GOOGLE Android users are being warned that they should delete a number of popular apps from their smartphones to avoid being spammed by adverts.
Google Android warning
Google Android fans across the globe are being warned that they should delete a number of popular apps from their devices.
The applications, which are thought to have been downloaded over eight million times, appear to be official games and camera utilities and were all available on the Play Store.
However, once installed they then set about spamming users with adverts that are almost impossible to clear from the home screen.
The problem was spotted by the team at Trend Micro with over 80 applications found to be included this money-making bug.
The issue is so serious that Google has now removed all of the software from its Play Store meaning they are no longer available to download.
A full list of the adware-laden apps can be found here but they include Magic Camera: Make Magical Photos, Blur Photo Editor, Background Replacement, Find the difference: smart detective, and Color House2019.
Speaking about the threat, Ecular Xu, Mobile Threat Response Engineer, said: “These adware-laden apps posed as 85 photography or gaming applications on Google Play, where they have netted more than eight million in combined downloads.
“Delivering adware, for example, enables them to monetize affected devices while attempting to be innocuous. And while they may be viewed as a nuisance at best, mobile ad fraud– and adware-related incidents became so rampant last year that it cost businesses hefty financial losses.
“We’ve disclosed our findings to Google, and the adware-embedded apps are no longer on the Play store.”
Some of the apps that are causing issues
This latest Android issue comes as some Google Android users have suddenly found their smartphone battery isn’t lasting as long as it should.
It seems a recent update from the US technology firm is leading to huge battery drain with the Google Play services software thought to be to blame.
According to Android Police, the problems seem to have begun earlier in the week with numerous users complaining that their devices were running out of juice much faster than usual.
A quick dig into the settings found that Google Play services were causing the biggest consumption with the issue even happening when devices were in standby mode.
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Google Play services are something found on all Android devices so this is clearly something that could be affecting a vast amount of people.
Some Android fans have taken to social media to confirm they have been hit by the problems with one saying: ” I am using poco f1, I have battery drain issue and I don’t know why Google play service suck my battery level this much, poco please find the solution.”
You can easily check to see how your battery is performing by heading to Settings > Battery > Show full device usage.
If Google Play services are top of the list then you’ll know why your phone’s performance may have dropped.
