How to remove a virus from your phone

courtesy:Phonelab.com

We all hate viruses.They damage our phone's software and can even damage hardware through the software. And while some viruses can be removed very easily,some take longer processes to eradicate. In this post,we will learn what viruses are,how to prevent them and how to remove them in case of infections.

What is a Virus

"A phone virus is a type of virus specifically adapted for the cellular environment and designed to spread from one vulnerable phone to another." 

So basically,a virus is more or less a program that spreads from one phone to another and is capable of causing harm to the phone(or host)in which it resides. 

Viruses are the major cause of phone slowdown,which we talked about in this post. And they can actually render a phone pretty much useless. Some can even be used to track your movement or steal your information from your phone. They tend to be attached to apps you download from unknown sources(basically anywhere other than the Play Store or App Store),music from such sources and also to websites you visit. Typically,carrier websites do not have the https certificate and rather have the less secure http. So hackers can  plant a virus on your phone while you are visiting such a site. 

Some viruses can also be on the custom ROMS of some Chinese phones. These may be present in the pre-installed apps present in such ROMs,in which case the phone is basically damned for life.

How to prevent a virus infestation

So we have learnt about all about viruses. So how do we prevent them?

First,don't download any apps from any shady websites. Most of the Apps on the Play Store are free,but if you want to get a paid one,it's better you pay for it than to go to a site offering such a paid version for free. Such versions may be wired with a very deadly virus which may steal your credit card details,frame you for crimes you didn't commit or just make your phone a chore to use. So first rule:don't download apps from the web. If you need an alternative,safe store to the Play Store,Mobogenie is a safe store which offers paid apps such as GTA for free. Don't endanger your phone.

Second,you should install an Anti Virus. Again,these could be paid or free. A good free one is Avast Mobile Security. Also,you should use a web shield when surfing the web to ensure you don't enter any shady websites. Google Chrome has this feature. To enable it on Chrome,click on those three dots on the uppermost right side,click settings,scroll down to privacy and check the 'safe browsing option'. Also check 'Security reports' to further protect you against malicious sites.

You should also block all pop-up ads,because some ads can contain links to virus filled sites. To do this on Chrome browser,click the three dots,click settings,click site settings  and block pop-ups. 

Lastly,always perform a phone scan using your anti-virus app. You can never be too careful. On the Avast app,you can set the app to automatically scan your phone at scheduled times. Makes that app one of the best free antivirus apps.

How to remove a virus from your phone

First way: This is the easiest way to remove the virus. Simply perform a factory reset on your phone,but do note that this removes all your data and resets the phone to the way you got it when you bought it,and doesn't  always remove all virus types.

Second way:Using Safe Mode

Safe mode is a method that disables all your installed apps temporarily and shows you all the apps on your phones. Now,none of your third party apps would show,so any other app you see is probably a virus.

How to enable safe mode

If your phone is on: Hold the power button until you see the options'power off' and 'restart'. Then press and hold the power off option until you see the option to restart in safe mode or to enable safe mode.

If your phone is off: Hold the power button until the phone's logo appears,then hold the volume down until the phone is in safe mode.

How do I know when my phone is in safe mode?

You would see the 'safe mode' notation on the bottom left corner of the screen.

From that screen,you can now disable any apps you see that you didn't install.

So that's my guide on how to remove a virus from your phone. If you liked it,your friends would too so please click on share up top. Thanks for stopping by.