How to Fix a Hacked Android Phone (Get Rid of Hackers Fast)

If your phone is hacked, you need a solution to remove the hacker from your device quickly.

Nothing is as unsettling as the thought that someone could be privy to your most private, precious information. Your lack of control over this can also be quite distressing.

Luckily, there are quick effective solutions such as installing antivirus software, deleting unfamiliar apps, restoring to factory settings, and more. To tackle this issue successfully, you’ll need all the necessary details for an android hack fix. 

This handy article tells you everything you need to know about how to fix your android phone.

Signs that Your Android Could be Hacked

Your smartphone is ideally your main gateway to the world. It makes life extremely convenient as you use it to run your life through internet banking, online purchases, business management, and even learning.

Being such a valuable piece of your life, how can you tell that it’s hacked?

Random Apps Downloaded

If you can’t explain how some apps got into your phone or what their use is, someone has likely taken control of your phone. 

Unfortunately, Android phones are more susceptible to attacks, that’s why it’s always recommended that you download apps from Google’s play store or trusted sites. 

Reason?  

The play store can scan known malware as soon as it’s uploaded in addition to constant reviews for anything remotely dodgy.

There is an Issue with Your Phone’s Performance

When your phone is hacked, there could be incidents where the screen freezes, the phone inexplicably goes off even with sufficient charge, or similar distinct functional issues that aren’t normal. 

When this happens, it could be that the malware isn’t compatible with your apps or it is overloading the phone’s system.

Sudden Draining of the Battery

What’s expected is that over time, your Android phone’s battery will gradually lose its strength. 

However, if hacked, there’s noticeable drainage that borders on the absurd. Usually, this is because the malware is on overdrive, scanning your information and sending it to the hacker’s server.

Calls or Texts Are Made Automatically

Can’t recall calling your best friend or sending a particular text at midnight? Your alarm bells should be sounding off. This is evidence that someone is in control of your android phone. 

At this point, the question that’s likely screaming in your mind is ‘How do I un-hack my phone?’

But before you panic, first scrutinize your phone bills for unwarranted expenditures, and inquire from those close to you if they accessed your phone.

Fishy Pop-ups

Beware of excessive pop-ups, these could be a sign of malware attacks or phishing links. 

The malware attack sends your Android phone to certain pay-per-click sites or tries to harvest your personal information.

5 Surefire Ways to Fix a Hacked Android Phone

If you’re affected by any of the above issues, it’s easy to fix them. Below are sure-fire ways to secure your Android phone from hackers.

Uninstall Sketchy & Unwanted Apps

To uninstall an offensive or suspicious app:

Navigate to settings⇒Tap on apps or application manager⇒Tap on the app you want to remove (scroll to find the exact one)⇒Tap uninstall.

Avoid downloading unverified apps, especially ones that request unnecessary or sensitive information. 

Also, learn to seek a second opinion by either consulting trusted opinion shapers or reading reviews about each app before you download it.

Install Trusted Antivirus Software 

According to McAfee, antivirus software is a set of programs designed to scan for and eradicate computer viruses and other malicious software, also known as malware.

If you’re reading this and wondering, ‘Is this how to remove a hacker from my Android phone?’

Yes, it is one of many ways. 

Antivirus software is your first line of defense and vital for the security of all online devices. 

Never install free software or software from sites that you don’t trust. Free software lack add-on services like identity theft protection, mobile, and data security.

In this article, TechRadar highlights some of the best antivirus software to consider in 2020.

But while anti-virus software will provide a robust layer of protection, you need to seal yourself off from these threats by staying alert to malicious emails and links. 

Inspect Phone Activity

If you discover that someone has logged into your phone without permission, the immediate thing to do is change all passwords. But not with your phone. Instead, use another protected device, then reset it and log in afresh.

Something else you can do to bolster your efforts on how to fix a hacked phone is to halt any sideloading of apps by disabling all unknown sources. 

Here’s how to secure your android phone from hackers.

Navigate to settings⇒Scroll to security⇒Look for unknown sources and untick this option.

Inspect Data Usage

Another way to spot hacking of your Android phone is by checking your data usage. First, is there a dodgy app? If so, there’s likely to be an increased activity, which reflects on data consumption.

To check for data usage, Navigate to settings⇒Under network & internet (wireless), go to data usage⇒Under mobile, see your total data usage. Check the data usage cycle and scroll down to see each app’s consumption.

Use these steps to keep tabs on your data usage and manage it.

Factory Reset — When All Else Fails

Sometimes, even with all the above measures, you’ll still find the hacker lurking. If this is your current situation, then you have no option but to restore your phone to its factory settings. 

However, this will only work if you change your social media and email accounts’ passwords from a different device, not the one that’s suspected to be hacked.

To restore to factory settings, follow the steps below to remove the hacker from your Android phone.

Navigate to settings⇒Find backup & reset⇒Tap factory data reset to reset phone⇒Enter the passcode to erase everything⇒Then, select reboot your phone⇒Finally, restore your phone’s data.

If after all this you decide to sell your phone, read this article for tips on how to go about it.

And if you want to list your phone, Sheepbuy is a great place to start. On Sheepbuy, you won’t be charged a commission on your sales and you can have up to three active listings, free of charge, when you sign up to the basic tier. Find out more about our tiers here.

How to Prevent Your Android From Getting Hacked

Smartphones are here to stay. Moreover, Android phones have the largest market share globally, hence their vulnerability.

It’s painful to lose data, especially if you’ve not backed it up anywhere, or it leads to immeasurable loss of valuable assets. Recovery can be thoroughly stressful and costly. 

Knowing this, how can you protect yourself from hackers?

Backup your data

Yes, you’ve followed all the instructions and done everything possible on how to fix a hacked Android phone but don’t stop there. 

Identify all the data on your phone, for example, messages, photos, presentations, documents, passwords, pins, paid and unpaid apps, banking details, and more. 

Prioritize this data. Is there any data that’s no longer valuable to you and that you don’t mind losing? Delete it all.

Then, back up what’s left, either to the Cloud, a desktop computer, or a flash drive. With a backup, you can always restore your Android device to its original state. 

Keep your operating system updated

Even with its large market share, Android is always at war with hackers. This is because most devices are still running older versions of android, which are vulnerable to malware. So, regular software updates are vital.

These updates essentially keep your phone working optimally while providing the best security. Because whether you like it or not, hackers are always on the prowl to exploit out-of-date software. 

Whenever you see a software update notification, install it immediately. You can also always update manually. 

Create strong passwords

If you don’t want anyone accessing your data, here’s what you need to do.

• Create strong passwords for your social media and email accounts.
• Activate login notifications to be aware of all activities on these accounts.
• Add another layer of security by enabling two-factor notification. Therefore, no one but you will be able to access your accounts, even if the other person has the passwords.
• Also, to prevent someone from resetting your password, only share uncommon information, something that’s not easy to figure out about you.

The Bottom Line

Fortunately, you don’t need to spend sleepless nights wondering how to secure your Android phone from hackers. 

In summary, to remove a hacker from your Android phone here’s what you need to do:

1. Uninstall sketchy, unwanted apps.
2. Install reputable antivirus software.
3. Inspect phone activity and data usage.
4. And if all else fails, restore to factory settings.

Hacking will always be a constant threat. Thus, equip yourself with the right knowledge of techniques for securing your phone, and in the worst-case scenario, how to fix a hacked phone.