Browser opening website after updating or installing apps in Play Store

[Silvarro]

I've had this problem for about a week now and it seems to happen with apps I'm installing or updating. Whenever the installation finishes, my browser opens opens a webpage but this doesn't happen with every app I update or install and it's never the same app twice. First it was appsquare, now it's some other website advertising apps. I NEVER installed any apps outside the play store ever so a virus is excluded. Also, I scanned my device with Malwarebytes Antimalware and Eset and they both came up with no results. I did some googling and it seems I'm not the only one with this problem but it's mostly Samsung users that complained about the same problem I have. But I don't have a Samsung phone; I have an LG Nexus 5X running Android 8.1.0. Is this some new loophole advertisers found in the Play store advertising their crappy apps through my browser or is this a shady app's doing? For the record, I do NOT have anything from Cheetah Mobile installed and I have no apps installed that show ads. Resetting my phone is NOT an option because other people already tried that and it didn't work.

 

[B. Diddy]

Welcome to Android Central! It still sounds like adware, which doesn't show up in a malware scan. You'd probably have to uninstall apps one by one until the problem goes away.

 

[Silvarro]

Welcome to Android Central! It still sounds like adware, which doesn't show up in a malware scan. You'd probably have to uninstall apps one by one until the problem goes away.

People with the same problem as me have resetted their ENTIRE phone to factory settings and it didn't work so uninstalling every app will not work either. And neither app I have installed is showing ads because I paid to remove those or bought the pro version.

 

[Silvarro]

I identified the problem. It was the app Xperia Clock Widget made by Lazar Dimitrov. I paid money to remove ads but since the update of february 24 ads started showing in my browser that popped up whenever I updated or installed an app in the Play Store. My advice: Steer clear of this app until the developer has fixed this!

 

[B. Diddy]

I'm glad you found the culprit! A possible reason why people with the same problem report the issue persisting after a factory reset may be due to having the phone automatically restore a backup after the reset (i.e., reinstalling previously installed apps automatically). The Xperia Clock Widget was presumably not preinstalled on your phone, correct? This is why Safe Mode is also a good initial troubleshooting step (which I should have mentioned before).