Why am I seeing native app ads for the first time within the last month or so?

[Sludgequack]

I've had my Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini (AT&T provider) for about 15 months. For the first year, I enjoyed using it. However, over the last month or so, I am getting these frequent pop-up takeover ads that I never, ever got before. Of course, they are annoying. But, increasingly, they are impeding my ability to use the phone productively, and I may have no choice but to ditch it and get a different phone.

Note that my phone is not rooted, and that these ads are appearing in native apps only, and not as part of using either Chrome or the native Android browser to view web sites. Every time I try to access Instagram, Text Messaging, and other key apps, everything stalls for a moment, blocking my productive workflow, and then an annoying takeover ad pops up.

I have installed the open source Ad Blocker, but I'm too novice to know how to configure port settings and such, and all it seems to do is slow the phone down by hogging resources and battery. And, frankly, I still don't even know if this app is only good for blocking browser ads, which is not the problem.

I have several puzzled questions about this situation:
-- Why are these ads suddenly popping up now. I'm running Android 4.2.2, and I don't think I have updated recently.
-- I'm noticing an increased degradation of performance. Is this related to new ads, or is it because I am overdue for some unrelated cache-clog issue (which, again, I am too novice to address without help)
-- Is there any way to block these ads?

I really appreciate any help this community can offer to resolve my problems here. Thanks!

 

[jestl]

I have almost the exact same setup as you, S4 Mini, ATT, 4.4.2 updated by ATT long time ago (not 4.2.2), not rooted, etc. I'm sure our apps are different (like no Instagram) but I'm not seeing anything like you're describing and still enjoying the phone. Wife has identical setup on her S4 mini with no problems.

Wish we could help...

 

[Sludgequack]

Thanks for speaking up. It's actually helpful, because that means I may have some kind of malware that I can find, or a configuration option that I can reverse (depending on how much time I'm willing to put into it!)

 

[Wm7Long]

...I may have some kind of malware...

You might be able to nail it by keeping an eye on your "Apps Running" screen (Settings > Apps > Running) from time to time, especially just before and during the interruptions you're experiencing. Hope you find it and let us all know of it.