The service has changed ownership or been compromised. If sites or apps that are normally ad-free or ad-light suddenly become filled with ads, pop-ups, and redirects to sketchy sites, here are some possibilities: Sometimes, this means inundating you with ads. Malware generally exists to make money for its maker. If there is no good explanation for why your battery is draining so fast, you might have malware. If your battery is quickly being drained, check which apps are using your battery, then make sure the battery hasn’t degraded. This isn’t something you can reverse it’s just how batteries work. Over time, batteries start to hold less charge. Check Settings > Battery > Battery Health on iOS or an app like AccuBattery on Android to see if your battery has degraded. That said, most battery drain issues aren’t caused by malware. Similarly, malware such as cryptocurrency miners and worms can drain your phone’s battery. Not all phone overheating is malware-related, but this is a fairly common symptom that you shouldn’t ignore. Aside from worse performance and battery life (covered in the next section), this processor-intensive malware can make your phone hot.

Some kinds of malware mine Bitcoin, click on ads, or perform other nefarious tasks in the background that cause your phone to heat up.

In general, if you have multiple issues that you can’t easily explain, you might have malware. Viruses can be tricky to find because their symptoms are similar to the symptoms of other phone issues. If you no longer receive timely software updates, purchase a new phone.īe careful and exercise caution when installing apps, browsing the web, and following instructions.īefore taking any drastic measures to rid yourself of malware, you should verify that your phone issues are, in fact, caused by viruses. Protecting yourself against malware is not too difficult for most people who aren’t high-value targets, but it takes some forethought:Ĭonsider installing a strong antivirus like TotalAV on your phone.ĭon’t install apps from third-party app stores. Phone malware is just like your physical health: an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. TotalAV has apps for both iOS and Android and can provide good protection against most malicious programs. The easiest way to remove malware is using a quality antivirus.

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