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How To Get Rid Of Virus On iPhone

Reviewed By: Kevin Pocock

Last Updated on July 15, 2024
How To Get Rid Of Virus On iPhone
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iPhone viruses can still occur even if they are not common. There are various ways in which they can reach our phones, but most of the time it is not our fault. 

Hackers are clever people who frequently discover new ways to attack computers and other technology. You may face the risk of contracting a virus by accessing dangerous links or downloading suspicious software. Hackers commonly use iMessage to infect your iPhone. You may get a message alerting you to an urgent situation and urging you to tap on a link in order to fix a problem. Your phone is vulnerable to whatever is on the other end when you do, and it’s virtually never good.

If you think your iPhone may be infected with a virus, we’ll teach you how to remove viruses from your phone, clear it from virus threats, and talk about various apps that can keep your iPhone safe.

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Signs of iPhone Viruses

It is simple to identify if your phone is infected since it will act differently than usual if it has a virus or another sort of iPhone malware. Check your iPhone for viruses by scanning it and looking for these iOS malware and virus symptoms:

  • Unexpected app crashes
  • Unfamiliar apps on your iPhone
  • Popups appearing on Safari
  • Unrecognized charges on your account
  • Device is jailbroken
  • A draining battery
  • High data usage
  • A persistently hot phone

Delete Suspicious Apps

Verify all the apps on your phone and notice if there is something unusual. Do you remember downloading all, and do you use them frequently enough to keep them on hand?

When they are installed, apps come with several files linked to them. Once uninstalled, these apps also delete the imported files. Removing them will also get rid of viruses and malware that are currently infecting your phone. 

Restarting your iPhone

Restarting your iPhone is the easiest thing you can do. You must hold the power button on the side of your iPhone in order to restart it. Hold down the Power button for a short period of time until the “Slide to Power Off” notification shows on your screen.

Your iPhone will turn off when you slide the slider to the right. You can proceed to the last step after it has been entirely shut off. To restart your iPhone, press the Power button once more. If restarting doesn’t help, keep trying these other methods.

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Update iOS

Hackers will always target phones that have an out-of-date iOS version. These devices are easier to infect with a virus, and numerous types of malware are specifically designed for older models. But Apple releases security fixes in their iOS software updates. 

It is recommended to update your software every time a new version gets released. This will prevent security breaches in the future and keep you protected from viruses. 

Here’s how to do it:

Step

1

Open settings

Open settings and click on “General”

Step

2

Software update

Tap on “software update”

Step

3

Install

Get the latest update by downloading and installing it. Your device will resume eventually, but this may take a few minutes.

Clear your iPhone’s browsing history and data

Try cleaning the history and data from your browser if you believe that your iPhone may have picked up a virus by clicking an infected link on a doubtful website. 

Follow these steps to clear your browser history on Safari:

Step

1

Open settings

Open settings and click on Safari.

Step

2

Select website data

Tap “Clear History” and “Website Data”.

Step

3

Clear history and data

Tap “Clear History” and “Data” after that.

Any malware that you might have downloaded onto your iPhone by clicking on a suspicious link or going to a website that is infected should be removed by clearing the browsing history on your iPhone.

Now Read: How To Clear Cookies On iPhone

Install an Anti-Virus App

Numerous apps are available that can shield your iPhone from malware and viruses. There are other no-cost options accessible. An antivirus app not only finds malicious applications and programs, but it also effectively removes them, protecting your device from serious issues or even losing important data. 

A good antivirus tool should be simple to use, have frequent updates, utilize little CPU power and be able to run without interruption in the background.

Use an iCloud backup to go back to a previous version

There is another method you should do if you’ve tried everything and are still encountering suspicious symptoms like unauthorized downloads, unauthorized account charges, frequent crashes, etc.

With the help of your iCloud backup, which is normally turned on during setup, you can restore your Apple device to a previous version. Because it’s one of the only methods to actually be sure you’ve eliminated the virus, this is a great method.

To begin, follow the steps below:

Step

1

Head to settings

Access “Settings” and choose “General”. 

Step

2

Tap Transfer or Reset iPhone

Find “Transfer” or “Reset iPhone” in the list of options and click it.

Step

3

Erase all content

Select “Erase All Content”. Follow the directions, but avoid starting a fresh iCloud Backup. 

Step

4

Erase now

Choose “Erase Now” on this page since the goal is to return to a backup done before any malware was downloaded.

When the deleting process is complete, your iPhone will ask you to set up again and give you the option to restore from an iCloud backup. If you select this, your device will go back to the previous version. 

This step will reset your iPhone to factory settings and wipe off all of your data if you don’t have an iCloud backup. It’s a good idea to only use this method if you’ve tried all other options and nothing else is working.

Conclusion

Although malware and viruses can be annoying, there are ways to get rid of them from your iPhone. You may quickly and easily get rid of dangerous software by using the methods in this article. 

In order to make sure you never encounter an incident like this in the first place, keep your iPhone updated, frequently delete your browser data and history, do not click on unverified links, and download all of your apps from the App Store. Moreover, it’s a good idea not to use public networks. 

Si Yan contributed to PC Guide in 2022 and supported with content creation. Previously working at a major electronics company, she brought her knowledge of consumer tech to the site.