If you start to see annoying ads on your Android phone, be aware that these add-ons could potentially disrupt the performance of your device. In some cases, it could cause glitches and bugs to a particular program that you are using.

Additionally, these scammy advertisements could also mean that a remote hacker now controls your phone. If this is true, you might want to immediately get rid of them as quickly as possible to avoid the potential dangers.

Here's an effective series of steps that will help you delete pop-up ads on your Android device.

How to Identify a Malicious Pop-up Ad

(Photo : Đức Trịnh from Unsplash )
How to Identify a Malicious Pop-up Ad

Android users often encounter ads that will not go away easily despite being deleted many times. According to the Google support page, here are the signs that what you are dealing with are unwanted pop-ups.

• New tabs and ads that do not go away 
• Sudden changing of Chrome homepage without your knowledge
• Suspicious Chrome extensions and toolbars that keeps on installing
• Unfamiliar pages appearing in your browser
• Alerts about an infected device

In addition, some ads will tell you that you won the lottery despite not purchasing a single ticket. You could also see unwanted pop-ups that disguise as government ads that feature NSFW content and more.

We also suggest you check their grammatical errors. If they have a lot of mistakes in spelling, symbols, and punctuations, there's a chance that these are all malicious ads.

Another good hint that it's a sketchy ad is when you see that it uses strange links or phone numbers. If you see a pattern like this one (https:/\92377yttjdkhuydy33789-android-care-101) in the web address, it's indeed an unwanted pop-up.

Related Article: [UPDATE} Zoom to Show Ads to Basic Tier Users, to Pop Up After Meeting

How to Remove Pop-up Ads on Android

In another report from Clario, this four-step process will help you delete pop-ups on your Android smartphones. Here's what you need to do to begin with.

1. Start by opening your Chrome app. 
2. From the upper right corner of the screen, click the three dots.
3. Tap the Settings.
4. Head to the Site Settings of your browser.
5. Begin searching for Redirects and Pop-ups and turn them off.
6. Next, go to Ads and do the same thing of shutting them down.

Android Malware Infecting Apps and Devices

Back in April, Tech Times reported that an old malware had officially returned to wreak havoc to more than Huawei phones in that month. As spotted by the experts, the Joker malware now launched a new scheme such as disabling Google Play Protect, installing apps with a virus, fooling users through fake reviews, and rolling out deceptive pop-ups.

With that, the cybersecurity analysts recommended that Android users should remove 11 apps on their devices to prevent Joker from spawning.

In November, Tech Times wrote another article about malware. This time, ThreatFabric analysts spotted four banking trojan malware attacking more than 300,000 Android devices worldwide.

The experts said users should refrain from downloading PDF scanners, 2FA app, QR readers, and other malicious applications.

Read Also: Finland Cautions Android Users Over Flubot Malware Spread Through Messages | What to Do if Your Device Gets Infected?

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Joseph Henry