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When your phone starts acting strange: draining battery rapidly, overheating, or showing apps you don't remember downloading — a virus could be the culprit. Malware targets smartphones to steal personal information, rack up charges, or simply disrupt normal function.
Before you panic or pay out for antivirus software, try these free removal methods first. Most phone viruses can be eliminated through basic troubleshooting steps that take just minutes to complete. Android phones face higher risk due to their open-source nature, but iPhones aren't immune either. Here's how to check for viruses and remove them without spending money on apps.
Signs you might have a virus
Before diving into removal steps, confirm that your phone actually has a virus. Performance issues don't always mean malware — sometimes your phone is just old or needs basic maintenance. Watch for these specific warning signs:
- Battery draining unusually fast: Viruses running in the background consume power constantly. If your battery drops 30-40% in an hour with minimal use, investigate further.
- Overheating without heavy use: Your phone shouldn't get hot while sitting idle or during light tasks like texting. Persistent heat suggests something is running that shouldn't be.
- Apps you don't recognize: Check your app list regularly. Malware often disguises itself as legitimate apps with generic names or icons.
- Unexpected charges or data usage: Some viruses send premium text messages or use data to communicate with hackers' servers. Check your bill for unusual activity.
- Excessive pop-ups: Pop-ups appearing when your browser is closed indicate adware infection.
- Apps crashing repeatedly: While occasional crashes happen, frequent app failures suggest corrupted software or malware interference.
How to remove a virus from your phone
1. Clear browser cache and data
Not all phone malware installs itself as an app. In many cases, the problem starts in your browser, where malicious ads or scam websites stash harmful site data that keeps triggering pop-ups, redirects, or fake virus warnings. Clearing your browser cache and site data wipes out that junk and resets your browsing session.
On Android: open Settings, go to Apps, select your browser (such as Chrome or Firefox), tap Storage, then choose Clear cache and Clear data. If you use more than one browser, repeat the process for each one.
On iPhone: you can clear Safari’s data via Settings, Safari, and Clear History and Website Data. For Chrome, we have a handy guide here you can follow to clear your cached data.
Before moving on, take a quick look at your Downloads folder. Delete anything you don’t recognise, and on Android, remove any downloaded APK (Android Package Kit) files straight away. These files bypass the Play Store and are a common way malware sneaks onto phones.
2. Boot in Safe Mode and uninstall suspicious apps
If clearing browser data doesn’t fix the problem, there’s a good chance a dodgy app is to blame. Most phone “viruses” are actually malicious or compromised apps pretending to be useful tools, often hiding behind vague names.
Android users can narrow things down quickly by restarting the phone in Safe Mode. Safe Mode shuts down all third-party apps and runs only the phone’s core system software. If the strange behaviour disappears, you’ve found your answer. Open Settings, review your installed apps, and uninstall anything unfamiliar or unnecessary, then restart the phone normally.
iPhones don’t have a traditional Safe Mode, but the cleanup process is still straightforward. Start by installing the latest iOS update via Settings, General, and Software Update, which can close security gaps malware relies on. Then head to Settings, General, iPhone Storage and remove any apps you don’t recognise.
It’s also worth checking Settings, General, VPN & Device Management and deleting any profiles or VPNs you didn’t install yourself.
3. Factory reset as a last resort
If your phone is still acting up after all that, a factory reset is the clean-slate option. Resetting your phone wipes everything and restores the original software, taking stubborn or deeply embedded malware with it.
Before resetting, back up essentials like photos and contacts to cloud storage, but skip app backups — restoring them could bring the problem straight back. After the reset, set up your phone as new, reinstall apps manually from official app stores only, and keep an eye out for anything that looks off.
It’s not a step you want to take lightly, but if earlier fixes fail, a factory reset almost always gets the job done.
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