8 signs that suggest your Android smartphone is ‘hacked’

The popularity of Android phones also make them a favourite target of hackers and cybercriminals. They are forever on the lookout for gullible users to either make them download malicious apps or click on infected URLs. Also, there are third-party APK files that can easily attract unwanted ads or content that you have not subscribed to. Here are 8 signs that suggest that your Android smartphone may have been ‘hacked’.

Note: Hacking here means the presence of a dangerous app, malware, spyware or programs that can steal your banking data, serve infected links and do other harm to your smartphone.

If you suddenly see that there is an increased number of ads popping up on your phone screen from unknown sources then there is a possibility that your smartphone may have malware infection.

If you see an app (or apps) on your phone that you have not installed and it has got installed on its own then this too is a sign of malware attack.

Another action that should alert you is the icon of the app that you just downloaded disappears. There are chances that it's an infected app that is hiding from the homescreen.

If you suddenly witness that the battery of your phone goes down from 100% to 10% within two to three hours this too points to a likely malware infection.

If you are seeing missed calls or calls from unknown international numbers quite frequently then you need to stay alert and get your phone checked.

Despite having unlimited daily data packs, if you are running out of data on moderate usage then your phone may be infected.

If apps are constantly crashing and suddenly if you are unable to update apps then there could be a malware infection.

If your phone suddenly gets too slow to use, maybe it's time to get it checked.