How to Detect and Remove Malware From Your Android

Have you noticed anything strange about your smartphone and you’re looking for information on virus removal for Android? Perhaps your device always feels warm to the touch even when you're not using it and runs out of power in the middle of your day. Maybe the applications you've been using have become slow or refuse to work altogether. These are all tell-tale signs that your Android might be infected with malware, and you have good reason to be concerned.

If you use public Wifi spots, you might want to read: How to Get Secure and Free Wifi

According to Statista (an online statistics and market research company), in May 2019, there were over 10.9 million types of Android Malware detected. Most of these programs are Adwares that quietly generate ill-gotten revenue for unscrupulous advertisers. That said, some of them can be much more intrusive — ransomware that encrypts data on your Android device, SMS Trojans that collect sensitive information from messages, banking malware that secretly records your financial information, etc. So what can you do about it?

Fortunately, detection and finding the best way of virus removal for your Android device is not as difficult as you might think. In this article, we'll show you how to do just that and what you can do to protect yourself from these kinds of cybersecurity threats.

How to Tell If Your Android Has a Virus

As mentioned above, there are tell-tale signs that your Android device might be infected with a virus or malware:

• Slow performance and poor battery life
• Favorite apps no longer work or crash repeatedly
• Slow connection speeds on your Android device although Internet works fine on other devices
• Your Android device consumes data even when you're not using it (standby mode)
• You see a lot of pop-ups and redirects when using your Android device

Of course, the problems mentioned above may be due to junk apps that are currently installed on your device (bloatware). In which case, you'd want to check the list of installed apps on your phone first and remove the ones that you don't recognize or use anymore.

On your Android device, Go to Settings, then select “Apps & Notifications.” From there, you can review currently installed apps on your phone and remove the ones that you suspect might be causing performance issues. 

To remove an app, select it from the list then tap the “Uninstall” button. Restart your Android device and see if this has fixed the performance issues. If not, then your Android is most likely infected with a virus or malware, and you'll need to take measures to remove it from your device.

How to Do Virus Removal for Android

Now that we've established that there's a strong probability that your Android device might be infected with malware, how do you get rid of it? Well, you've got two options — one is to perform a factory reset (hard reset) of your Android device.

To reset your phone, go to settings and tap on “System” then select “Reset Options.” From there, you can tap on the “Reset Phone” button to wipe out all data from your device along with all traces of malware. The downside, of course, is you lose all vital data that you currently have on your Android device — pictures, videos, contact list, schedules, etc.

So let's say that a factory reset isn't an option and you want to keep critical data that you've stored on your Android device. If so, then the second option is to perform a virus and malware scan on your device using Android security software like Norton 360, Avast, and McAfee Mobile security. 

As you can see above, scanning your Android device for malware and viruses is as easy as installing and running a mobile security app, then tapping on the scan button. The mobile security app automatically removes any virus or malware that's hiding on your device.

Of course, just like any other app, you should do some research before downloading mobile security software on your Android device. In general, you would want to avoid free mobile security apps as most of them don't work or worse — are malware pretending to be a security application collecting your personal information without consent.

How to Protect Your Android from Malware

In addition to installing good mobile security software, one of the best things that you can do to protect your Android device from malware is to use what's known as a VPN (Virtual Private Network) service. Many VPNs have integrated cybersecurity features that protect against malware and virus attacks.

One good example is a VPN service called NordVPN which offers a security feature known as “Cybersec.” It works by checking the address of every site or app running on an Android device to a blacklist database. If that site or application has been known to host viruses or Malware, then Cybersec immediately blocks that server from your device.

As an additional layer of security, VPNs also encrypt all information coming in and out of your device. Hence even if malware does infect your Android device, any information it sends out would be indecipherable to third-parties.

Not sure which VPN to use to protect your device from viruses and malware? Well, here are our recommendations:

If you need help in setting up a VPN on your Android, read How to Set Up a VPN on Android.

FEATURES	ClearVPN	Surfshark	NordVPN	IPVanish
Safe Jurisdiction	✅	✅	✅	No (USA)
Voice call-friendly connection speed	✅	✅	✅	✅
AES-256 encryption	✅	✅	✅	✅
Number of countries	50+	61+	59	75+
No-logs policy	✅	✅	✅	✅
24/7 Customer support	✅	✅	✅	✅
No of devices	6	Unlimited	6	10
Supports chain VPN connections	Yes (Double VPN)	Yes (Multihop)	Yes (Double VPN)	No
Price range (per month)	$3.67 – $10.36	$1.99 – $11.95	$3.49 – $11.95	$3.25 – $5.00

Summary

So there you have it — all that you need to know about virus removal for your Android device. While the process isn't particularly difficult, most people don't realize that their tablet or smartphone is infected until it's too late. Hence it makes sense to take preventive measures which means investing in a solid combination of mobile security software and an excellent VPN service.