Is it a virus?
Almost never. Real viruses are rare on iPhones and on Android phones that only install apps from the Play Store. What people call a virus is usually one of these:
- Website notifications. At some point a website asked "Allow notifications?" and someone tapped Allow. Now it sends ads that look like messages, even when the browser is closed.
- An adware app. Free cleaner, booster, battery, torch, QR code, wallpaper and game apps sometimes show full-screen ads over everything else on the phone.
- Calendar spam (iPhone). Tapping a link in a spam email or website can add a calendar full of fake "events" with alarming titles and links.
Where are the ads coming from?
| What you see | Where it's coming from | Jump to |
|---|---|---|
| Ads in your notifications with a website's name | Website notifications | Android step 1, or iPhone step 3 |
| Full-screen ads over the home screen or other apps | An app (Android) | Android steps 2 to 4 |
| Strange events or alarms in the Calendar app | Calendar spam (iPhone) | iPhone step 1 |
| Pop-ups only while you're browsing | The website itself | Close the tab; Android step 1 or iPhone step 2 |
A quick tip: when an ad notification appears, press and hold it. Both iPhone and Android then show which app or website sent it, and offer a way to turn it off.
How do I stop them on an Android phone?
These steps suit Samsung, Oppo and most other Android phones.
1. Turn off website notifications
- Chrome: tap ⋮ → Settings → Notifications (or Site settings → Notifications), and turn off every website you don't recognise.
- Samsung Internet: tap ☰ → Settings → Sites and downloads → Notifications, and remove the ones you don't want.
- While you're there, check that Pop-ups and redirects is set to blocked.
From now on, when a website asks to send notifications, tap Block or Don't allow.
2. Find the app that's showing ads
Think back to what was installed around when the ads started. Then:
- Open the Play Store, tap your picture → Manage apps & device → Manage, and sort by Recently updated or look for apps you don't remember installing.
- Uninstall anything that calls itself a cleaner, booster, battery saver, antivirus, torch, free VPN or wallpaper and that you don't use. Your phone already does all of those things itself.
- On a Samsung, also check Settings → Apps → ⋮ → Special access → Appear on top. Apps that can draw over other apps are prime suspects; turn off any you don't recognise.
3. Use safe mode if you can't find it
Safe mode starts the phone with only its built-in apps. Press and hold the power button (on newer Samsungs, the side key and volume down together), then press and hold Power off until Safe mode appears, and tap it. If the ads stop in safe mode, an app is to blame: uninstall recent apps one at a time, restarting normally after each, until they're gone.
4. Run Play Protect
In the Play Store, tap your picture → Play Protect → Scan. It checks your apps against Google's list of harmful ones.
If an app won't uninstall (the button is greyed out), it may have given itself administrator access: look in Settings → Security for Device admin apps and turn it off there first.
How do I stop them on an iPhone?
1. Remove a spam calendar
Apple's advice: open Calendar, tap one of the unwanted events, and tap Unsubscribe from this Calendar at the bottom. If that option isn't there, go to Settings → Calendar → Accounts (on newer iOS, Settings → Apps → Calendar → Calendar Accounts) → Subscribed Calendars, tap the one you don't recognise, and tap Delete Account.
2. Tidy up Safari
- Settings → Safari: turn on Block Pop-ups and Fraudulent Website Warning.
- If odd pages keep reopening, use Clear History and Website Data on the same screen.
3. Check for website notifications
Look in Settings → Notifications for any website names or web apps you don't remember adding, and turn their notifications off. Delete any home-screen icons for websites you don't use.
4. Delete apps that are full of ads
Free games and "utility" apps are the usual culprits. Press and hold the app's icon → Remove App → Delete App.
How do I keep them away?
- Only install apps from the App Store or Play Store, and read the reviews first.
- Say "Block" when a website asks to send notifications. Very few websites need to.
- Ignore ads that say your phone needs cleaning or speeding up. That's the ad, not your phone, talking.
- Keep your phone updated: updates close the holes that rogue apps use.
- Ask for help. If someone in the family looks after phones, a five-minute check of notifications and apps every few months keeps things tidy.
If your phone is old, slow and full of junk you've stopped using, it may be time for a fresh start or a new phone. Here's how to decide.
Sources
- Scamwatch: Remote access scams
- IDCARE: Get help
- Apple Support: Delete spam calendars and events on iPhone
- Google Chrome Help: Turn notifications on or off
- Google Play Help: Use Google Play Protect
Related repairs at Taigum Square