How to Fix a Hacked Android Phone – Complete Guide 2021
So, you have reasons to believe that your Android Phone could be hacked. This article will help you find the answer on How to fix a hacked Android phone.
Before we start with how to fix a hacked android phone, let us look at how you can find whether your phone is compromised or not.
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How to tell if your android is hacked
- Unknown apps installed on your phone that you do not recognize.
- High data usage or abnormal data usage.
- Performance issue/phone running extremely slow.
- Battery drainage issues.
- Unknown calls or SMS on your phone.
Read more about the hacked signs here.
How to Fix a Hacked Android Phone:
Uninstall unwanted/unknown apps:
In most cases, this step works perfectly fine, but there are cases where the malicious apps may be hidden. In this case you won’t be able to uninstall these apps. Follow the steps given below to uninstall these apps.
Step 1: Open the Settings on your phone.
Step 2: Search for Apps & Notifications. In some phones, it may be under Storage.
Step 3: Once the list of all the apps installed is open, go through the entire list and uninstall the apps that seems suspicious (like the apps you haven’t installed, apps with no names or pictures etc.)
Step 4: Once the app is selected, click on Force Stop then Clear Storage.
Step 5: Then click on Uninstall to remove the app.
Clear the Phone Cache:
Cache is usually referred to a memory storage in the phone that stores copies of information that is most likely needed in the future. Clearing the entire phone cache may help restoring the phone’s condition. Follow the steps given below to clear the phone’s cache memory.
Step 1: Shut down your Android phone.
Step 2: When the phone has shutdown, press the volume down button and power button until the phone boots up.
Step 3: You will enter the recovery mode on your Android phone. From there, using the volume up and down button, choose the option that says Clear the phone cache or wipe phone cache.
Step 4: Click on the power button to choose the option.
Step 5: When the process is done, click on reboot to restart your phone in the normal mode.
Factory Resetting your Hacked Android Phone:
If none of the above steps helped you fix your hacked android phone, then consider completely factory resetting your android phone. It is better to not take any backup of your files, as there is a chance of the malware or the malicious app used to take control of your android phone replicating.
Follow the steps to successfully reset for hacked android phone.
Step 1: Switch off the android phone.
Step 2: Hold down the volume down button and power button at the same time to power on the phone.
Step 3: Once the screen lights up, let go of the buttons. You have now entered the Android recovery menu.
Step 4: Use the volume up and down buttons to navigate the menu. Find the factory reset option.
Step 5: To select the option, use the power button to confirm. If asked for confirmation, click on yes again.
FAQs on Hacked Android Phone:
How do I know if my android phone has been hacked?
You will notice the android phone getting slow, losing battery drainage issues, high data usage and unknown apps appearing to be installed on the phone. You might even notice that there are suspicious login attempts to your online accounts.
How can I prevent getting my Android phone hacked?
Some of the things you can do are:
1. Always keep your device updated.
2. Avoid rooting your Android phone. It may have security issues if you don’t know what you are doing.
3. Using antivirus software on your android device. [Click here to see the top security apps for your Android Phone].
4. Always enable 2 factor authentication on all of your online accounts. [See more about 2FA here]
5. Keep complex passwords.
6. Use VPN for online surfing and avoid using public WiFi (or use VPN if you have to use it).
What do I do about the important documents/files I had on my hacked android phone?
It is a good idea to not copy any files from your hacked android phone. There is a possibility that the malicious software may replicate to those files and might affect your other devices.