How to know if your iPhone or iPad has a virus and how to remove it? When we talk about viruses we always think of a Windows PC or an Android smartphone. We rarely associate a virus or malware with Apple devices, especially with iPhone and iOS. Apple devices are much safer than the rest, macOS is safer than Windows and iOS is safer than Android, however, it is also possible to have viruses on these devices or lose personal information related to cybersecurity incidents.
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How to know if your iPhone or iPad has a virus?
In technical terms, a virus is a string of malicious code that can be inserted into a specific application and cause a malfunction of the device. Therefore, if you have a virus on your iPhone, you’ll probably start to notice that something isn’t right.
It is very difficult for an application downloaded from the App Store to contain a virus, Apple is very rigorous with the applications that can be downloaded, and they carry out many tests to ensure their safety before they are published.
If you are browsing the Internet and suddenly a message appears on your web browser (whether it is Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox or another) saying that “Your iPhone has been compromised” or “iPhone is infected with a virus and immediate action is required” don’t worry. This message is a trap that leads us to a scam. The best thing is not to touch it and close the Safari tab or close the application, even the best will be to delete the app.
This scam simply aims to get some of your private data, so it is better to ignore it and not click on the notification. Do not worry, your iPhone is completely fine.
Despite the security used by Apple to prevent viruses in the App Store applications, it is possible that some of them might break those security measures and sneak into the app store. It is not common but it has happened, Apple usually removes these apps as soon as it is discovered but if you already have it installed you should delete it yourself.
Unlike the previous case, if your iPhone or iPad constantly malfunctions, no matter what application you use, it is much more likely to be a system error.
That’s why we recommend that you first perform a device reset, and this way you will eliminate any possible traces of viruses that may be present. And if the problem persists after restoring your iPhone, visit an Apple Store or contact Apple and they will fix the problem.
How to remove a virus from iPhone?
In short, we know that iOS is very safe and very difficult to be hacked or infected with any kind of virus, but it is possible that exceptionally it happens. This is what you must do to remove a virus from the iPhone.
- Detect and remove problematic / unwanted applications. To do this you can gradually remove the last installed application and test whether, after removing one by one, the problem is solved or not.
- If Safari redirects you to unauthorized pages or sites, it’s best to delete the history and cache of the app. To do this go to: Settings > Safari > Clear History and Website Data > OK.
- Reboot the device. It may sound absurd, but many times a good reboot is a good solution to problems. This will not remove the virus but maybe the device simply malfunctions without having a virus and a simple reboot will fix it.
- And finally, perform a Hard Reset of the device. If none of the above methods have solved the problem with your iPhone or iPad, you should perform a device reset. To do this go to Settings > General > Reset > Reset Content and Settings. If the problem persists, visit a Genius Bar at any Apple Store.
What is “Your iPhone Has Been Compromised” message?
“Your iPhone Has Been Compromised” is a fake virus alert message that might appear after visiting a suspicious website with your iPhone. This message suggests that the user’s browser is infected with a Trojan virus picked from an earlier website visit.
This pop-up usually has a line stating “Immediate Action is Required!” But beware, because the only purpose of these pop-ups is to scare the user and force them to visit the App Store and download an app for virus removal. Don’t do this.
Why? Remember if you gave any access to your browser. You didn’t. If this message was true, your browser first needed an access to scan your device, and it would also took time to scan it. If you have seen any antivirus software on a PC scanning the whole system, it might take tens of minutes with the fastest, sleaziest scanner. But this did not happen, did it?
You can also see other deceptive messages like the ones below, don’t fall for them!
• Forewarning! This cellular phone carries a trojan. CALL (number)
• You’ve been selected for a chance to get the $1000 Amazon Gift Card• Amazon Prize Winner notification
• Police Locked iPhone
• WARNING! This Apple iPhone is corrupted with virus and battery has been damaged!
• FBI locked down iPhone
• Any mention of spyware or offer to provide help with a phone number
• Continue with instructions to fix phone. Do not close window.
• Your iPhone has been compromised / Immediate action is required!
• Your credit card is at risk!
How to fix Your iPhone Has Been Compromised scam message?
Safari Pop-up scam message fix
- Swipe up your iPhone screen to access quick settings, or just open Settings app
- Activate Airplane Mode
- Go to Settings
- Scroll down to Safari and tap to open
- Tap Clear History and Website Data
- Go to your home screen
- Find your Safari pane, and swipe up (and away to close all tabs)
- Restart your iPhone
- Turn off Airplane Mode
Google Chrome pop-up scam message fix
- Open the Chrome app
- Tap the three dots in the lower right-corner
- Tap Settings and then tap Privacy
- Tap the Clear Browsing Data
- In the submenu, check off Browsing History, Cookies, Site Data, and Cached Images and Files by tapping on them
- Tap Clear Browsing Data
- You will see a confirmation alert and you can clear your browsing data here
How to keep your iPhone or iPad secure?
If you don’t want to have a virus or scam poup messages that can infect your device and compromise your personal information, you can take precautionary measures.
- First of all, don’t jailbreak your device. Because iPhone jailbreak opens the door to unauthorized apps. These apps can bypass the default security features. And your iPhone or iPad is open to external threats like viruses or malware, which can directly access your device and data.
- Keep your iOS up-to-date. Download updates whenever they are released. To do this, go to Settings, select General and tap on Software Update. If there are new updates you need to install, you will be notified.
- If you think you need extra protection, use an Antivirus app.
We tried to explain how to find out if your iPhone or iPad has a virus or malware, and how to prevent pop-up scams that tells you that your device has been compromised, and remove and clean them easily.
