How to remove Android virus

Android is a very flexible operating system that gives the user more freedom of action than competing platforms such as iOS and iPadOS. This undeniable advantage is paid for, however, with some more risk on the computer security side.

The ability to install apps from external sources with respect to the Play Store and the vast diffusion of Android have meant that this operating system attracted the unpleasant attention of cybercriminals, who design malware aimed at spying on users’ activities. , collect their data and in some cases activate very expensive premium services via SMS.

To protect yourself from this type of threat, you need to use your smartphone/tablet wisely, avoid downloading apps from untrusted sources and maybe install a good antivirus: there are many, even free ones, that do not burden the system and they are able to guarantee an excellent degree of protection. If you want I recommend some of the best currently available on the square and I’ll explain how to eliminate Android viruses using them. It won’t take long, I promise. Have a good reading!

Index

• How to prevent the installation of malware on Android
• How to get rid of Android virus for free
  • Avast Mobile Security
  • Bitdefender Antivirus Free
  • Avira Security Internet
• Other solutions to eliminate Android virus
• How to remove Android Chrome virus

How to prevent the installation of malware on Android

Before taking a look at the best antimalware currently available on Android, let’s clarify an important concept: to sleep reasonably peacefully it would be enough to download apps only from safe sources, therefore only from the Play Store (or from alternative stores of proven reliability, for example HUAWEI AppGallery ) by turning to developers of proven reliability and not rooting on Android.

Now, by default most of the Android smartphones and tablets do not have root permissions enabled and do not allow the installation of apps from sources other than the Play Store, but to make sure that both security measures are in place on the your device do these simple checks.

• Open the list of apps installed on your smartphone/tablet and check if there is one called SuperSUor SuperUser among them. If not, your device is almost certainly not rooted. For a more “serious” check you can install the Root Checker app and find out through it if your device has root permissions unlocked or not. If your smartphone or tablet is unlocked via root, you can “lock” it again by selecting the appropriate item from the SuperSU / SuperUser application. But know that by doing this you will no longer be able to use all those applications that need root permissions to work. More information about it can be found by searching on Google a guide specifically dedicated to your device (eg “how to remove the root from Samsung Galaxy S10”).
• Go into settings of Android (the ‘ gear icon on the home screen or in the drawer), select the entries Security> Install apps from sources outside the menu that pops up and make sure that each app in the list has the words No. If not, tap on it and move the only lever that is shown to you to off. If you want more information on the procedures to enable and disable installation from external sources even in older versions of Android, refer to this tutorial of mine.

At this point you have a reasonably safe terminal to use but, beware, not invulnerable in the face of malware risk. If you want to sleep even more peacefully you need to install an antivirus like the ones I am about to recommend, knowing however that you will have to give up a pinch of memory and / or performance to allow the software to control the system in real-time.

How to get rid of Android virus for free

If you are looking for a solution to eliminate viruses on Android completely free, in the next chapters I will show you some tips that could be for you.

Avast Mobile Security

An antivirus for Android that I highly recommend you try is Avast Mobile Security, which includes anti-malware protection with real-time scanning of new apps installed on the device, detects dangerous applications from the point of view of privacy, blocks unwanted calls, blocks access to applications with a password and allows you to trace the device in case of theft/loss.

This antivirus is also ideal if you are looking for a way to eliminate Internet viruses from Android, as real-time web protection is also integrated, detecting and blocking links infected with malware, Trojans, adware and spyware.

To install Avast Mobile Security for Android, search for it in the Play Store and press the Download button (you can also download it from alternative sources ). Then start the app via its quick launch icon, tap the Scan now button to start the first anti-malware scan of your smartphone/tablet.

For the rest there is not much to explain, Avast Mobile Security is completely in Italian and its interface is extremely intuitive: by selecting the Scan option from the main screen you can start a new system scan, by selecting the Scan Wi-Fi item you can check the security level of the Wi-Fi network you are connected to.

By tapping the ☰ icon instead, you can find all the additional features of Avast Mobile Security, both free and paid. In this regard, if you want to use the latter, such as app blocking or the last known position, you will have to subscribe to an annual subscription starting from 11.99 euros / first year (then 19.99 euros/year).

Bitdefender Antivirus Free

The Android version of Bitdefender always figures well in the comparative tests, but unfortunately the free edition of the antivirus offers very few functions compared to the competition: it allows on-demand scans of the system, monitors the new applications installed on the device but has no function anti-theft, does not allow you to block calls and does not allow you to prohibit access to applications that you want to keep private.

To install the free version of Bitdefender on your smartphone/tablet, search for Bitdefender Antivirus Free on the Play Store (or from alternative stores ) and press the Download button. Once the download is complete, start the app, accept the terms of service and press the Continue and Start Scan buttons.

Surely Bitdefender Antivirus Free is an excellent solution if you want, for example, to eliminate advertising viruses on Android, such as adware, although limited. Alternatively, you can also get the full version of this antivirus, Bitdefender Mobile Security, which costs $ 0.99 / month or $ 9.99 / year with a 14-day free trial.

Avira Security Internet

Avira Antivirus Security is another valid alternative that guarantees an excellent level of protection without excessively burdening the system. It is free but includes some functions, such as app blocking or microphone and camera protection, which can be unlocked by subscribing to a subscription starting at € 7.99 / year.

To install Avira Antivirus Security on your smartphone (or tablet), search for it in the Play Store and press the Download button (or from alternative stores ). Then start the app, press the Accept item and press the Smart Scan button on the main screen, to start a system scan.

Through the tabs at the bottom, however, you can access all the other features available in this antivirus and you can distinguish the paid ones by a star icon next to it.

Other solutions to eliminate Android virus

If you want a broader overview of antivirus for Android, I suggest you take a look at the AV-Test.org website which publishes comparative rankings with the best apps in the industry. Antivirus can be sorted according to their degree of effectiveness or according to their degree of usability.

In any case, in the following paragraphs I point out some free antivirus or some completely paid that could be for you for example if you want to know how to delete Android virus messages. Alternatively, you can also check out my article on the best Android antivirus where I have collected some of the best antivirus solutions for Android.

• Norton 360– If you know the desktop version of Norton, the mobile counterpart is also available on Android to ensure device security, blocking malicious apps and websites, scanning for Wi-Fi networks and a VPN. You can download it as a free trial for 14 days: subscription plans start at99 euros/year. Read more here.
• Kaspersky Internet Security– Kaspersky offers the Android app for removing malware and other malicious software for your mobile device. You can try the app for 7 days, then upgrade to the Premium version at a cost of99 euros/month or 14.95 euros/year.
• AVG Antivirus– is a free antivirus for Android that includes many interesting features for device protection. To unlock the additional features, however, it is necessary to subscribe to a subscription with prices starting from99 euros / first year.

How to remove Android Chrome virus

On your smartphone or tablet are you constantly getting notifications with messages of winnings or other suspicious ads? You have most likely turned on notifications on Chrome (or other browsers you use) for some dubious websites. To be able to disable these notifications, you must proceed as I indicate below.

Start the Google Chrome web browser and press the icon (…) at the top. Now, click on Settings and then on Notifications. At this point, scroll down the screen and locate the suspicious website or the ones you don’t want to be notified about anymore. So tap on one of them and move the appropriate lever at the top to OFF . Then repeat the process for every other website and that’s it!