When you only use the official store to download apps and are careful about which files you open on a smartphone, there is no need to worry. It’s very unlikely you have viruses on your device. However, no one can be too careful at this point, so let’s find out how to check your phone for viruses and what to do with the results you get.
How can one get one’s smartphone infected?
Smartphones, just like tablets, laptops, and desktops, can get viruses. Even the procedure is the same. They come through apps, websites, emails, sometimes texts. That’s why you should be very attentive and realize that there are lots of threats out there.
The viruses you can get on your smartphone
There are 5 basic kinds of viruses you can get. They include:
- The adware that creates ads with links. They create damages to files and security problems.
- Malware has a different function. It exists to steal personal information and do various actions that cause you problems.
- Ransomware locks the apps and files demanding money.
- Spyware speaks for itself and spies on you.
- Trojan Horse is one of the most dangerous since it attaches to the app and interferes with the phone’s operations.
How to check your phone for viruses?
Firstly, you need to look for symptoms:
- If your smartphone has apps you never installed, this is a big red sign.
- Your device regularly crashes.
- The battery life gets much shorter for no apparent reason.
- The pop-up ads keep appearing even more.
- You observe the increased data usage (especially if you don’t use the web).
If you have one or more of these issues, it’s time to scan the phone for viruses. You are likely to have some viruses that are waiting to be removed.
The second thing you should do is to perform an actual scan. If you don’t have an antivirus app, you should pick a reliable app. There are lots of free apps and premium solutions. After you install the antivirus, just press on the Scan button. Most solutions have similar interfaces, so you won’t find any difficulties finding this feature. When you hit the button, the antivirus will scan all the files and applications.
As soon as the scan is over, you’ll see all the files that have been infected. You can pick the solution you want. For instance, you can delete, ignore, etc.
If this doesn’t help, you can take some drastic measures and do a factory reset. It will clean your phone from various files including all viruses.
You can also turn on airplane mode when you detect viruses. At least, malicious apps will stop stealing data and you’ll have time to resolve the issue.
Top 5 ways to protect your Android from viruses:
- Get a reliable antivirus app.
- Download apps from the official store only.
- Never open links with suspicious content.
- Do not follow the links from emails, especially if you don’t know the sender.
- Keep all the software updated.
The conclusion
All in all, you now know how to check your phone for viruses. You also know how to prevent such problems. There are some simple tips you can try to stay safe but the most important is to use only reliable sources.
Follow these safe practices and pay attention to the symptoms to stay ahead of the game.