You're browsing the web peacefully when suddenly ads start popping up on your home screen. Sound familiar? Pop-up ads can find their way onto your Android from a web browser or an app. But don't worry — we'll show you how to stop pop-up ads on your Android phone, whether you have a Samsung or are browsing on Chrome, and how a secure browser can block pop-ups automatically.
Different browsers let you block ads in slightly different ways. We’ll give you detailed instructions on how to do this in Chrome and Firefox.
But first, if ads are popping up on your Android home screen, third-party apps are likely the culprit. So, how do you remove pop-up ads and notifications from your phone?
If you’re getting pop-ups on your Samsung home screen, swipe down after you get a notification to bring down the notification panel. Then long-press the notification to bring up App info. From there you can uninstall the offending app.
If you don’t want to uninstall the app, you can stop pop-ups from recent apps through settings:
Open Settings and select Notifications.
Tap App Notifications.
Filter the list by Most recent, then toggle off notifications for apps that are bothering you.
You can also go to Advanced settings to customize your notifications further.
Hopefully you never have to ask yourself "How do I stop pop-up ads on my Samsung?" again. If ads keep popping up on your Galaxy or other Samsung device, your phone may be infected with spyware, which can track your activity and send your data to advertisers. Learn how to remove spyware from your Android here.
Besides coming from third-party apps, pop-up ads on your Samsung can also come from the web. You can stop online pop-up ads from appearing on an Android in a browser like Chrome or Firefox.
Here's how to stop pop-ups in Chrome on Android:
Open Chrome and tap the three dots menu on the upper-right. Go to Settings.
Tap Site settings.
Open Pop-ups and redirects.
Flip the toggle to the left to block pop-ups and redirects.
That’s how to stop pop-ups in Chrome for Android.
You can block Firefox pop-ups on Android or on your computer very easily. In fact, Firefox blocks pop-up ads by default on Androids.
If you’re still seeing Firefox pop-up ads on your Android device, the easiest way to avoid them is to use an ad blocker. AVG Secure Browser comes with a built-in ad-blocking feature that stops all ads, including pop-ups. It’s free and you can download it in seconds.
You can control Android pop-ups and notifications from specific websites by modifying site permissions and preferences on your device. This also allows you to restrict access to your camera and microphone and customize other privacy settings.
To stop website ads and pop-ups, navigate to the site on your Android browser, tap More next to the address bar, and select Info followed by Site Settings. Then, configure your preferences in the settings listed under Permissions.
Ads usually pop up on your screen to promote a product or service, and they’re mostly harmless. The occasional pop-up ad can even be helpful if targeted to you correctly by marketers. But if your phone’s getting bombarded with ads, it could be a result of malware like adware or other scams.
Scammers and hackers will often try to redirect your attention through pop-ups. If you notice a sudden influx of ads on your phone, you may have a malware infection from downloading an infected file or tapping a malicious link.
AdwareAdware invades your phone in sneaky ways. When you visit unsafe or infected websites, anything you click could take you to a malicious site where adware is loaded. Some adware-infected links might even appear innocuous, like prompts to take part in a survey.
Apps can also spread adware, even apps downloaded from official app stores. The more time you spend looking at advertising, the more money it translates into for ad creators — they don’t care if the ads are annoying or distracting. Companies also pay apps to get their ads in front of your eyeballs, so many apps are essentially just ad delivery vehicles in disguise.
If your phone keeps getting ads, an adware cleaner tool can sniff out the perpetrator.
ScamsRandom pop-up ads on Android can be a scam to get access to your sensitive details. Common ways to trick people into clicking and sharing personal information include fake virus warnings and dubious prize offers.
Fake virus warnings can be effective because they urge users to take action immediately, usually by downloading a product or clicking a link to remove a virus that isn’t actually there. By doing so, real malware is installed, which is exactly what the user was trying to avoid.
Offering prizes is another popular scam tactic. Prize pop-ups ask people to provide financial details to claim their reward. This can have immediate consequences if someone provides enough information.
Scammers also use survey links to phish for details to use for identity theft. Pop-up ads that appear as texts are often phishing expeditions to get access to people in your contact list. To stay safe, click links or share information only when you’re certain the source is legitimate.
MalwareMalware is malicious software created to harm other software or hardware. Malware comes in many forms such as viruses and ransomware. It can damage files, crack passwords, steal data, slow down your Android, and spam you with ads.
Malware gets into your phone through bogus apps, unsecured websites, or unsafe downloads. Some viruses can take over your browser and fill it with pop-ups, while ransomware can hijack your entire device. Our Android ransomware guide can keep your device from being held hostage.
Make sure your Android phone is updated to keep new ad threats at bay. See our guide on why your Android phone isn’t getting updates if you're having issues. And install a malware and virus scanner to automatically block offenders and malicious ad-spewing apps on Android.
To stop pop-up ads coming from a third-party app you need to find the offending app first. Check your recent apps to see which one sent you a pop-up. The ad-serving app will be at the top. There’s no standard way to do this across all Android devices.
Here are ways to tell which app is causing ads. The first three methods below are ways to do this on your phone. The last method is through the Google Play Store.
Your Android Settings
Go to Settings, then Apps, then Manage Apps. From here you can sort by time to see the most recent apps.
The recent apps key
On some Android phones, you can press the recent apps key to the left of the Home button to see the most recent apps.
The notification panel
Swipe down (or up on some phones) when you get an unwanted notification to bring up the notification panel. Long-press the notification to see which app it came from.
The Google Play Store
From the Play Store home screen, tap the menu icon in the upper-left corner. Tap my apps & games. Sort by all: the most recent apps appear at the top.
Another useful feature in the Google Play Store is Play Protect. If you turn on Scan apps with Play Protect, it checks apps before you download them and could stop you from installing a harmful app with pop-ups.
After you discover the culprit, delete the ad-serving app to get rid of pop-ups on your phone.
Google also shows you personalized ads, but you can change the settings in My Ad Center. Here’s how to remove targeted Google ads from your Android phone:
Click the Icon for your Google Account. Select Manage your Google Account.
Select Data & privacy.
Scroll to "Things you've done and places you've been."
Select My Ad Center under “Personalized ads.”
Turn off the switch next to "Personalized ads."
After you identify the ad-serving app, uninstall it. Long-press the offending app and an uninstall option should appear. If it doesn’t, follow these steps:
Go to Settings.
Tap App management.
Tap the app and choose Uninstall, then OK.
If you had malware installed as a result of the ad-serving app or can’t find which app to delete, you might consider doing a factory reset to be safe. But be sure to back up any important files before taking this step.
Practicing Android app safety can keep your personal details private, and so can using some of the best privacy apps for Android. But these can’t stop pop-up ads. You’ll want a secure browser with an automatic ad-block feature to do this.
To keep other pop-up ads off your phone, you’ll also need to watch out for bogus apps. Here are tips to avoid Android pop-up ad-serving apps:
Read the reviews
Low ratings are a bad sign. Users will mention if the app has given them pop-ups or other troubles. Google usually takes care of apps that spread viruses, adware, or other malware, but sometimes malicious apps do slip through.
Read the description
A bare-bones description is a red flag, as well as misspellings or unprofessional language. If little care has gone into the app description, you should wonder how much the developers care about what happens to your phone.
Check the download count
If the app has a low download count, it could simply be a new release — or it could signal unreliability. High download counts are a sign that the app is trustworthy.
Check the permissions
Android permissions control the parts of your phone that apps have access to — including your photos, camera, and microphone. Read our guide to Android app permissions to steer clear of permissions that may allow pop-ups or grant access to your private info. Check the permissions before downloading an app and for any current apps you’re unsure of.
Review the Terms and Conditions
Sometimes apps trick you into consenting to ads or giving access to your data. Reading the fine print can let you know whether an app is legit or just trying to flood you with ads.
Research the developer
You can usually find out if a developer has a bad track record by doing a quick Google search. If a developer has a history of terrible apps that are little more than advertising services, it will come up on a search.
AVG Secure Browser blocks pop-ups as soon as you install it. AVG Secure Browser also blocks trackers so you can browse in private, worry-free. And it updates around the clock to stay on top of the latest threats. Browse quickly, anonymously, and pop-up free today with AVG Secure Browser.
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