Remove Viruses from Phones

A computer virus is a malicious program that infects computer devices and changes the way it works without the user’s permission or knowledge. It keeps multiplying and adding itself to another program like boot sector or other files on the device.

When the virus is implanted on the device it is done in order to cause damage to the device, change stored data, send emails or steal information.

Phone viruses are also computer viruses. They are designed to work in a mobile environment and move from one phone to another. The first virus was designed to work in cell phones, targeting phones that support Bluetooth connectivity. The virus uses this feature to spread itself to other phones.

How phones are exposed to viruses

There are many ways in which viruses can enter phones and among these things are the following:

Installing applications from unreliable sources

When you use informal application stores instead of the flagship store such as Google Play Store or the App store there will be the likelihood of downloading viruses.

Installing malicious apps

You can get a virus when installing apps even from the operating system such as the App Store or the Play Store. Even though Apple and Google made a great effort to remove malicious apps from their stores, they are still there. It’s dangerous because there is a possibility of private information being stolen. These malicious apps are able to allow any change to be made in the phone’s operating system – which is a very big risk.

Scams

They’re tricks that cause unwanted software to be installed. This can be done by clicking on fake links on some websites or ads displayed from within the applications.

Signs your phone has a virus

There are many signs that can help you know whether your phone contains viruses or not, including the following:

• Applications suddenly stop working – even when updated.
• The ads appear suddenly and continuously in the form of what is called pop-up.
• Unwanted applications are installed without the user’s permission.
• The battery is drained faster. It is known that viruses strain the resources of the device.
• Consumption of airtime and bundles through the frequent use of the Internet by viruses.

Remove a virus from your phone

Android phones

To remove a virus/malicious app from a mobile phone using an Android system;

Restart the phone in the safe mode. This is done to stop the work of all programs except for system programs. It can be done in most devices by pressing the power button on the device while it is on and then pressing the same button until the option to restart the phone appears in the safe mode. The phone will then restart.

The phrase which is the safe mode is located at the bottom left of the screen. Go to the device settings, then application Settings and choose “Downloaded Applications” tab.

Search for the malicious application. This is probably the last downloaded application before the device started to have problems. Click on the name of the application when found, and then press the “Uninstall” button. After deleting the malicious application, the device will restart to exit from the safe mode.

Delete viruses from Android phones by removing management features In the event that the delete button is not available, then the administrator must be cancelled from it before being able to delete it. Remove the application and restart the device.

IPhone devices

The exposure of viruses to iPhone/iPad devices is rare due to the nature of these devices. However, they can still be affected through jailbreak. This problem can be solved in the following way;

Go to settings. Enter the Safari browser settings, click on clear history and website data. Click on the Clear History and Data button to confirm the operation.