Hey everyone, I hope you're doing well! So, I'm visiting my lovely aunt who's in her late 70s and she has an older Android phone that's been plagued by a ton of scam ads. She's a retired school teacher and doesn't have much to spend, so upgrading to a fancy phone isn't an option right now. She's not too tech-savvy, and while I'm in my 20s, I'm not super familiar with Android either. It seems like no matter what she does, whether using apps or getting calls, her phone keeps flashing these irritating ads. Is there a way I can reset her phone or add features to make it easier for her to manage when I'm not around? I just really want her to have a smooth experience without all this hassle. Thanks a lot!
5 Answers
I would suggest doing a hard reset first. If that doesn’t resolve the issue, it might be worth looking into flashing a custom ROM if you feel comfortable with that. Also, advising her to be cautious of permissions can help her avoid undesired ads in the future.
Make sure to install Malwarebytes from the Play Store; it’s good at picking up sketchy apps responsible for the ads. If that doesn’t do the trick, try an app called AppWatch. It might help identify problematic apps too!
It sounds like there might be a rogue app causing the issues. Check her installed apps and notification settings – you might spot something suspicious there. It could be as simple as turning off notifications for an app that’s sending those ad alerts.
Start with a factory reset (just remember to back up her photos and stuff first!). After that, consider installing Firefox and disabling Chrome to prevent any unwanted ads. You may also want to tweak the personalization settings in her Google account for a less cluttered experience.
Good call on my part! Just make sure to guide her through it gently. It can be overwhelming for her.
A factory reset might be your best bet since you can't really access settings right now. After that, definitely get her an adblocker app for the browser, which should help cut down the ads. You could also set up a parental control account to restrict some of the notifications from apps she might have installed.
Totally agree! A reset can clear out all those annoying problems. And switching browsers might help her feel more comfortable.