A virus can be defined as malicious software designed to harm the host system or leak confidential information on an electronic device such as a cell phone. If your phone can only make and receive calls, you need not worry about viruses. However, all data-enabled smartphones with a Bluetooth connection stand at risk.
With the recent surge of smartphones usage, the number of malware attacks has similarly been on the rise. Further, statistics suggest that apps containing malware rose by 230% in 2015, and that’s only on Android devices. Your cell phone may catch a virus in different ways.
The most common is by unintentionally downloading an infected application while browsing the internet or opening download links on suspicious websites. The infection may leave your data vulnerable to theft, your bills inflated, or even worse. Here are eight types of cell phone virus symptoms:
Symptom #1: An Unexpected Appearance of Pop-ups
No one likes invasive advertisements or pop-ups that keep appearing on their phone, especially if they are the kind you are not interested in. When this happens, the first instinct is to close or skip the advertisement where possible. At other times, you may be redirected to a particular website, and while trying to close the site, you find yourself having accidentally downloaded and installed an infected application on your device.
With these types of cell phone virus symptoms, the most important thing to remember is never to open such advertisements. Also, go through the most recent apps you downloaded and check for those that may have malware. Uninstall them immediately.
Symptom #2: Increased Data Usage
If your phone bills for data usage have begun to shoot through the roof, chances are that your phone is infected. This is because the phone’s data may have been utilized to run simultaneous background tasks, show advertisements or send information from your phone, in addition to your regular browsing charges.
To manage your data usage, simply go to your phone’s settings and choose data to identify the app hogging up most of your phone’s data. Don’t let these cell phone virus symptoms eat into your monthly data usage payment plans.
Symptom #3: Fast Battery Drain
You may have left home for work one day thinking your phone is fully charged only to reach for it a few minutes later to make a call and then discover it has either very little or no charge. This is an indicator of a virus on your phone that is using its battery to spread the infection.
Monitor your phone’s battery levels by accessing settings and tapping the battery section for an overview of the battery usage. If your battery continues to drain, it may be time to get your mobile phone repaired or replaced.
Symptom #4: Overheating
When you expose your phone to direct sunlight and forget to turn it off while not using it, it will overheat. It could also behave the same way if infected by a virus. This is definitely a cause for alarm, especially if you observe any of the other symptoms highlighted in this article. It is likely to start lagging behind and heating up very fast, even when used minimally.
Symptom #5: Unfamiliar Apps
To get quality, legitimate and virus-free applications, download them from Google Play Store and check the reviews as well as app ratings before downloading. Stay away from unknown or third party sources as applications acquired from such may contain viruses. You can never be too cautious when downloading apps.
Symptom #6: Excessive App Crushing
We all have favourite applications on our phones. For the millennial, it is the likes of Instagram and Facebook, while for others, it is probably Google applications, a browsing application or even a bible.
Some of these applications may begin to fail, pointing to the presence of malware that could be interfering with normal phone functions. If other cell phone virus symptoms are also present, take the appropriate corrective action as soon as possible.
Symptom #7: Strange Messages and Phone Calls
Viruses can be spread from one device to another via emails, texts or phone calls. This means that if your device is infected, the malware can send messages to other people in your contact list. These messages are usually marked as spam.
If the recipient makes the mistake of opening the message or clicking on the links, their devices may ultimately get infected with the virus. Moreover, these messages and calls may leave a dent in your finances in the form of unexplained phone bills.
Symptom #8: Poor Performance
Just like battery draining, a compromised performance may be difficult to flag off since it could be an indicator of other serious issues depending on the devices’ specifications. One way of checking your phone’s performance is by going to the settings menu, selecting apps and going over to the running section, which reveals all the running apps together with the amount of RAM each consumes, and how much is available.
Your device may be slowing down simply because you have too many applications, photos or videos; so don’t blame it all on viruses. As subtle as these symptoms appear, you need to be on the lookout and address them immediately to keep your phone secure, highly efficient and long-lasting. A good anti-virus program can be of great help.
