Ads Displaying With No Apps Running

[Android Central Question]

Began encountering a strange issue this morning. Every few minutes a full-screen ad pops up on my Motorola G7. This occurs without any apps running in the background.

I have not installed any new apps recently, with the exception of Avast Anti-virus, Airpush Detector, and Ad Detect Plugin, all of which were installed *after* the fact in an effort to resolve the issue. None of them have detected any problems.

Restarting the phone has not resolved the issue.

The only thing I can possibly think of is that I picked up some malware while browsing the internet on my phone. I do use Google Chrome a lot on my phone for web browsing. However, I haven't visited any websites with questionable content, and again Avast did not find any issues when scanning my phone for malware.

I'm at a total loss. I would like to avoid a factory reset if possible. Any ideas?

 

[belodion]

Does this persist in Safe Mode?
Also, does it happen on both mobile data and WiFi?
https://forums.androidcentral.com/showthread.php?t=409154

 

[Scott337]

From everything I have ever read these ads are always caused by an app.

Check out this thread, with a lot of details about these ads:

https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink/to...7&share_fid=4950&share_type=t&link_source=app

 

[Rukbat]

The app that's causing the ad might be running in the background. (It definitely is if, like many people, you use the Home button when you're finished with an app. (All that does is run the launcher, it doesn't close the current app.) Be sure to close an app when you're finished using it ("Exit" from its menu, or the back button and remove it from recents).