Mobile Security

How to Remove a Virus From an Android Phone, Step by Step

By Best Paid Antivirus Editorial DeskOctober 22, 20268 min read

To remove a virus from an Android phone, run a Google Play Protect scan, block any website that is sending you fake alert notifications, then restart in safe mode and uninstall recently added apps one at a time until the problem stops. If an app refuses to uninstall, take away its device admin and accessibility access first. A factory reset is the last resort, not the first step.

That order matters. Most "Android viruses" are not self-spreading viruses in the classic Windows sense. They are usually a harmful app you installed, an adware app hiding its icon, or a website you allowed to send notifications. Each one is removed differently, and the quick checks below solve most cases without wiping your phone.

First, work out what you are actually dealing with

Match what you see to the likely cause before you start deleting things:

Full-screen "your phone is infected" warnings while browsing. This is almost always scareware on a web page or a site notification, not an infection. Do not tap the button or install the "cleaner" app it pushes. That app is often the real problem.
Ads that appear over other apps or on the home screen. This points to an adware app, often a flashlight, wallpaper, QR scanner or "phone booster" installed recently.
Notifications from a site you never meant to subscribe to. You tapped "Allow" on a pop-up at some point. Removing the permission fixes it.
Battery drain, heat, unexplained data use, texts you did not send, or new charges on your bill. These suggest a harmful app working in the background and deserve the full process below, plus the account checks at the end.
An app you cannot uninstall, or the Uninstall button is greyed out. The app has probably been granted device admin rights. Step 5 covers this.

The FTC lists similar warning signs for malware on any device: sudden slowdowns, new ads or pop-ups, unexpected changes to your browser, and battery or data use you cannot explain.

Step 1: Limit the damage while you work

If you suspect a harmful app is sending messages, making purchases or uploading data, switch on airplane mode while you investigate. You can still open Settings and uninstall apps offline. Avoid typing banking or email passwords on the phone until you have finished. If you need to change a password urgently, do it from a different device you trust.

Step 2: Run a Google Play Protect scan

Google Play Protect is built into Android phones that have the Play Store. According to Google, it checks apps for harmful behaviour, scans for potentially harmful apps from other sources too, and can warn about, deactivate or remove harmful apps.

Open the Play Store and tap your profile icon at the top right.
Tap Play Protect, then Scan.
Remove anything it flags. In Play Protect settings, make sure Scan apps with Play Protect is switched on. Google recommends you always keep it on.

A clean scan does not prove the phone is clean. It means nothing in Google's current database matched, so keep going if the symptoms continue.

Step 3: Kill fake alerts from website notifications

If the warnings appear as notifications with a website name on them, the fix sits inside your browser. In Chrome on Android, open the three-dot menu, then Settings, Site settings, Notifications. Find any site you do not recognise and set it to Block, or remove it. While you are there, consider turning on the quieter notification prompts so sites cannot interrupt you with permission pop-ups again.

Google says Chrome already blocks notifications from sites it identifies as abusive or misleading, but new scam domains appear constantly, so a manual check is still worth doing. If you use another browser such as Samsung Internet or Firefox, look for the same "site permissions" or "notifications" section in its settings.

Step 4: Find the bad app with safe mode

Safe mode starts Android with only the apps that came with the phone. Google's own troubleshooting guide uses it to separate app problems from system problems:

Restart in safe mode. On many phones you press and hold the power button, then press and hold Power off or Restart on screen until the safe mode prompt appears. The exact method varies by manufacturer, so check your phone maker's support page if that does not work.
Use the phone for a while. If the pop-ups, crashes or slowdowns stop, a downloaded app is the likely cause.
Go to Settings, Apps and sort by recently installed or updated, if your phone offers that view. Note any app you do not remember installing, any app with a generic name like "System Update" or "Battery Optimizer" that did not come from your phone maker, and any app with no icon on the home screen.
Remove suspect apps one at a time, restarting normally after each removal, until the problem disappears. Google suggests exactly this one-by-one approach so you can identify the culprit and safely reinstall anything innocent.

Safe mode can remove home screen widgets. Take a screenshot of your home screen first if you want to rebuild it afterwards.

Step 5: Remove an app that will not uninstall

Some harmful apps ask for special permissions that make them hard to remove. Check two places before you try uninstalling again:

Device admin apps. Search Settings for "device admin". On many phones it sits under Security or Security and privacy, then More security settings. Legitimate entries include Find My Device or a work profile your employer set up. Switch off anything you do not recognise, then uninstall it normally.
Accessibility. Open Settings, Accessibility, and look at installed or downloaded services. Accessibility access lets an app read the screen and tap on your behalf, which is why banking trojans and stalkerware ask for it. Turn off any service you did not deliberately enable.

While you are in Settings, also review Install unknown apps under special app access. If a browser, messaging app or file manager is allowed to install apps, switch it off unless you have a specific reason to keep it.

Step 6: Update everything

Install any pending Android system update and security patch from Settings, then update apps from the Play Store. Updates close the holes that let some malware get extra privileges. If your phone no longer receives security updates at all, factor that into how long you keep using it for banking and work.

Step 7: Secure your accounts from a clean device

If the phone showed signs of a real infection, such as texts you did not send, unexpected charges, or an app with accessibility access, assume passwords typed on it may be exposed:

Change your Google account password and run the Google Security Checkup from a computer or another phone.
Change passwords for banking, email and shopping apps, and switch on two-step verification wherever it is offered.
Check your bank statements and mobile bill for charges you do not recognise, and tell your bank if you find any.
In the United States, the FTC points people to IdentityTheft.gov if they think personal information was stolen. Elsewhere, use your national fraud reporting service.

Step 8: Factory reset as the last resort

If the problem survives all of the above, a factory reset erases apps and data and returns the phone to its original state. Before you do it, Google advises backing up your data and making sure you know the Google account and password on the phone, plus your screen lock PIN or pattern. You will need them after the reset.

After the reset, reinstall apps one by one from the Play Store instead of restoring every app automatically. Restoring a full backup blindly can bring the same harmful app straight back.

Do you need a paid antivirus app afterwards?

For many people, Play Protect plus careful app choices is enough. AV-TEST's July 2026 Android round evaluated 12 mobile security products, and Google Play Protect was one of them, so it is worth reading the current results table rather than relying on old claims that built-in protection does not work.

A paid Android security app makes more sense if you often install apps from outside the Play Store, want web and SMS scam filtering, or share the subscription across Windows and Mac computers too. The Android antivirus guide and the best antivirus for Android picks compare the options. If you are not sure you need to pay at all, start with the best free antivirus options and whether you need antivirus in 2026.

How to avoid the next one

Install apps only from the Play Store or your phone maker's store, and read recent reviews, not just the star rating.
Be wary of utility apps that promise to speed up, clean or cool your phone. Android does not need them, and many are adware.
Never tap "Allow" on a notification prompt from a site you do not know.
Do not install an app because a pop-up, text message or caller tells you to.
Keep Play Protect switched on and system updates current.

A VPN will not stop a harmful app either. See antivirus vs VPN for what each one actually protects.

FAQ

Can an Android phone really get a virus?

Classic self-copying viruses are rare on Android, but malware is not. Harmful apps, adware, spyware and banking trojans all exist, and people usually call them viruses. The removal steps above work for all of them.

Is restarting the phone enough to remove a virus?

No. Restarting can stop a misbehaving app for a while, but the app is still installed. You need to find and uninstall it.

Will a factory reset remove malware?

A factory reset removes installed apps and their data, which clears ordinary app-based malware. Avoid restoring the same harmful app from a backup afterwards.

Can I remove a virus without losing my photos and contacts?

Usually, yes. Steps 2 to 6 do not delete personal data. Only the factory reset in step 8 erases the phone, so back up your photos and contacts before you get there.

The pop-up says my phone has 13 viruses. Is that true?

No. A web page cannot scan your phone. Those warnings are ads designed to make you install an app or call a fake support number. Close the tab and block the site's notifications.

Sources

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