Factory reset is an option available on almost all smartphones. It allows you to quickly restore the operating system to its original state. However, is this enough to remove viruses from the phone?
How Does a Factory Reset Affect Viruses?
Although Google is very concerned about the safety of users, the network is still full of applications that can infect your smartphone. A few years ago, it seemed that the simplest and most effective method of dealing with infection was a simple factory reset. However, modern viruses have learned to bypass hardware resets.
One of the most malicious Trojans is xHelper. It appeared in 2019 and was very difficult to handle with familiar tools as it successfully adapted to them. Fortunately, an effective way to combat this Trojan has already been invented. To do this, first, disable the Google Play service for a while then start the process of restoring the factory settings. Why in that order? There is a suspicion that Google Play is the activator of a virus that is dormant in the phone’s memory.
When is the Best Time to Factory Reset?
Restoring the factory settings must occur under certain conditions. Most often, this move should be used if:
- You are too lazy to delete applications one by one, although the smartphone’s memory is full, and there is no more space left for installing new programs;
- The smartphone began to slow down more and more often;
- You suspect that your phone has been infected.
Factory reset, as the name suggests, restores the system to its original state. Through this cleansing, most problems and their causes are eliminated. However, before doing this, do not forget to back up your personal data.
What to Do If the Virus is Not Removed?
In a situation where the phone was once infected, you need to be careful. There are times when viruses appear again. This may be a sign that:
- The virus has entered the backup files;
- Malware is stored in system memory;
- You are using an infected operating system other than the official version.
How to Avoid Re-Infection?
To prevent this from happening to you again, you need to remember that:
- Download applications only from trusted sources;
- You should backup data to another device;
- The smartphone should be regularly checked for unauthorized changes to the operating system;
- Only trusted sites should be visited;
- The best intrusion protector is an anti-virus program.
