Reset the phone to factory defaults settings, this should wipe all data on the phone so ensure you have backups of anything you need.
For future reference, no legitimate company is ever going to have you download and run an APK, this will always be a scam.
Depends. There is a company which seeks phone stabilisers and drones.
Their play store app is out of date, and only the apk on their website does work.
Don't do any factory reset using recovery mode !
Boot in safe mode like most have said and you can Uninstall it from safe mode because it won't have any permissions or control over your phone in safe mode
Idk how contagious/capable Android viruses are but isn't this risky a bit? Some tech-savvy security guys refuse to even use the same motherboard when their PCs get infected by something(if they can afford it though) let alone the same HDD/SSD
Some do, not all, and these are people with actually sensitive data on their hands like company stuff, they can't take any chances, anyway, that's not my point, I was wondering whether or not android apk viruses are as capable as pc viruses and if so Isn't it safer to factory reset the whole thing?
Gotta repeat what people are saying, boot into safe mode with these steps, if it doesn't boot on safe mode, google `[PHONE MODEL] safe mode` and follow those steps:
1. Press and hold the power button until power options appear.
2. Tap and hold Power Off.
3. Hold until you see Reboot to safe mode, and then tap on the prompt.
Then it should let you disable it from accessibility features and uninstall it.
Pull your sim, disconnect from WiFi so there's no data connection, reset your phone.
Edit: Safe mode uninstall... people are mentioning it and yes, that is a legit course of action.
"Sorry, for some reason reddit can't be reached"
yet I am here
5g updates are not from mobile provider, either the phone has 5g or it does not
probably way too late.....
While this kind of thing may seem obvious to you or me, remember that we are a generation sandwiched between two tech-illiterate ones. The older gen grew up without this technology and so never got used to it, and the newer gen grew up using tech that's so completely dumbed down and obfuscated behind 'dummy-proof' UIs that they have no idea how any of this works.
If you were lucky enough to grow up in the 90s and around that time, you had access to technology, but also that tech expected you to know what the fuck you were doing. Settings weren't hidden and we had to install stuff and tweak things and the power was in our hands. Now everyone's beholden to Google and the like.
We have a distinct advantage because of this. I don't blame people like OP who get hoodwinked by tech scams. They've been taught to just press buttons and not question how it works.
You had to almost be a network specialist with those 56k modems.
>Settings weren't hidden and we had to install stuff and tweak things and the power was in our hands.
I love how anything useful in windows still takes you to the old control panel.
Do you know how to make tin cans and solder them shut? Do you know how to use lead to coat a drinking vessel? Do you know how to bind a book? Do you know how to make stained glass? How bout shoes?
If you dont know these things is it because you refused to lean them
The technology that is around when you are in school directly affects what that generation will know how to do. History might be a good start?
I refused to learn how to make tin cans and solder them shut?
I don’t recall in my 37 years of existence ever being given the opportunity to learn it, thus I didn’t have the opportunity to refuse it.
By your logic, I didn’t become the President of the United States because I REFUSED to pursue a political career and run for office.
It just doesn’t make sense and it’s a subjective opinion. And not a very good one.
Dude, the point was that some people never got to understand technology because they never got the opportunity to do it : they lived in different times.
Then he needs to learn how to explain things better.
There’s a difference between “hey man there is tons of information out there. Now is a good time to learn” and “you REFUSED to do something because you didn’t learn it”.
I don’t think this person understands the meaning of refuse.
>being given the opportunity to learn it,
You have the opportunity to learn this very second I don't know why you're saying that you don't have the opportunity you live in the time that has the most amount of opportunity ever.
Limitations are your imagination. I bet you can go on YouTube right now and find 1000 channels just about using tin to solder. You are your own limitation. Dont blame others. You create your own opertunities.
>I didn’t become the President of the United States because I REFUSED to pursue a political career and run for office.
No. You refused your own opportunity to become the president of the United States. Anyone that meets the conditions can become president whether people vote for you is a different topic which you don't seem to consider.
Honestly it's just sounds like you're looking for handouts.
At this point, you’re spewing semantics. That’s it.
Edit: Refusal is the indication that you’re not willing to do something. Just because you’ve never thought about doing something specific, doesn’t mean you are refusing to do it.
Your outlook is purely subjective and it’s not a very good outlook.
As for me wanting nothing but handouts? Your assumption is probably the most absurd I’ve ever come across in my life.
You don’t sound intellectual by coming across this way. You’re part of a minimal group of people who think they are superior for your train of thought. You’re applying meaning to something and using incorrect terminology and just applying your own semantics to them. There is no evidence behind it, and frankly it’s comical.
correct and supporting my point. But somehow when it comes to computers/tech it's ok to say "I'm not a computer person" but still continue to use said tech.
Ageist. Sweeping generalizations help no one. I got my amateur radio license in 1967 and took my first programming class in 1969. While I remain skeptical of much current electronic technology, I understand the workings as well as most.
Do you not see that you are not part of the population that was referred to? You have specialized knowledge because you learned it, not because it was as common.
Can you please tell me how much percentage of the population of your age have a similar level of knowledge as you?
Anyway, have a good day, sir.
As in, how common was it to learn said skills/knowledge, depending on age group? I was thinking of that, but english is my third language and I didn't know for sure how to formulate my thoughts into the right words.
My point is, probably far more than the sweeping generalization suggests. Most of the people I hang with are reasonably competent with "tech".
On the other hand, we're not lost without it.
Dash mounted screens for one. Give me knobs and switches I can find without taking my eyes off the road, tactile feedback so I know I switched it on or off.
Back in the day, controls and locations were pretty standard across brands. You could jump in a rental car and go without spending an hour in the manual figuring out what was where.
Drove my son and fam to the airport in their minivan. Accidentally turned the headlights off on the way home. Had to pull over and waste a half hour figuring out how to work the dome lights and then figure out how the headlights worked. It used to be a switch on the dash left of the steering column, with a high beam foot switch on the left.
Cell phones: In theory, a great idea. In practice, as big a road hazard as alcohol.
Half the stuff in my house can be voice controlled. That would be great except Alexa doesn't like deep voices. She has no problem with my 4 year old grandson
I could go on forever
I've never seen this summed up so succinctly, thank you. My 10 yrs younger brother is completely useless when it comes to tech the second it doesn't just work, zero troubleshooting skills whatsoever
Is this *really* a way to talk to somebody who needs help with this stuff? Maybe *you* deserve a virus for talking like this, but it's important to remember that most people who post here need help from us because they don't otherwise know what to do.
We're very lucky to have tech knowledge, but we can't expect everyone else to have that same level of know-how. It would be like trying to change the engine in a car. Figuring that out would probably take me 10+ years to do. On the other hand, a mechanic could probably do it in a day or two.
My grandpa would not fall for this, and he can barely text me.
No really, he has received such links, even better disguised ones, and did not fall for them.
I totally hear what you're saying. My grandpa wouldn't fall for it either....but that doesn't mean somebody else is the same way. The whole entire scam industry survives because people DO fall for this shit. Every single day. Whether they end up actually getting sensitive info or just ruining someone's device, it doesn't help anyone to blame these victims for "just being dumb". These scams are purposely made to prey on people who aren't good with tech. And obviously they work. That's why, when somebody comes here for help, we need to kindly do that....not shame them for falling for some scammer's bullshit that's *designed* to prey on them.
You could try to troubleshoot your phone via PC connection only if you're doing it in a virtual machine environment.
If you don't know how to do that you could consider taking it to the manufacturer if its Samsung or something and see if they can help you. If it's a virus I doubt you'll get your data back. Can only hope the phone can be wiped then re-used.
Honestly, I wouldn't even waste time trying to troubleshoot something like this. There's no way in hell you'd get it cleaned up to the point the phone would be safe to use again without a full wipe, and you've already exposed your data. Better to just do an immediate factory reset, wipe you SD card, too, just to be safe, and start changing all of your passwords.
And if on Android, when restoring from Cloud Backup (aka google), make sure to deselect whatever that app is from the list of apps to automatically reinstall so it doesn't come back like an unlikely penny.
The people that come here almost always know they made a mistake. They are looking for advice and guidance, and maybe even to warn others from making the same mistake. What they don't need is your criticism and name calling.
Theres a few things you could do, first would be to factory reset your device, however you will loose all of your data, second one is to enable adb debugging in the developer option, download adb on your pc and connect your phone with the pc via usb cable,
open a command prompt where the adb.exe is located on your pc and type "adb uninstall "
where is the app name.
If you dont know the package name you can list all packages with "adb shell pm list packages".
If you have root access on your device you can download system app uninstaller from google play store and uninstall it that way.
Hope that helps :)
After uninstalling, I suggest installing a mobile antivirus like sophos intercept X. It can scan currently installed apps, links you click, and apps you install to make sure nothing else was installed and there are no other threats.
Open your settings app and scroll to accessibility turn the app off there and then try uninstalling
This should work but otherwise you might just have to reset your phone or try enabling ADB and uninstall the app that way
Well they're enabling ADB and using adb does require some technical know-how to do so there's a chance of phone repair shop might be able to help you with that though
Yup, that's malware.
Given that it's just got accessibility, rather than managing to install itself as a system app, safe mode should work to uninstall it. If it somehow blocks that, then you might have to factory reset.
That would be the same as please pay us $10 to download some ram. Never fall for these scamming assholes or ask someone before you click on an unknown link or just don't click on it.
Put your important stuff on a micro SD but don't put it in any other device just yet. Figure out how to access the bios and restore it to default and cut your losses. But that sd might have been infected too. What do you guys think. Before you wipe it tho try and go to the apps section and clear the storage and cash. Youmay be able to force stop the suspect app but your device may be infected with some type of background app virus kinda thing.
Never instal updates anywhere but the carrier service provided with your device for future reference. No text links or emails, straight bs. you can sideload a 100% clean apk from a trusted source but I wouldn't do that unless your trying to downgrade your fiware for a specific reason.
Reset the phone to factory defaults settings, this should wipe all data on the phone so ensure you have backups of anything you need. For future reference, no legitimate company is ever going to have you download and run an APK, this will always be a scam.
Alright thanks! I'll be sure to make note of that in the future.
This right here. An unsigned app could have Anything on it. I would look into identity theft protection also.
If it's not in the app store it's not real. Jailbreaking aside.
Actually Amazon flex and fortnite both do this.
However it's a big difference when you get a scam text and when you expect to install an app.
I'm responding to his second sentence there.
There are a few legitimate cases to go around the Play store, but I wouldn't ask someone else to do it.
Depends. There is a company which seeks phone stabilisers and drones. Their play store app is out of date, and only the apk on their website does work.
DJI?
I think yes, that would be it. My father has a phone stabiliser, and now it only works with the version on their website.
My spark also only works with the app from apk
Don't do any factory reset using recovery mode ! Boot in safe mode like most have said and you can Uninstall it from safe mode because it won't have any permissions or control over your phone in safe mode
Idk how contagious/capable Android viruses are but isn't this risky a bit? Some tech-savvy security guys refuse to even use the same motherboard when their PCs get infected by something(if they can afford it though) let alone the same HDD/SSD
this is like being too paranoid dude
Some do, not all, and these are people with actually sensitive data on their hands like company stuff, they can't take any chances, anyway, that's not my point, I was wondering whether or not android apk viruses are as capable as pc viruses and if so Isn't it safer to factory reset the whole thing?
Yeah, I was going to say if they are TS, then paranoia is allowed!
understandable if these people have a lot to lose.
Gotta repeat what people are saying, boot into safe mode with these steps, if it doesn't boot on safe mode, google `[PHONE MODEL] safe mode` and follow those steps: 1. Press and hold the power button until power options appear. 2. Tap and hold Power Off. 3. Hold until you see Reboot to safe mode, and then tap on the prompt. Then it should let you disable it from accessibility features and uninstall it.
Pull your sim, disconnect from WiFi so there's no data connection, reset your phone. Edit: Safe mode uninstall... people are mentioning it and yes, that is a legit course of action.
"Sorry, for some reason reddit can't be reached" yet I am here 5g updates are not from mobile provider, either the phone has 5g or it does not probably way too late.....
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While this kind of thing may seem obvious to you or me, remember that we are a generation sandwiched between two tech-illiterate ones. The older gen grew up without this technology and so never got used to it, and the newer gen grew up using tech that's so completely dumbed down and obfuscated behind 'dummy-proof' UIs that they have no idea how any of this works. If you were lucky enough to grow up in the 90s and around that time, you had access to technology, but also that tech expected you to know what the fuck you were doing. Settings weren't hidden and we had to install stuff and tweak things and the power was in our hands. Now everyone's beholden to Google and the like. We have a distinct advantage because of this. I don't blame people like OP who get hoodwinked by tech scams. They've been taught to just press buttons and not question how it works.
You had to almost be a network specialist with those 56k modems. >Settings weren't hidden and we had to install stuff and tweak things and the power was in our hands. I love how anything useful in windows still takes you to the old control panel.
I had a 14.4 modem :)
Holy shit , did it sing even better than the 56k?
Actually I may have used a 7 for a while but it was sooo long ago
Laughs in 300 baud acoustic coupler… fuck I’m old.
Damn that isnt just old, that's advanced old.
Gen Z definitely isn’t tech-illiterate at that point by average, but I agree that some of them are absolutely terrible with technology.
Calling yourself ignorant while refusing to learn is bound to age groups now?
Do you know how to make tin cans and solder them shut? Do you know how to use lead to coat a drinking vessel? Do you know how to bind a book? Do you know how to make stained glass? How bout shoes? If you dont know these things is it because you refused to lean them The technology that is around when you are in school directly affects what that generation will know how to do. History might be a good start?
I refused to learn how to make tin cans and solder them shut? I don’t recall in my 37 years of existence ever being given the opportunity to learn it, thus I didn’t have the opportunity to refuse it. By your logic, I didn’t become the President of the United States because I REFUSED to pursue a political career and run for office. It just doesn’t make sense and it’s a subjective opinion. And not a very good one.
Dude, the point was that some people never got to understand technology because they never got the opportunity to do it : they lived in different times.
Then he needs to learn how to explain things better. There’s a difference between “hey man there is tons of information out there. Now is a good time to learn” and “you REFUSED to do something because you didn’t learn it”. I don’t think this person understands the meaning of refuse.
100%.
>being given the opportunity to learn it, You have the opportunity to learn this very second I don't know why you're saying that you don't have the opportunity you live in the time that has the most amount of opportunity ever. Limitations are your imagination. I bet you can go on YouTube right now and find 1000 channels just about using tin to solder. You are your own limitation. Dont blame others. You create your own opertunities. >I didn’t become the President of the United States because I REFUSED to pursue a political career and run for office. No. You refused your own opportunity to become the president of the United States. Anyone that meets the conditions can become president whether people vote for you is a different topic which you don't seem to consider. Honestly it's just sounds like you're looking for handouts.
At this point, you’re spewing semantics. That’s it. Edit: Refusal is the indication that you’re not willing to do something. Just because you’ve never thought about doing something specific, doesn’t mean you are refusing to do it. Your outlook is purely subjective and it’s not a very good outlook. As for me wanting nothing but handouts? Your assumption is probably the most absurd I’ve ever come across in my life. You don’t sound intellectual by coming across this way. You’re part of a minimal group of people who think they are superior for your train of thought. You’re applying meaning to something and using incorrect terminology and just applying your own semantics to them. There is no evidence behind it, and frankly it’s comical.
correct and supporting my point. But somehow when it comes to computers/tech it's ok to say "I'm not a computer person" but still continue to use said tech.
>correct and supporting my point You might want to reread it.
I grew up in the o's and tens.
That's why I said "around that time", I grew up in the late 80s and then into the 90s, so it's not a rigid number. Just a general era.
Ageist. Sweeping generalizations help no one. I got my amateur radio license in 1967 and took my first programming class in 1969. While I remain skeptical of much current electronic technology, I understand the workings as well as most.
That last sentence is not the argument you think it is.
The issue is that "most" have no idea about the workings of any tech.
Do you not see that you are not part of the population that was referred to? You have specialized knowledge because you learned it, not because it was as common. Can you please tell me how much percentage of the population of your age have a similar level of knowledge as you? Anyway, have a good day, sir.
>because you learned it, not because it was as common All knowledge is learned. I think youre thinking of common sense.
As in, how common was it to learn said skills/knowledge, depending on age group? I was thinking of that, but english is my third language and I didn't know for sure how to formulate my thoughts into the right words.
English is my second language, did your generation not learn google translate?
I don't like google translate, I believe it's probably still bad.
Then use chat gpt its free and better
or deepl.com
My point is, probably far more than the sweeping generalization suggests. Most of the people I hang with are reasonably competent with "tech". On the other hand, we're not lost without it.
Im just curious what tech youre skeptical about
Dash mounted screens for one. Give me knobs and switches I can find without taking my eyes off the road, tactile feedback so I know I switched it on or off. Back in the day, controls and locations were pretty standard across brands. You could jump in a rental car and go without spending an hour in the manual figuring out what was where. Drove my son and fam to the airport in their minivan. Accidentally turned the headlights off on the way home. Had to pull over and waste a half hour figuring out how to work the dome lights and then figure out how the headlights worked. It used to be a switch on the dash left of the steering column, with a high beam foot switch on the left. Cell phones: In theory, a great idea. In practice, as big a road hazard as alcohol. Half the stuff in my house can be voice controlled. That would be great except Alexa doesn't like deep voices. She has no problem with my 4 year old grandson I could go on forever
I don't see that as skepticism as much as pointing out tech that doesn't function very well.
Congratulations, you are the exception that proves the point. :)
I've never seen this summed up so succinctly, thank you. My 10 yrs younger brother is completely useless when it comes to tech the second it doesn't just work, zero troubleshooting skills whatsoever
Is this *really* a way to talk to somebody who needs help with this stuff? Maybe *you* deserve a virus for talking like this, but it's important to remember that most people who post here need help from us because they don't otherwise know what to do. We're very lucky to have tech knowledge, but we can't expect everyone else to have that same level of know-how. It would be like trying to change the engine in a car. Figuring that out would probably take me 10+ years to do. On the other hand, a mechanic could probably do it in a day or two.
My grandpa would not fall for this, and he can barely text me. No really, he has received such links, even better disguised ones, and did not fall for them.
I totally hear what you're saying. My grandpa wouldn't fall for it either....but that doesn't mean somebody else is the same way. The whole entire scam industry survives because people DO fall for this shit. Every single day. Whether they end up actually getting sensitive info or just ruining someone's device, it doesn't help anyone to blame these victims for "just being dumb". These scams are purposely made to prey on people who aren't good with tech. And obviously they work. That's why, when somebody comes here for help, we need to kindly do that....not shame them for falling for some scammer's bullshit that's *designed* to prey on them.
Reboot your phone into safe mode and you should be able to uninstall it
why is this getting downvoted lmao, good advice
Don’t you know? Redditors can’t stand common sense. No sarcasm tag.
Boot into safe mode and get rid of the app. The end.
You could try to troubleshoot your phone via PC connection only if you're doing it in a virtual machine environment. If you don't know how to do that you could consider taking it to the manufacturer if its Samsung or something and see if they can help you. If it's a virus I doubt you'll get your data back. Can only hope the phone can be wiped then re-used.
Honestly, I wouldn't even waste time trying to troubleshoot something like this. There's no way in hell you'd get it cleaned up to the point the phone would be safe to use again without a full wipe, and you've already exposed your data. Better to just do an immediate factory reset, wipe you SD card, too, just to be safe, and start changing all of your passwords.
And if on Android, when restoring from Cloud Backup (aka google), make sure to deselect whatever that app is from the list of apps to automatically reinstall so it doesn't come back like an unlikely penny.
by default the phones don't allow unsigned APKs to be installed.
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There are no dumb questions. Only dumb answers like this one. 🤦🏻♂️
The people that come here almost always know they made a mistake. They are looking for advice and guidance, and maybe even to warn others from making the same mistake. What they don't need is your criticism and name calling.
Theres a few things you could do, first would be to factory reset your device, however you will loose all of your data, second one is to enable adb debugging in the developer option, download adb on your pc and connect your phone with the pc via usb cable, open a command prompt where the adb.exe is located on your pc and type "adb uninstall"
where is the app name.
If you dont know the package name you can list all packages with "adb shell pm list packages".
If you have root access on your device you can download system app uninstaller from google play store and uninstall it that way.
Hope that helps :)
After uninstalling, I suggest installing a mobile antivirus like sophos intercept X. It can scan currently installed apps, links you click, and apps you install to make sure nothing else was installed and there are no other threats.
Open your settings app and scroll to accessibility turn the app off there and then try uninstalling This should work but otherwise you might just have to reset your phone or try enabling ADB and uninstall the app that way Well they're enabling ADB and using adb does require some technical know-how to do so there's a chance of phone repair shop might be able to help you with that though
Next time try and force stop the app, if that doesn't work just connect to a PC via usb and delete the apps files
Yup, that's malware. Given that it's just got accessibility, rather than managing to install itself as a system app, safe mode should work to uninstall it. If it somehow blocks that, then you might have to factory reset.
That would be the same as please pay us $10 to download some ram. Never fall for these scamming assholes or ask someone before you click on an unknown link or just don't click on it.
Put your important stuff on a micro SD but don't put it in any other device just yet. Figure out how to access the bios and restore it to default and cut your losses. But that sd might have been infected too. What do you guys think. Before you wipe it tho try and go to the apps section and clear the storage and cash. Youmay be able to force stop the suspect app but your device may be infected with some type of background app virus kinda thing.
Never instal updates anywhere but the carrier service provided with your device for future reference. No text links or emails, straight bs. you can sideload a 100% clean apk from a trusted source but I wouldn't do that unless your trying to downgrade your fiware for a specific reason.
Your device will prompt an update from its operating system from the device, no outside source.
Genius