Possible Virus - Play Store opens randomly to specific games/apps

[LTB43230]

I had the same problem. Coming out of sleep, Playstore would pop up randomly with some game. Lookout and Avast hadn't flagged anything. Tried factory reset (major hassle) but same pop ups kept happening. I tried StopBadApp and after one search it found 2 music apps which it considered viruses / bad behaving apps. After I uninstalled the flagged apps the problems went away so I noted as such in Playstore reviews.

Hope that helps.

 

[supercol]

II also had this issue and had none of the apps in the thread. However just used the stopbadapp program mentioned above, got rid of a couple of the ones it suggested, and no pop ups in the last 24 hours.

 

[MoMarlon2]

I don't have Music Paradise, but I DO have MP3 Music. I'm going to uninstall and see what the results are. I'll keep y'all posted.

 

[Donna Harris2]

My Play Store opens even when I am texting... I also have AVG and Lookout... They haven't found anything.

 

[Ashley Curby]

Yes I got the same message! Stupid me thought it was something from Facebook but it's not. After clicking midway I decided to back out. After that I started getting this thing saying I had a virus and it opened to an app for Antivirus. I had to reset my phone. For a while it was fine but came back again. So I started looking at my apps. If u have music paradise download app delete it and any apps u haven't used in a while try that. Also delete your cache in the Google play store app. This to help me so far!

Got the same thing. Delete music paradise download. Should fix it!

 

[tee52]

I finally had enough and did a factory reset. I did not reinstall some of the apps I originally had installed. I have read that news apps install that script. So far I have not reinstalled any news apps even tho I read my local one daily. I did however lose some sprint apps that were preinstalled on my phone and found that strange. The only Sprint app I have now is kids mode, which I do not need, all other Sprint apps are gone, even those I used. Worth it if it stops those danged pop ups. I did lose some of my contacts even tho I had backed them up, but no big deal.

 

[amsands]

I had been getting random playstore popups, beginning when I start the device (S4). It was annoying, especially if I was in the middle of typing an email or playing a game. I viewed many of the posts in this thread, removed ebay which was the only app I had that someone else had listed. I then realized that it was MP3 Download that was causing random play store pop-ups. It was the last app I installed. I removed it, restarted and I haven't had any popups (just a couple of hours but I'm pretty sure). Of course I'll monitor this and, if it wasn't the problem, I'll report back.
Thanks everyone for the helpful input.

 

[BonnGermany]

Hi all..., i had the same problems with my Samsung Galaxy Note 3 too. Every time i brows my Smartphone, unwanted game always Kept Appearing. It's really get on my nerves..! And then i did this. I go to setting, and go to Device, and then go to Notification Panal, there you find Recommended apps. Switch it OFF. ta da......! My problem solved no more unwanted game apps Kept on Appearing. Try it, its work for me.

 

[Janie Hicks]

I recently bought a regular Samsung Galaxy about a month ago & I am having a problem. Random ads for apps and some with the same web address keeps popping up when I unlock the phone. It redirects me to the play store to download some game or taxi locater app. This has just started within the past couple of weeks. I downloaded the free CM security virus protection app plus I have the Look Out security app that came with my phone & I've ran several scans & still can't find anything...

 

[Rosalie Lyn]

Came to this forum I'm search of a solution for an problem with my mother's nexus 7 where randomly, without clicking anything, a web page would open up and then would redirect you to some stupid free game on the app store.

All I've read here was the blame being thrown around to different apps, and saying that potentially it's a virus, and the only way to fix the problem is to do a full factory reset on the tablet. I think you all are blowing problems like this out of proportion.

I'd first start off with just checking the settings of the play store itself before going into a giant fuss. (device settings> apps > Google play store). There is a setting in there, which personally I think is a flaw in the system, where programs and websites and stuff can set it up where google store will automatically lauch a section of the store. If you go in and clear the cache, data, and the autolauch section of the google play settings. It will probably fix most of the people's problems on here (it did for my mother).

Then after doing that and it doesn't fix the problem of things launching randomly, then I would go into and check the recent apps you've installed and double check the permissions of them. Some apps are made just to be obnoxious.

If your problem still isn't fixed, then Unfortunetly it might be time for a reset. But you should always do steps before that to double check.

 

[JaxRhapsody]

I only have a few downloaded apps. I'm only gettinv the play stors pop ups. I was hoping to post up the screenshots of the apps I have but there doesn't seem to be a way to do so. I can't offhand remeber them all besides Instragram, MeetMe, Idrisyou music downloader, Tumblr, Wordpress, Music, Blogger, FireFox, Pintress, Orbot, Orweb. Actually I think that's all of them. Oh, and Twitter.

Oh, and I have a ZTE Grand X.

 

[android123454321]

I finally found the solution!!

This irritated me so much I actually came back to all the forums and registered so that I could help other people fix this. (P.S. I never leave comments on these forums so you must know how much this stupid popup thing annoyed me that I actually come back and registered)

It is a malicious app that is causing it. In my case it was "MP3 Music Download Best". Someone else found it was "Simple Mp3 Downloader". It could be potentially be almost any app though.

The app that I used to find the malicious app is called "Ad Clean & Antivirus by StopBadApp Mobile Security". It has great reviews on Google Play as well.

Install this app and let it scan your device and it will find the app that is causing your problem.

Let me know if this sorts out your problem. This popup thing has been annoying me for weeks and I would like to know if this helped anyone else.

Good luck!

 

[JaxRhapsody]

I finally found the solution!!

This irritated me so much I actually came back to all the forums and registered so that I could help other people fix this. (P.S. I never leave comments on these forums so you must know how much this stupid popup thing annoyed me that I actually come back and registered)

It is a malicious app that is causing it. In my case it was "MP3 Music Download Best". Someone else found it was "Simple Mp3 Downloader". It could be potentially be almost any app though.

The app that I used to find the malicious app is called "Ad Clean & Antivirus by StopBadApp Mobile Security". It has great reviews on Google Play as well.

Install this app and let it scan your device and it will find the app that is causing your problem.

Let me know if this sorts out your problem. This popup thing has been annoying me for weeks and I would like to know if this helped anyone else.

Good luck!

In that case, it could be my music player, or downloader. I refuse to use gogle music, as it sucks, and the downloader I have is the best one I've found- idrisyou. I have most of the google apps disabled. I didn't have this issue until the music player app I had(which is factory on most phones) started glitching, and Indownloaded another app by the same people, that is basically the same app, except there is a blue note for the logo, instead of the blue speaker.

I'll try that app.

I downloaded it, and it said my browser is a virus, and my SRS settings is greyware.

As far as adware; just the regular apps that have ads in them

 

[Nanny4mebyellie25]

I was just notified by my galaxy Note 4 that the music paradise pro app is adware. I uninstalled it and am going to clear my browsing history, cache and cookies from my phone.

 

[Diane Labat]

These annoying pop up ads seems to fool the actual detectors for aggressive ad networks.

So this new kind of trash might need a new approach for catching the app that caused it.
Using its need for data for to build this ad for the pop up.

I take it that this culprit app needs data for its pop up. You could proof this when there wouldn't pop ups while you switch off mobile data and WiFi.

I use an app which logs the background data of apps, 'Network Connections' from Play Store.
Install and run the app (start Live Capture) ... and after the ad pops up you might see an active app that should not sending/receiving data.
Note: ... and you might wonder that there are so many of your apps that cause background data traffic

You did it! You helped me fix my problem. Like the others, my browser opens at random times to a website, in my case: findforfun .com, then Google play store would open. Well I tried many of the suggested apps to try to fix this and NONE of them found it except "Network Connections"! I ran a 'live capture' (on the trial version) then when it stopped I swiped over to ''App Network Log'' and clicked each app and viewed ''IP addresses used by this app'' until I saw the website listed that my browser kept opening to. Then I promptly uninstalled that app! Problem solved ever since. Thanks!

 

[BLamp]

Don't do the reset, it doesn't work. I did that and lost a lot of my pictures, etc.

 

[Jeremy Schofield]

I had the same problem, took a littlw time to figure out and it was in fact Music Paradise Pro. Unfortunate too because I like this one! So I used Malwarebytes, app tool and forced the app to quit. Then there is a button that allows you to go into the app settings within the phone and you have to kill it there too.

 

[ReAndroid]

Kindly visit my blog for this issue I have mentioned the resolution and please do not forget to leave your feedback.

apps1play.blogspot.in and go to virus issues resolution blog.

After upgrading my Note 4 to Lollipop, I would get an ad that would display in my notifications pane. I couldn't figure out what app was causing it but the ad was sponsored by State Farm.

I installed Adaway and haven't had the problem since.

I found APUS launcher causing it though Malwarebyte is absolute resolution.

I had the same problem, took a littlw time to figure out and it was in fact Music Paradise Pro. Unfortunate too because I like this one! So I used Malwarebytes, app tool and forced the app to quit. Then there is a button that allows you to go into the app settings within the phone and you have to kill it there too.

I found APUS launcher causing it though Malwarebyte is absolute resolution.

 

[anon(5719825)]

Kindly visit my blog for this issue I have mentioned the resolution and please do not forget to leave your feedback.

apps1play.blogspot.in and go to virus issues resolution blog.

My problem was fixed many months ago. I simply went back to KitKat.

 

[Daniel Poe]

I literally just had it happen, so I downloaded Internet Connections and ran live capture. I found an app called Input Devices that connects to a place called 12025 Waterfront Drive, Los Angeles CA 90292, so I searched it up and got a bunch of businesses. I don't know of one of them aren't an actual "business" or what, but I don't know. I'm trying to find an end to it.