How to know if your phone has a virus

Viruses commonly occur on PCs. But there isn’t such a thing as a virus attacking an Android or iPhone device. Actually, it is some form of malware that gives the users this kind of headache. A malware infection can be disgusting and one should be aware of its symptoms. There are several ways to know if your phone has a virus and also how to eradicate them. Here, we are going to stress this topic only. So without further talk, let’s get started

How can I detect if my phone is infected or not?

Any kind of unusual or unwanted behavior occurring is a sign of a phone infection. Such signs warn you that your Android or iPhone device might contain a virus at that moment. The most common symptoms are as follows:-

Apps getting crashed often– 

The apps working in the background might cause your device to crash sometimes. But if this thing occurs often, you can assume that some form of virus or malware has infected your phone. 

A sudden spike in data usage-

You might notice an increase in your device’s data usage. This happens if any malware file is transmitting data or carrying out activities in the background. No wonder your data usage increases by a huge extent. This is very dangerous and needs to be eradicated as soon as possible. 

Unexpected hike in phone bills- 

There are certain viruses or malware which send premium-rated text messages from your phone. All this happens without your consent. Sending these kinds of SMSs causes your phone bills to rise indefinitely. In 2017, a form of Trojan known as the “Ztorg Trojan” was diagnosed to be the reason behind these activities. It had the ability to delete incoming messages without permission. 

Unknown applications getting installed- 

If you see unknown apps getting downloaded automatically, you should be certain that it is a form of malware infection. Some of these fake apps can be harmful to your device. Uninstall them immediately. You can also keep an anti-malware phone scanner to take care of this issue in the future. 

Unnecessary apps popping up- 

If you notice continued ads popping up despite the browser not being active, your device is most probably infected. This might be the work of “adware”, malware that spams your device with unnecessary ads. To prevent this malware, you can use an in-built privacy-optimized browser. “AVG Secure Browser” is one such which prevents ad-spamming. You can also block ads with different ad blockers available in the market. 

Message spamming your friend’s inbox- 

Yes, this is completely embarrassing as multiple messages get sent to your friend’s inbox without reason. This type of malware targets your messaging services. If you detect such activities, just ask your friend to ignore them. Meanwhile, look for a good malware destroyer.

Quicker battery discharge- 

Malware does multitasking in the background silently. You will not even realize how the battery is getting used up. You might land in trouble if your battery dies very quickly after being fully charged. 

Phone getting overheated- 

Higher battery consumption causes your phone temperature to rise. If it occurs every time, be aware of a probable malware infection. Malware’s background multitasking puts your device at serious risk of getting unnaturally overheated. 

Do Android phones get virus infected?

It would be technically wrong to say that an Android device has been infected by a virus. It is malware actually which causes different kind-of-virus issues on your device. Android threats are widespread ranging from various malicious adware to some “spying apps” and even “Android ransomware”.

The main reason why Android devices are exposed to malware threats? It’s the updates. Yes, updates are very important to some extent, in order to fix bugs and other operating system vulnerabilities. However, some new bugs might come with the new update too, which invites malware later. 

Apart from this, third-party apps can also cause your device to be susceptible to malware infections. The open-source system of Android and some of its updates are mostly responsible for causing a malware breach. Better use an added layer of protection. Find a suitable Antivirus protector for your Android device. 

Do iPhones get virus infected?

Again, it would be technically wrong to say an iPhone contains a virus. There are no viruses in the iPhone. They are also less exploited as compared to Android. However, we cannot say at all that an iPhone’s security is impenetrable. There are other possible threats that every iPhone user should take care of. First of all, never connect to unprotected Wi-Fi networks. It can be spam. Your device might get prone to Phishing attacks. Moreover, some games can also bring malware into your device. 

Also, keep in mind that an iPhone gets more vulnerable to threats if somehow Apple’s in-built user restrictions are removed. This is referred to as jailbreaking your iPhone. Then the user should be more aware of how to perform a virus scan for their device if it is necessary. 

Therefore, it’s clear that you should always follow some strong security measures to protect your iPhone. There are various mobile security applications for iPhones. Some of the most popular ones are- “Norton security for iOS”, “McAfee”, “Bitdefender”, “Kaspersky”, “Panda” and “Avast”. Keep your iPhone device safe with one of these apps. These apps’ utility goes further beyond being just an antivirus or malware protector. 

In what ways can a virus or malware affect my phone?

Malware can have many effects on your device if infected. Some of them are:-

• A sudden hike in data usage and phone bills- Too much sending of premium-rated SMSs or getting you subscribed to unwanted apps causes this.
• Irritating adware might destroy your complete peace. 
• Record your phone calls without consent and put your confidential information at stake.
• Copy your data related to location, contacts, emails, and bank credentials.
• Completely take over your phone through “rooting”.

Therefore, every time you install an app, do it cautiously. Go through its reviews and see if there have been severe allegations regarding it.

What are the possible ways to protect your phone from virus

Protecting your phone from viruses or malware is just a cup of tea if you are cautious enough. Just go through the following precautions to get aware of the possible ways to prevent malware infections on your device:-

Do a little bit of homework before installing some apps- 

There are chances that you can be deceived if you only trust the app reviews. Don’t just go with the good points, know the negative points as well. See videos on youtube and check what experts are saying about that app if possible. 

Check if the apps are safe to use- 

Some apps only have a privacy policy just for the sake of it. In spite of this, malware files can be incorporated into the app. Better check all the information related to the app beforehand only. Check the developer information and find out if it is legit. Note the download count as well. And after downloading, don’t give it access to something on your phone which is not even related to it. For instance, a game should never ask for your camera access. 

Install applications only from trusted sources- 

Avoid third-party app stores. Apple does its own scrutiny before allowing them in their store. Moreover, don’t jailbreak the iPhone system. Android users should also never root their phones.

Avoid public Wi-Fi if it’s not absolutely necessary- 

Some public Wi-Fi is a hub for hackers. They can easily intercept your network traffic and perform malicious activities. Better use an authorized VPN to avoid these kinds of threats.

Avoid clicking on suspicious links- 

Some text messages, emails, and texts from social media platforms contain malware. They are encrypted in the form of a link. Don’t get instigated by a foolish “click-bait” and click on it. You might get your phone compromised. 

Implement internet security measures- 

As stated earlier, there are various reputed internet security and malware eradicating apps available in the market. Check which one is good for your phone. It will help protect your device from phishing and other malicious threats. 

Try to keep your phone updated- 

Regular updates are the only way to get rid of any bugs within the device’s system software. An update plugs the holes in the software’s security policy which might exploit your phone later. Always keep your phone software updated to the latest version.

How will you remove a virus from an Android device

At this point, you have learned how to know if your phone has a virus. Now, you need to eradicate them as well. If you are an Android user, and your device is infected somehow, do the following things to save your phone:-

Reboot your phone in Safe mode- 

To execute this, you have to press and hold the “Power” button for some seconds. Then restart your device in “Safe Mode”. After the phone restarts, you will see it working in Safe Mode. In this mode, all third-party app usage will be blocked.

Detect and remove the malicious applications- 

How to know if your phone has a virus was the preliminary step. Now, check the symptoms, and detect the app causing it. If you find it, open “Settings” on your phone. Navigate to “Apps & notifications”. Now you will see all the apps. In the drop-down list, select the option to view the “installed apps”. Find the suspicious app, and uninstall it. After this, just reboot your phone at once. Everything should go well from then.

Free the cache data and downloads- 

Cache consumes unnecessary storage on your device. To clear the cache, go to “Settings”. Open “Apps & notifications”. Find “Chrome”. You will see the “Storage & cache” menu here. Do the needful to free your cache data and clear up storage. 

Activate Google Play Protect-

This is a special feature of the Google Playstore which performs scrutiny on all the apps for unusual behavior. If any form of potential malware is present, it will alarm you. To activate Google Play Protect, just tap the icon or your avatar present in the top-right corner. From the menu, activate the ”Play Protect” feature. 

Keep some anti-malware software on your device- 

There are much anti-malware software in the market as stated earlier. One of the most popular in this genre is the “AVG AntiVirus for Android”. Install this software to prevent your Android device from getting malware infected. 

How will you remove a virus from an iPhone?

After learning how to know if your phone has a virus, you have realized that iPhones are less susceptible than Androids. However, security knows no bounds. Hackers are always looking for an opportunity to exploit your internet traffic. You can execute the following methods if you feel that your iPhone has been infected.

Reboot the device- 

Restarting the device mostly resolves this issue at an instant. Just press and hold the “Power” button to switch off your phone. Then switch on the device again.

2. Clear browsing history- Open “Settings” and navigate to the “Safari” tab. From there, select “Clear History and Website Data”. You can also run these steps on other browsers to get rid of the malware.
3. Try updating your iOS- 

Updating software is also a way to resolve this. Just open “Settings”. Find the “General” tab. Access it. Tap “Software Update”. Check if there is any possible update pending. If it is, then update your iOS software to the latest version.

Install some reputed iOS security app- 

iOS itself is very secure. But why not implement an added layer of protection? Just install a good mobile security app to make your Wi-Fi experience secure and double encrypt your passwords. Don’t let anyone exploit your private space. 

Do a Factory-reset of your iPhone- 

This is probably the last thing you can try to protect your phone without the need of installing anything. Perform a “Factory Reset” after keeping a backup of everything on iCloud. Just go to “Settings”. Open the “General” tab. Select “Reset”. Then tap “Erase All Content and Settings”. This will remove everything on your device. Then just restore everything from iCloud. 

Conclusion

So this was all about how to know if your phone has a virus or not. Be it an Android or iPhone device, mobile security these days is never 100% impenetrable. In that case, you can take our suggestions from this blog. We hope you find this article helpful. 

Frequently Asked Questions