Computer viruses are the scourge of the internet. One wrong move and your machine can get infected, rendering it useless in the worst cases. Well, the same goes for your cellphone. While it’s much rarer to get viruses on your cellphone, it is possible. Even the supposed king of security, the Apple iPhone, can fall prey to viruses! If you have an iPhone virus, here’s a quick guide to removing viruses from the iPhone.
It might save you a lot of money.
Diagnosing an iPhone
The first step is figuring out if your iPhone has a virus at all.
This can be tricky to do. It can be even trickier tracking down the source of the virus. It could be anything from a standalone app to a browser page and more.
If you’ve jailbroken your iPhone, you’re much more susceptible to viruses. Jailbroken applications are not approved by Apple, so anyone can release them. The programmer could easily put a virus in the app, which infects your phone when launched.
If your iPhone starts acting up when you launch a specific app, that app could be the virus. In that case, delete the offending app. This may solve your problem right away.
You can also try an ios virus scan. There are multiple virus scanning apps available on the app store. These will scrub through your phone’s files in search of viruses.
Some of these apps will remove viruses from the phone, or describe how to after a scan. These apps work with varying degrees of success, though.
Symptoms of an iPhone Virus
There are a few common signs that you may have a virus. These include:
- Strange apps installing automatically onto your iPhone
- Apps are repeatedly crashing on launch for no reason
- A sudden increase in data usage, a sudden spike in your phone bill
- Receiving strange text messages, calls, or emails
- Your phone is overheating
- The iPhone suddenly can’t hold a charge, the battery keeps draining
- You iPhone is generally choppy
- Pop-up ads keep appearing on the Safari browser, or even on the home screen
If you’re experiencing any of the above issues, an iPhone virus is likely.
Removing Viruses From iPhone
There are a few things you can do in the rare case your iPhone gets infected with a virus. These range from simple fixes, to full-on repair jobs. Here are some common ways to remove viruses from your iPhone.
Restart the iPhone
Sometimes, your phone needs a restart. For mild viruses, this is often enough to destroy them and get your iPhone back in tip-top shape. Power your phone down fully, turn it back on, and see if it’s fixed.
If there are no improvements, you’ll have to try something else.
Clear Your History
Viruses can easily infect your iPhone through your web browser. In that case, you should clear your history and web data.
To do this, head into settings, tap on ‘Safari’, and tap ‘Clear History and Website Data’. Confirm you want to clear it and your Safari data will reset. This includes all cookies, history, and often passwords and logins.
Delete Risky Apps
If your iPhone started acting up after installing a specific app, that app could be at fault. Try deleting recently installed apps and see if that makes a difference.
While apps have to be approved by Apple in order to get onto the App Store, occasionally a virus-riddled app slips through the cracks. A good practice is to only download highly-rated and trusted apps. Do a quick Google search of any apps you may think have viruses, and see if anyone else is reporting issues.
If you have a jailbroken device, start deleting some jailbreak-only apps. These apps are the riskiest, as they’re not vetted at all. The jailbreak method itself may have even caused the virus!
Restore Your iPhone
Restoring your iPhone is the most sure-fire way to remove all viruses. This will set your iPhone back to factory settings, removing all apps, logins, and data you’ve put on it. This can obviously be a hassle, so it should be a last resort in most cases.
You can restore your device completely, or you can restore it from a backup. The only problem with a backup restore is that the backup may have the virus, too. If you restore your phone from a backup and the virus is still there, then you know the virus happened after your last backup.
This might help you diagnose exactly where the virus is coming from.
To perform a restore on your iPhone, go to Settings, then General, Reset, and Erase All Contents and Settings. Tap this, confirm the action with your password, and follow the on-screen guide.
Visit an iPhone Repair Shop
If all else fails, it’s time to bring your iPhone to the repair shop.
You can go to the Apple Store, or you can save money by going to a trusted third-party repair service. They have plenty of experience dealing with iPhones and virus problems. They’ll be able to properly diagnose and fix your phone, whether that means a restore or a simple virus clean.
This is an especially good choice if you’re not the most technically proficient. Most people have no idea how to find viruses, or simply don’t have the time. In that case, you might want to visit the repair shop first thing.
Fix Your iPhone Today
A virus filled iPhone can slow down your social and work life indefinitely. If you want to get your phone back to 100% strength, follow the tips above. You may find the relief you need.
If removing viruses from iPhone sounds like too much for you to handle, see what Fruit Fixed can do for you. We have multiple locations across Virginia and plenty of experience dealing with iPhone viruses.
