Can i get viruses on my android phone

If you suspect your iPhone has been compromised by an external security threat, the best advice is to simply uninstall any software you think might be to blame.

But there are cases of other forms of malware, such as spyware, affecting iPhones. If you think your phone has been infected with malware like the well-known Pegasus strain, check out our guide to removing spyware from an iPhone. To keep your iPhone safe every time you go online, we recommend Avast Mobile Security for iOS , a free suite of tools that gives iPhone users the security they need.

Install free Avast Mobile Security to protect your Android against viruses and other threats. Avast Mobile Security for iOS goes way beyond antivirus by giving you complete, real-time protection for your iPhone or iPad.

Other Threats. Internet of Things. See all Security articles. IP Address. See all Privacy articles. See all Performance articles. Select language. Link Copied. Can phones get viruses? This article contains:. Viruses vs. To get a better idea of the difference between the three terms, let's look at them one by one: A virus , as we mentioned above, is a specific type of malware that copies itself by inserting its code into other programs or your operating system.

How do viruses infect phones? The most common ways that malware gets onto your iPhone or Android device are: Downloading apps to your phone Downloading message attachments from an email or SMS Downloading content to your phone from the internet Connecting your phone to another device Can a phone get a virus from a malicious app?

Ask yourself these three questions: Is the app popular? Does the app have good reviews? What other apps has the developer created? Poor-quality look and feel Does the phone app you downloaded look and behave like a professional app?

What Is a Logic Bomb? The battery drains faster than expected. There is an abundance of pop-up ads. Unexplained data usage occurs. Higher phone bills arrive. How to check for viruses and other malware on your Android phone A good way to check for malware on your Android phone is to run an antivirus scan.

Power off the phone and reboot in safe mode. Press the power button to access the Power Off options. Most Android phones come with the option to restart in Safe Mode.

When the animation starts, press and hold your phone's volume down button. Hold it until the animation ends and your phone restarts. Uninstall the suspicious app.

Find the app in Settings and uninstall or force close it. This may not completely remove the malware, but it could prevent further damage to your device, or from it transmitting the malware to other devices on your network. Look for other apps you think may be infected. If you think you can identify those apps, delete them immediately. Install a robust mobile security app on your phone.

Tips to help protect your Android device against viruses and other malware Here are seven key steps you can take to help protect against future risks. Invest in and use robust security software to protect your Android device. Get it for Mac , Android , iOS. Get it for Mac , PC , Android. How do you know if your phone has a virus? But phones can definitely get other forms of malware. If your phone is showing the typical symptoms of a malware infection , learn to get rid of malware manually or use a virus removal tool — or an anti-malware scanner — to clean it up automatically.

Read on for Android virus removal tips, or skip down to learn how to remove an iPhone virus. Then, find out how to use a malware cleaner to remove malicious apps and run a phone virus scan. Press and hold the power button, then choose to restart your phone in safe mode. Then tap See all apps. On the next screen, select Installed apps in the drop-down menu. Review your installed apps and look for any that are suspicious or unfamiliar, then uninstall them.

The Play Protect feature in the Google Play Store monitors your apps for unusual behavior that can indicate the presence of Android malware. Open the Play Store app, tap your icon or avatar on the top right, and activate Play Protect in the menu. An antivirus app is the best way to automatically detect and remove malware from your Android phone while preventing future infections.

But this is a last resort — so before resetting your phone, try using an Android virus removal app instead. Open up your Settings , select System , then tap Reset options. Choose Erase all data factory reset and then tap Erase all data.

Confirm via the pop-up and restart your phone. If you have a backup available, you can restore your phone to get your data back. You need to restore from a backup from before your phone started acting strangely, otherwise you risk installing the Android malware again. A lot of apparent iPhone malware is actually caused by hackers manipulating your browser.

So clearing your browsing history and data should resolve iPhone virus issues. If not, try restarting your phone, updating iOS, restoring your phone to a previous backup, or performing a factory reset.

Check out our infographic for the steps you need to take to remove iPhone malware, or skip down to see the steps explained in more detail. Go to Settings and scroll down to the Safari tab. Then tap Clear History and Website Data. If you see a software update, install it. Follow the prompts to restore your iPhone from a backup. Choose a backup you created from before your phone began acting strangely. Mobile Phishing Map.

Compliance Corner. Post Perimeter Security Alliance. Company Company. About Us Learn About Lookout. Life at Lookout. Partners Partners. Lookout Partners Learn More. Partners Login. Get Protection Now You may be asking yourself, what if I have a cell phone virus and what is it anyway? So what is Android malware? How can I protect myself and my mobile device? Lookout delivers endpoint-to-cloud Security Request a Demo.