I woke up to about five unexpected tabs open on my Realme 8, running Android with realme UI 3.0. I couldn't identify what the tabs contained, but a couple showed casino-ad branding I had seen before. I definitely didn't open them myself. My lock-screen wallpaper had also changed overnight, and it seemed to change again whenever I unlocked and relocked the phone. The home-screen wallpaper was unaffected. I haven't knowingly installed anything unusual recently—only saved a reaction meme and created a couple of images—and I haven't intentionally clicked any ads that download games. What could have caused this, and should I be worried about malware?
2 Answers
There isn’t enough information to identify a virus from these symptoms alone. The exact device, Android version, recently installed apps, browser history, and any unusual permissions would help narrow it down. Unexpected tabs can come from a browser notification, an adware app, or a restored browser session, while a changing lock screen may be caused by a wallpaper or lock-screen feature rather than malware.
Since it’s a Realme 8, check the browser’s open tabs and notification permissions, then review recently installed apps and apps allowed to appear over other apps or change system settings. Run the phone’s built-in security scan, update Android and your browsers, and restart the device. If the tabs and wallpaper changes continue, uninstall suspicious apps and back up important files before considering a factory reset.
I usually close apps when I’m finished, but I haven’t specifically restarted the phone recently. I’ll check the installed apps and permissions and run a security scan.