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How do I stop pop-up ads on my Android phone?

By the AndroidAnswers Editorial Team · Updated

About 6 minutes · Apps & Play Store

Steps written for Android 16 and 17, including Samsung One UI 8 and 9, Google Pixel, and Motorola. Menu names can vary a little by model and carrier.

Illustration of a phone showing a blank pop-up window with a close mark, with a magnifying glass on one side and a shield with a check mark on the other

Pop-up ads that show up on your home screen, lock screen, or every time you open an app usually come from one app you installed. Restart in safe mode to check, then uninstall recent or unfamiliar apps one at a time. Run a Play Protect scan, and turn off pop-ups and site notifications in your browser.

Steps to check

Show steps for:

  1. Do not tap the ad, and notice where it shows up

    Close the ad with its X or the Back button, and do not tap anything inside it, even if it says your phone has a virus. Google warns that pop-up ads that won't go away and alerts about a virus or an infected device are common signs of unwanted software. Then notice where the ads appear. Ads inside one free app or game, while you are using it, come from that app. Ads in your web browser usually come from websites. Ads on the home screen, on the lock screen, or over every app you open usually come from an app installed on the phone, and the next steps find it.

  2. If the ad arrives as a notification, find out which app sent it

    Some ads arrive as notifications at the top of the screen. Swipe down to see it, then touch and hold the notification. Your phone shows the name of the app or website that sent it and lets you turn off its notifications. If it names an app you do not recognize, keep a note of it for the uninstall step below. If it names a website, the browser step below stops it.

  3. Restart in safe mode to see if an app is the cause

    Safe mode starts your phone with only the apps it came with, so downloaded apps cannot run. If the ads stop in safe mode, a downloaded app is almost certainly the cause. Safe mode can remove some home screen widgets, so take a screenshot of your home screen first if you want to put them back later. To leave safe mode, simply restart the phone.

    • Samsung Press and hold the Side and Volume down buttons together (or swipe down and tap the Power icon), touch and hold Power off, then tap Safe mode. "Safe mode" appears at the bottom left.
    • Pixel Pixel 6 and later: press and hold the Power and Volume up buttons, then touch and hold Power off or Restart and tap OK. Pixel 5a and earlier: press and hold Power, then touch and hold Power off. Safe mode also turns on Airplane mode, so turn that off if you need Wi-Fi or calls.

  4. Uninstall recent or unfamiliar apps, one at a time

    Open Settings, then Apps, and look through the list for apps you do not remember installing, apps installed around the time the ads started, and apps with blank or random-looking names. Motorola's support page lists app launchers, app cleaners, antivirus apps, and PDF readers as examples worth checking. Tap the app, then tap Uninstall. Remove one app, restart the phone normally, and see whether the ads stop before you remove the next. Keep a list, so you can reinstall any app that turns out to be fine from the Play Store. On Motorola phones, if you find an unfamiliar home screen (launcher) app, first go to Settings, Apps, Default apps, Home app and pick Moto App Launcher, then uninstall the other one.

    • Samsung You can also touch and hold the app's icon and tap Uninstall. Samsung suggests starting with apps that were updated or installed when the problem started.

  5. Take away permission to appear on top of other apps

    Some apps get permission to draw on top of whatever you are using, which is how an ad can cover another app. Only apps you trust, such as a messaging app's chat bubbles, need this. Names differ by phone, so if you cannot find it, open Settings and search for "on top" or "over other apps".

    • Samsung Settings → Apps → More options (three dots) → Special access → Appear on top. Turn off the switch for any app you do not recognize or trust.

  6. Run a Google Play Protect scan

    Play Protect is Google's built-in safety check for apps, and it is on by default. It can warn you about harmful apps, turn them off, or remove them. Open the Google Play Store app, tap your profile picture at the top right, then tap Play Protect. Tap Scan and wait for it to finish. If it finds anything, follow the steps on the screen to remove it. While you are there, tap Settings and make sure Scan apps with Play Protect is on.

    • Samsung Samsung also has its own scan: Settings → Security and privacy → App security → App protection → Scan phone. Auto Blocker (Settings → Security and privacy → Auto Blocker) adds more protection against harmful apps. App protection may not be on every model.

  7. Stop pop-ups and site notifications in your browser

    Chrome blocks pop-ups by default, but a website you once allowed to send notifications can keep sending ads. In Chrome, tap More (three dots), then Settings, then Site settings. Tap Pop-ups and redirects and make sure it is turned off. Go back, tap Notifications, and turn off notifications for any site you do not want, or choose not to let sites send notifications at all. On Motorola phones, the same Chrome steps are what Motorola recommends.

    • Samsung If you use Samsung Internet, tap Menu (three lines) → Ad blockers, choose one, and tap the Download icon to add it.

  8. If the ads still will not stop

    If you have removed every app you do not recognize and the ads continue, Samsung's last step is a factory data reset, which erases all apps and data from the phone. Back up your photos, contacts, and messages first, and only restore apps you know and trust afterward. A phone shop or your phone maker's support can also help you look before you go that far.

Normal vs. not

Usually normal

Ads inside a free app or game while you are using it, or a single ad on a website, which Chrome usually blocks or lets you close.

Worth a closer look

Full-screen ads every time you open any app, ads on the home or lock screen, warnings that your phone is infected, or apps you never installed showing up in your app list. These point to an app that needs to be removed.

What people are saying

Common questions

Do I need to install an antivirus or cleaner app?
Usually not. Google Play Protect is built into phones with the Play Store and is on by default. Motorola's support page lists app cleaners and antivirus apps among the unfamiliar apps to check when pop-up ads start, so be careful about adding more of them.
A pop-up says my phone has a virus. Should I tap it?
No. Close it or press Back. Google lists unexpected virus warnings as a sign of unwanted software, and Samsung advises not to tap pop-up ads. If you are worried, run a Play Protect scan from the Play Store instead.
Can I stop ads inside a free app or game?
Not from your phone's settings. Those ads are part of the app. Check the app's own settings, see if it offers an ad-free version, or uninstall it if the ads are too much.
Will a factory reset get rid of the ads?
It removes every installed app, including the one causing the ads, but it also erases your data. Try safe mode and uninstalling apps first, and back everything up before a reset.

Sources we checked

Menu names can differ by phone brand and Android version. See our editorial policy for how we check steps.