My mom gave our maid a new Android phone a few months ago, but now she's complaining that it keeps showing ads even when no apps are open. I think she might have installed some malware since there are tons of "free wifi" apps on her phone. I'm not very tech-savvy, so I'm unsure whether uninstalling the suspicious apps or doing a factory reset would help. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
2 Answers
Definitely uninstall those suspicious apps! If the ads keep appearing, a factory reset might be necessary. But keep in mind, a reset could just reinstall those pesky apps if they're tied to her Google account.
Have her check her Google Play Store for any apps installed around the time the ads started showing. Uninstall the questionable ones, reboot the phone, and see if that helps. Just note that a factory reset will reinstall everything linked to her Google account, which can bring back the ads.
I second this! Only keep the absolutely necessary apps and maybe replace them with ones from Google or other well-known developers.