How to remove ads that pop up out of nowhere on your cell phone
When browsing the internet, especially on social media platforms like Instagram or Facebook , we often see ads promoting products and services . Some may be of interest to us, while others, most of them, are annoying and useless .
These ads are generally harmless and are based on the recipient's search history and even WhatsApp chats, but like everything in this age of hyperconnectivity, cybercriminals take advantage of the ad bombardment to try to scam us.
So, if your mobile phone receives an avalanche of notifications, it's possible that it has been infected with a virus or that you have downloaded an app whose real objective is to collect sensitive data .
The Android operating system and the Chrome browser offer some alternatives to protect yourself from viruses and, above all, from scam attempts.
Don't click on links in ads or texts from unknown sources. Photo: Shutterstock
Cybersecurity firm AVG explains that "adware invades our phones without us even realizing it. When we visit unsafe websites, anything we click on could lead to another malicious site where adware loads."
Some adware-infected links may even seem harmless , such as requests to take a survey.
"Companies pay apps to put their ads in front of our eyes, so many apps are essentially a hidden medium for displaying ads. If your phone keeps showing ads, you should use an adware removal tool ," he advises.
Random ads can also be an attempt to access sensitive data. A common tactic is fake ads that urgently request you click on a link to remove a supposed virus . Doing so installs the malware.
Scammers may use surveys that collect personal information to attempt identity theft (phishing). Therefore, avoid clicking on links in ads or texts from unknown sources .
The Google Help Center advises first removing problematic apps as follows :
- On an Android phone or tablet, press and hold the power button on your device.
- On the screen, press and hold Power Off . Then, confirm that you want to restart your device in Safe Mode . When you restart your device , you'll see the option at the bottom.
- Remove apps you recently downloaded one at a time .
- After removing each one, restart your device and check if the problem is resolved.
- Once you remove the app that caused the problem, you can reinstall the other apps you removed .
Google Play Protect. To protect your phone from problematic apps.
Then, always following Google's advice, you have to protect your phone from problematic apps , making sure, first, that you have Play Protect activated .
- On your Android device, open the Google Play Store .
- In the top right corner, tap your profile picture or initial, then Play Protect and Settings .
- Turn on Scan apps with Play Protect.
Next, you should stop notifications from a particular website.
- On your Android device, open Chrome .
- Go to the site you want to stop receiving notifications from.
- In the top left corner, tap Page Info , then Permissions . If you don't see the Permissions option, it means the site doesn't have notifications enabled.
- Tap Notifications .
- Turn off the Show notifications option.
Clarin
