Introduction
Android devices are a bit more open than iOS devices, which means it’s easier for them to get infected with malware and viruses. In fact, the only reason many Android users still have viruses is because they don’t know how to clean out their device. Thankfully, cleaning up your Android device is easy, once you know what to do. This guide will show you how to clean up your device so it can run better. And who doesn’t want a better phone?
These apps can be legitimate, but often aren’t.
Malware is software that runs on your phone, laptop or tablet without your permission. Malware can be installed by downloading an app from a third-party app store; clicking on a link in an email or text message; or downloading pirated content from the Internet. Malware can steal personal information, spy on you and gain access to your device.
Malware can slow down your phone’s performance and consume battery life.
Malware is a type of virus, which means it can slow down your phone’s performance and drain battery life. It can also be difficult to remove and may be installed on your device without your knowledge. Malware can come in the form of an app or as a website that you visit.
Your browser is part of the problem.
You probably use the browser on your phone all the time, but you may not realize how much it can affect your Android experience.
The most common source of malware on Android is a browser. Malware can come in many forms, from ads or pop-ups that try to trick you into clicking them to a browser’s homepage and search engine. Your browser might be trying to force itself onto you as an app recommendation, but if it looks suspicious (and especially if the app isn’t free), don’t install it!
Try another browser.
- Use a browser that is less likely to be affected by these ads and malware.
- Use a browser that is more secure. This will prevent you from clicking on suspicious links, which might lead you to malicious sites or ads.
- Use a browser that is more reliable, as it’s probably less likely to crash or freeze when using it for browsing the web.
- Use a more efficient browser if possible, as this could save you time in terms of loading pages and scrolling through search results quickly – especially if your device has low memory capacity!
Look out for pop-ups warning you of a virus.
Pop-ups are a common way for malware to spread. They can look like they’re from your phone manufacturer, but they aren’t!
Disable JavaScript in your browser.
You can disable JavaScript in your browser settings, and if you’re more technical, use some kind of an ad blocker (we like uBlock Origin).
Here’s what to do:
- Google Chrome: click menu > settings > advanced settings > privacy, then switch on Block all third-party cookies and site data.
- Mozilla Firefox: click menu > options > privacy & security panel, then click cookie settings button; under “block third-party cookies” select Always block.
- Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 and 8: click Tools > Internet Options; under the “Security” tab switch off Automatic prompting for ActiveX controls. In IE9+ go to Tools > Safety > Security Zones ; for each zone select High for both Internet and Local intranet . Then add https://*.youtube.*/ as an exception under Trusted sites . (The asterisk (*) means any YouTube page.)
Don’t install apps from untrusted sources.
The most important thing when it comes to managing and securing your phone is to avoid installing apps from unknown sources. This means that you should only get your apps from the official Google Play Store or other trusted sources.
If you’re not sure what an “unknown source” is, look for the following icon:
The text next to this icon says, “Allows installation of apps from sources other than Google Play.” If you don’t see that, then your device has no setting enabled for downloading apps outside of the official store.
Beware of app updates.
Beware of app updates. Don’t just update your apps just because you can, because that might actually be causing more harm than good. If you don’t need the update, then don’t install it!
Some apps are buggy and have constant updates to fix problems with their latest version. If you notice an app is giving you trouble after updating it, try uninstalling the app and reinstalling it from Google Play Store again to see if that fixes it first before doing anything else.
Use an ad-blocker or antivirus app to stop pop-ups on Android.
There are several free and paid apps that you can use on your Android device to block ads. An ad-blocker or antivirus app will stop pop-ups in apps, as well as ads that appear on web pages. Some apps can be installed directly on your phone, while others need to be downloaded from the Google Play Store and then installed on your computer’s Chrome browser (which is also a good idea if you want access to some of the more advanced features).
There are many different types of ad blockers available for Android devices: some only block advertisements within specific applications (e.g., Facebook), while others block all advertisements from any app. There are also paid options for various levels of protection against malicious software (malware) and viruses; however, these tend not to be necessary unless you frequently download pirated content from sketchy sources or visit websites that have been linked with malware infections in the past.
Remove the malicious apps from your web browser shortcut icon.
If you have a shortcut icon for the malicious app on your home screen, you can simply delete it. This will remove the shortcut from your phone so that it no longer appears on the home screen.
If you want to go one step further and uninstall the malicious app from your device entirely, then you can do so by going into Settings > Apps & Notifications > App Manager or Apps & notifications > App Manager and looking for an entry for the malicious app. Once there, click Uninstall to uninstall it from your device.
If you find yourself unable to uninstall an unwanted app because of how many permissions it has been granted or because a system service is using it constantly (such as Google Play Services), there are two additional steps that may help:
- Go into Settings > Apps & Notifications > Advanced > Special Access and uncheck any permissions that seem out of place—for example if Google Play Services has access to Photos/Media/Files but not Camera or Storage? You probably don’t need this permission!
- Go into Settings > Storage & USB storage settings and under “Free up space”, select “Purge cache”. If nothing else works, this could free up some space where something needs to be deleted before being able to remove other things
Go to your Apps icon, find the app you want to delete and press Force Stop, then Clear Cache and Data. This will get rid of the app’s cache and data, but will not delete it completely from your device.
To delete an app completely, you need to do the following:
- Go to your Apps icon
- Find the app that you want to delete and press Force Stop, then Clear Cache and Data. This will get rid of the app’s cache and data, but will not delete it completely from your device.
Cleaning up your Android device can mean better performance or freeing up space for more storage
It’s important to clean up your device because if you don’t, you might run into trouble. “If your phone is full of old photos and videos, it can slow down,” said David Kerns, a senior writer at PCMag.com. “This is because the more photos and videos that are stored on a phone, the longer they take to load.”
Here are some ways to free up space on your Android phone:
- Delete apps that aren’t used anymore by tapping Settings > Apps & notifications (or Settings > System > Storage). Then tap Downloaded in the menu at the top of your screen and scroll through until you find an app that can be deleted without affecting any other apps or settings on your device—if there isn’t one, try uninstalling an app with little functionality rather than something important like email or messaging apps. You can also search for categories at this point (like Games) if needed; doing so will give easy access to all games so that only those which need deleting will appear in the list below where it says “Show All Apps.” Once done here though make sure not delete any essential program or app(s)!
Conclusion
I hope you are now free of any malware or virus on your android device with the above tutorial!