Lately, a lot of Android customers have come into the shop with the same complaint: pop-up ads that won't go away. They appear on the home screen, over other apps, and sometimes even on the lock screen.
The good news is that in most cases you can fix it yourself, without wiping your phone or losing any data.
What's causing the pop-ups?
Nearly every time, it comes down to a free app downloaded from the Play Store or a website. These apps pretend to be something useful, for example:
- Weather apps
- Caller ID or phone call apps
- Blood pressure or heart rate monitors
- Phone cleaners and storage boosters
- Free PDF readers
- Free Wi-Fi finders
- Free live football streaming apps
Behind the disguise is adware, a kind of malicious software. Once installed, it quietly makes itself your phone's default Home app (the screen you see when you press the Home button). From there it controls what you see and keeps showing you its own ads.
Step 1: Take back your Home screen
- Open Settings and go to Apps.
- Tap Default apps. On some phones you'll find it under the three-dot menu in the top corner.
- Tap Home app and check what is selected.
It should be your phone's own launcher, such as One UI Home (Samsung), OxygenOS Launcher (OnePlus), Pixel Launcher (Google) or System Launcher(Xiaomi). If it's anything else, change it back to the launcher that came with your phone.
Once you've done this, you're back in control of your device.
Step 2: Uninstall the culprits
While you were on the Home app screen, did you notice any unfamiliar apps listed there? Uninstall those first. They're almost certainly what's causing the trouble.
Next, go through your app list and uninstall anything you don't recognise or don't use, especially cleaners, free PDF readers, health monitors, free Wi-Fi apps and free streaming apps.
Tip: If an app won't uninstall (the button is greyed out), go to Settings → Security → Device admin apps, turn off its admin access, and then try uninstalling it again.
No need to wipe your phone
If you follow these steps, you won't need to factory reset your phone or delete your photos, contacts and messages to get rid of the adware.
To stay protected, only install apps you actually need, stick to well-known developers, and be wary of anything that's free and promises to "boost", "clean" or "protect" your phone.
Still stuck?
If you can't figure it out or the pop-ups keep coming back, bring your device into one of our shops in Southampton, Woking or Poole. We'll remove it safely, and you won't lose any of your data.