While conducting a recent study, researchers found that several Android apps screen data on your device on a regular basis and share it with various sources. Some Android apps do this in all innocence but many others have a malicious intent. They drain out the data in your phone and use it against you. Once detected, malicious apps like these should be removed quickly in order to secure the data in your device.
So how do you get rid of malicious apps from your phone and keep your data safe?
Removing spy apps from your Android smartphone
As intruders and eavesdroppers increase in number, so does their access to computing systems. And with new developments and trends take over the tech world, hackers have also innovated new ways to extract data from a device and then use it for criminal purposes. One such way is getting people’s confidential data with the help of android spy apps.
On discovering a malicious app, its removal is the first action the smartphone owner should take for a happier digital life. If the user is not comfortable with technology and its twists and turns, taking the device to a smartphone supplier is going to solve this problem or simply factory reset the device.
Back up your Android device first
A factory reset means that the smartphone is going to the state it was in when you first purchased it. You are going to lose all the data that you have stored in your phone including your images, videos, music and other apps that are downloads as well as the spy app. You need to create a backup of all the data in your device before a factory reset. You can retrieve all the data that was in your device and download the apps you have lost later. Though it does involve a bit of a hassle, a safer smartphone is guaranteed.
Removing spy apps with OS updates
Re-installing the Android operating system is more or less similar to a factory reset but stops on a much lower level. The reinstallation of the operating system is not going to remove all the data and apps from the device but it will rid you of the spy software in it.
An OS update works this way because each spy software is designed according to operating systems. When the OS is updated the spy software starts facing compatibility issues and stops working. It is not as reliable as a factory reset but most of the times; it manages to remove the spy app in your smartphone.
Manual Removal
Removing spy software manually is not a thing for the layman. Only techies can manage it with ease. Once it has been detected, the user needs to know the exact location and names of the EXE files in the device. The software’s files have to be deleted from the root so that its entire functionality can be removed completely.
Protect your smartphone
When you have removed the spy app from your Android device, you need to build a fortress around your phone so that it is protected from further threats. Here are some ways to protect your Android device:
Use a Password App:
Google Play store is swamped with advanced security apps. Both free and paid, these apps allow you to configure a personal code to keep your data secure.
Install a Security App:
Many security apps help the user build a protection around your phone so that hackers and intruders cannot surpass. Antivirus apps also work the same way.
At the end of the day what you need to remember is that keeping your phone safe and secure is primarily upto you. If you go about it right then your phone will be fine. It only takes one bad app to expose you!