How to Remove a Virus From Android: Fixes From Quickest to Hardest

Most Android "viruses" are really harmful apps, and you can usually remove them yourself in about 15 minutes. Run a Play Protect scan, uninstall anything you don't recognize (using safe mode if an app fights back), and keep a factory reset as the last resort.

If you want to know how to remove a virus from Android without wiping your phone, start at the top of this list and stop as soon as the problem is gone. The fixes are ordered from quickest to most drastic. Not sure your phone is infected at all? Our guide on how to know if your phone is hacked walks through the warning signs first.

Pause anything sensitive before you start cleaning

The FTC's first piece of advice on malware is simple: stop logging in to accounts that matter, such as banking or shopping, until the device is clean. Malware that reads your screen or your keystrokes can grab a password the moment you type it.

So for now, skip your bank app. Don't approve payments. If you need to check an account urgently, use a different device you trust.

Play Protect has not checked your apps recently

Google builds a scanner into every certified Android phone that has the Play Store. According to Google Play Help, Play Protect is on by default, and it can warn you about harmful apps, disable them or remove them automatically.

To make sure it is scanning your apps:

1. Open the Google Play Store app.
2. Tap your profile icon in the top right.
3. Tap Play Protect.
4. Tap Settings and make sure Scan apps with Play Protect is turned on.

If Play Protect flags an app, tap the notification and choose Uninstall. Google recommends leaving Play Protect on at all times, so if you find it switched off and you didn't do that, treat it as a clue that something else on the phone changed your settings.

A suspicious app is still installed

Play Protect is good, but it can miss apps that were installed from outside the Play Store. Look through your app list yourself. Pay attention to anything you don't remember installing, apps with generic names like "System Update" or "Flashlight," and anything that appeared right before the trouble started.

Google's steps for deleting apps are:

1. Open the Play Store and tap your profile icon.
2. Tap Manage apps & devices, then Manage.
3. Select the app and tap Uninstall.

Also check your phone's main app list in Settings, since sideloaded apps will not always appear in the Play Store's list.

The Uninstall button is grayed out

Some malicious apps give themselves device administrator rights, which blocks a normal uninstall. Open Settings and search for "device admin" (the exact menu name and location differ between phone makers). If an app you don't trust has admin access, switch that off, then try uninstalling again.

Popup ads keep appearing on the home screen

Ads that cover your screen, show up when you unlock the phone or appear on top of other apps are a frequent sign that an app is misbehaving. The FTC lists a sudden flood of popup ads, including ads in places you wouldn't expect, as a classic sign of malware.

The culprit is usually an app, not a website. Think about what you installed just before the ads started. Uninstall the newest suspects first, especially free utilities you grabbed from an ad or a link.

If the ads only show up inside Chrome, the cause may be a website that you allowed to send notifications. Open Chrome's settings, find the notification permissions for websites, and block any site you don't recognize.

The bad app won't let you remove it

When an app crashes your Settings screen, reopens itself or hides from the app list, safe mode is the next step. Safe mode starts Android with only the apps that came with the phone, so anything you downloaded is paused.

Google's safe mode help page explains that the button combination for entering safe mode varies by phone, and it points to each manufacturer's support site for the exact steps. Google keeps a list of those support sites, so look up your phone's brand and follow its steps.

Once you're in safe mode:

1. Check whether the problem goes away. If it does, a downloaded app is almost certainly to blame.
2. Remove recently downloaded apps one at a time.
3. Restart normally after each removal and see whether the problem is gone.

Google notes that safe mode removes some home screen widgets, so take a screenshot of your home screen first if you rely on them. To leave safe mode, a normal restart usually does it.

Nothing works, and the phone still misbehaves

A factory reset is the cleanest fix because it removes every app and its data. It's also the only one of these steps that costs you something, so prepare before you do it.

Google's factory reset instructions include several warnings worth taking seriously:

• A factory reset erases all data on the phone. Data stored in your Google Account can come back, but every app and its data will be uninstalled.
• You will need your Google Account password after the reset, so confirm you know it.
• If you changed your Google Account password recently, Google says to wait 24 hours before resetting.
• Charge the phone to at least 70% and stay connected to Wi-Fi or mobile data. A reset can take up to an hour.

On most phones you can start the reset from the Settings app. If Settings won't open, Google says you can try the power and volume buttons instead, using your manufacturer's steps.

One caution about backups: restore your photos, contacts and messages, but don't blindly restore every app. Reinstall apps one by one from the Play Store, skipping anything you had doubts about. Otherwise you may reinstall the problem along with everything else.

Your accounts may need cleaning too

Removing the app does not undo what it already took. The FTC recommends changing your passwords and turning on two factor authentication once the device is clean, in case the malware passed your logins to someone else.

Do this from the cleaned phone or another trusted device, starting with email, since email resets everything else. Our 10 minute account security checklist covers the order to work in, and a password manager makes creating dozens of new, unique passwords far less painful.

Watch your bank and card statements for the next few weeks. If money was taken or someone opened accounts in your name, report it to your bank right away and file a report at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

When to get help instead of fixing it yourself

Some situations call for outside help:

• The phone is a work device. Tell your IT team before you touch anything, since they may need to examine it.
• The problems survive a factory reset. That points to something deeper, so contact the manufacturer or your carrier, especially if the phone is still under warranty.
• You can't get past the Google Account check after a reset. Use Google's account recovery process rather than any third party "unlock" service.

The FTC also suggests asking a tech support company you already trust, or a knowledgeable friend. Be wary of anyone who contacts you first offering to clean your phone, since fake tech support is a scam of its own.

Keeping the next one off your phone

Harmful apps often arrive through a link, an ad or a file sent in a message. Stick to the Play Store, leave Play Protect on, and install system updates when your phone offers them. Before you download a new app, read the recent reviews and check how many permissions it asks for compared with what it actually does. A flashlight app has no reason to read your texts.

For more security guides, browse our tech section.