a virus and needs to be scanned right away!”, “Your Android phone is outdated, upgrade to new software now”, “Your phone is slow, download new software”,…

Phone behaving unusually

In addition to the advertisement notifications, if you find the following unusual symptoms on your phone, check immediately if your device is infected with viruses.

• Rapid battery drain even when not in use: If you notice that the phone’s battery is rapidly depleting without being used, it may be infected with a virus. Checking and dealing with it early will help protect the device from potential risks.
• Apps frequently “freezing”: If you encounter a situation where applications on your phone frequently freeze or do not work abnormally, this can also be a sign of a virus. Checking and removing viruses will help the phone operate more smoothly.

• Appearance of “unknown” apps (that you didn’t install) on your phone: If you discover apps that you do not remember installing on your phone, this may be a sign of a virus or malware that has infiltrated your device.
• Rapid increase in mobile data consumption: If mobile data usage suddenly increases without a clear reason, this may also be due to the activities of unwanted apps or viruses on your phone.

Common consequences of phone virus infection

Phone virus infection not only causes technical troubles, but also affects the performance and information security of users. Below are some serious consequences of phone virus infection that users need to be aware of:

Decreased phone performance

One of the most obvious signs when a phone is infected with a virus is a significant decrease in device performance. The phone may run slower or even freeze, rendering it unusable and affecting the user experience.

Decreased battery life

Phone virus infection often leads to ineffective battery usage. The battery may deplete frequently, reducing its lifespan and forcing users to charge their phones more often.

Risks to information security

Phone virus infection can lead to the theft and misuse of users’ personal and financial information. This can cause serious consequences for users, from the loss of personal information to financial fraud.

Unwanted advertisements

One of the most annoying consequences of phone virus infection is the appearance of unwanted advertisements. This not only reduces the user experience but also poses a potential risk of falling victim to harmful advertisements.

How to easily eliminate viruses on your phone

To protect your phone from these types of viruses, users can apply some methods to eliminate viruses on their phones as follows:

Preventing phones from downloading apps of unknown origin

• Step 1: Go to the “Settings” app on your phone → Select “Lock screen and security”
• Step 2: In the Unknown sources section, tap to turn off the “Allow installation of apps from unknown sources” feature.

Removing malware/viruses on Android devices

To remove malware/viruses on Android devices, you need to follow these steps:

Step 1: Restart the device

Press and hold the power button → Continue pressing and holding the “Power off” button for 1 to 2 seconds until the “Safe mode” appears → Press “OK” (this will restart the phone).

This operation will turn off all third-party apps that you have installed, including apps that contain viruses.

Step 2: Uninstall malware

Access “Settings” → Select “Apps” → Select “Downloaded”.

Step 3: Uninstall

Tap on the app that contains the virus, then select “Uninstall”.

Note: 

If the “Uninstall” option is disabled, it means that the virus has granted itself administrative rights to your smartphone. In this case, you need to perform the following step 3 to revoke its administrative rights.

How to do it:

• Access the “Settings” app → Select “Security and lock screen” → Select “Device administrators“.

• Uncheck the box of the virus-infected app → select “Deactivate“.

• Finally, you need to go back and perform the malware removal step.

Backing up and restoring your phone’s factory settings

In addition to referring to the above ways to eliminate viruses, you can also back up your data and restore your phone’s factory settings to completely remove the virus.

How to prevent viruses and malware on your phone

To protect your phone from harmful viruses, in addition to implementing virus elimination measures, you should also actively practice the following preventive measures:

• Do not install apps of unknown origin and outside of Google Play: Installing apps from untrusted sources can lead to attacks by viruses and malware.
• Do not use counterfeit apps: Using counterfeit apps not only violates copyright but also poses the risk of being infected with viruses from unreliable sources.
• Control app permissions: Before installing an app, consider the permissions that the app requires. Restricting unnecessary permissions can help prevent viruses and malware from invading your phone.
• Regularly update the phone’s operating system: Updating the operating system will help ensure that your phone is always secure with the latest patches to prevent virus attacks.
• Install antivirus apps: Using professional and reliable antivirus apps will help you detect and remove viruses and malware effectively.

Top 5+ effective antivirus apps for Android phones

Currently, there are many antivirus apps available for mobile phones on the market. However, choosing the right and reliable software is extremely important. Installing apps with an unknown source can lead to phone virus infection.

To help users get an overview of the best antivirus software currently available, here is a list of the Top 5 antivirus software for Android phones that you should consider:

Avast Mobile Security

Known as one of the best free antivirus software, not only for smartphones but also for computers. Avast Mobile Security not only helps users scan for viruses but also provides many other protection features such as email protection, web browser protection, and many other useful features.

Kaspersky Mobile Antivirus

This is one of the top antivirus software, providing features to protect devices from malware and call blocking. With its available technology platform, this app has gained the trust of many users on both computers and mobile phones.

Lookout Security & Antivirus

With the smallest size among antivirus apps, Lookout Security & Antivirus still ensures full protection functions for phones, helping users avoid any harmful factors.

McAfee Mobile Security

With the ability to identify and intervene in a timely manner to prevent viruses or malware from infiltrating devices, McAfee Mobile Security has gained popularity with more than 756K downloads.

360 Security (Safe Security)

Offers all features for free, suitable for all Android phone users. After finding and eliminating viruses, malicious scams, security vulnerabilities, or advertising software and Trojans, your device will be optimized for performance and cache memory.

Frequently asked questions

Below are some frequently asked questions when it comes to eliminating viruses on phones:

Should I download when I receive a virus notification on my phone?

When you receive a virus notification while browsing the web and accidentally download it, don’t worry too much. First, immediately exit that website and delete the app you just downloaded. Additionally, to ensure absolute safety, you should restore your phone to factory settings to check if any viruses exist.

Is there a risk of phone virus infection when using mobile data?

According to experts, if you use 3G and do not download strange files, there is no risk of phone virus infection. Phones nowadays are very difficult to infect with viruses, if there are any, they are just advertisements from websites or apps. Users just need to close the web browser, clear the browsing history, and uninstall suspicious apps to eliminate the risk of virus infection.

If I log in to an account on a virus-infected phone, will that account be infected with the virus?

In this case, the situation depends on the type of virus attack. However, most accounts will not be infected with the virus, but they may be lost or their account information may be leaked externally.

In conclusion

By applying the top methods mentioned above to eliminate viruses on your phone, you can use your phone with peace of mind without worrying about virus attacks. Always maintain the safety of your mobile device to avoid unnecessary risks from viruses!

• Top 15 most effective free antivirus software in 2023, not causing device slowdown
• Should I install antivirus software for Android phones?

If you need to upgrade your phone to improve its performance, don’t hesitate to come to FPT Shop to get a new smartphone!

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