Annoying Android adverts
 

For the last few days when I check my phone (Android 4.2) I often find a full screen advert has appeared on my home screen which I have close before I can do anything else. If I then check recent apps used via the home screen button, Google Firewall (which I never remember installing) shows up as the most recent so I'm wondering if this might be the cause as the adverts do seem to be linked to Google. I haven't downloaded anything new for ages so I'm assuming that if this isn't the case, one of my other apps has updated and this has brought with it these annoying adverts. Is there any easy way I can find out where they're originating from and either delete the source app or just stop the adverts appearing?

TIA as always.

Re: Annoying Android adverts
 

Never heard of Google Firewall.

Re: Annoying Android adverts
 

Uninstall it and find out, it will be coming from an app for sure.

Re: Annoying Android adverts
 

No such thing as Google Firewall. Sounds like spyware/adware.

Re: Annoying Android adverts
 

Re: Annoying Android adverts
 

Thanks guys.

Right, the app is called Gfirewall and there's another called GSearch both of which are using the Google 'G' symbol to make them look like they're official Google apps.

I have no idea where they came from but I did a search and found other people have this problem and these apps reinstall themselves when deleted. Anyone know how I can remove them permanently please?

Re: Annoying Android adverts
 

I found this on the Phandroid forum. No other feed back whether it works but it could be worth a try.
http://androidforums.com/android-app...gfirewall.html

Re: Annoying Android adverts
 

Thanks Jo I just found PlayStore (which also looked like the official Google app) and have stopped it. There was no option to uninstall it. I didn't install any of these things so can't think why this has just started happening. I've had the phone for quite a few months with no such issues before. :confused:

Re: Annoying Android adverts
 

I use AirPush Detector

https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...detector&hl=en

tell you which programs are dodge and lets you delete them

Re: Annoying Android adverts
 

That sounds like a good app for anyone operating on anything below 4.1 Hom3r. I wonder what it will pick up on Osem's Android 4.2? I'd be interested to find out.

Re: Annoying Android adverts
 

Thanks Homer. OK after a couple of days the adverts have just reappeared. Even though the suspect version of 'playstore' remains disabled, GSearch and GFirewall reappeared. I'd just uninstalled them again when I found the Airpush suggestion so have downloaded that anyway and run a scan. It reported nothing presumably because the 2 apps have gone for now. I'll wait until they reappear then try again and see what the result is and let you know.

Re: Annoying Android adverts
 

Do a hard reset to wipe the phone.

Re: Annoying Android adverts
 

Yikes that sounds a bit drastic. I guess that'd be my last resort however.

Re: Annoying Android adverts
 

You could try and read the reviews on apps you installed over at google play, people there with say if any proved dodgy.

Re: Annoying Android adverts
 

Things is I haven't downloaded any for quite a long time and these ads just started appearing less than a week ago. There are loads of apps I don't recognise on my phone so is there any way I can see when apps were actually downloaded?

There's a reference to a process 'com.zgs.gg.pack' in what little I have found about these apps but that means nothing to me.

Re: Annoying Android adverts
 

Wonder if Osem jnr has been installing games & stuff? that would be a clear way into your problems.

Considering Google Play will have been pre installed on your phone, why would you want or need to get another 'PlayStore' app thinking it's Googles. Additionally when I do a search for 'PlayStore' in Google Play, nothings there (hardly surprising, I wouldn't think Google would want competition for their app store IN their app store...) Neither could I find 'GSearch' or 'GFirewall' on Google Play. As these aren't on the official store, that leads me to this:

Do you have 'Install apps from Unknown Sources' checked in settings? if you don't know what you are doing, that's potentially a really bad idea as any old rubbish can then be installed.


Something else ringing huge alarm bells for me is the fact that you stated that you can't uninstall them, that's a bit WTF. I don't think in 3yrs of Android ownership I've ever not been able to uninstall anything that wasn't already pre installed.

I would be having a chat with anyone else in your family who can and does perhaps use your phone, and secondly I'd be doing a factory reset of your phone, unless you like having your data harvested, phone potentially compromised, anything you do visible, virus infected etc etc etc.

--

I found a GSearch on the alternative app store 'SlideMe' - do you have that installed too incidentally? because that app store isn't terribly well regarded for it's quality control, and some apps that Google refused on their store end up there)

Re: Annoying Android adverts
 

Hi and thanks for the reply.

Just to clarify nobody ever uses my phone except me. Osem Jnr has his own as does the wife. The GSearch and GFirewall apps can be uninstalled but reappear a few days later. It looks like the dubious PlayStore app came with the phone and all I can do is disable it (there's no uninstall option) which I have done and it still shows as disabled at the bottom of the apps list.

I'm not into phones in a big way and have hardly installed any apps since I got it months ago. I use it mainly for calls/texts/whatsapp, occasionally maps/ navigation and very occasionally looking at BBC news while I'm sat in the park or whatever. I installed Lookout AV as soon as I got it and have never had any alerts from that. I never access email on it or do any shopping, banking etc. All the apps I have installed came via the pukker GoogleStore.

The 'dodgy' app in question has a file size of only 680kb and only appears in the list of installed apps as 'Play Store' with the usual associated google image. There's no icon for it showing up on any of the app screens. The genuine one is 11.68 mb and appears in the apps list as 'Google Play Store' with the same small image. It also appears on one of the app screens as you'd expect but its name is reduced in size to just 'Play Store'.

I'm only assuming this app is what is responsible for GSearch and GFirewall appearing because someone on another forum had the same problem and it seems very odd that there are 2 stores on my phone, one of which clearly isn't functioning as the real thing.

Re: Annoying Android adverts
 

Yes the 'PlayStore' app seems to be the issue. Was it on the phone when you got it? was it a brand new phone? Is it a recognisable brand, or a Chinese knock off from ebay or similar?

Re: Annoying Android adverts
 

Yes a Chinese copy. Wife has the exact same phone from the same supplier but so such issues. Not sure if the dodgy playstore app was there when I got it as I probably wouldn't have noticed. Thankfully it only seems to be generating these annoying adverts. I've removed the other 2 apps. again and deleted the data/cache of the playstore app. which remains disabled so it'll be interesting to see if/when they reappear.

If they do I'll re-run the Airpush detector app again and see what it tells me. Is there anything else I can/should do?

TVM :tu:

Re: Annoying Android adverts
 

If that doesn't fix it, just save yourself the stress and go into the options and do a factory reset making the phone like new, just make sure you backup any photos etc that you want, your contacts should be saved already on your google account though.

Re: Annoying Android adverts
 

If you do factory reset, and you don't have a micro sd card on the phone, make sure you save anything you want to keep like songs/films/data first or it will all disappear when you reset. Any apps & google contact stuff will be linked to your google account and will be fine.

Re: Annoying Android adverts
 

Thanks guys. Will bear that in mind if I have to go down that route. If I do the first things I'll look for are these apps.

Re: Annoying Android adverts
 

Just discovered that GSearch reinstalled itself yesterday but GFirewall hasn't reappeared yet and neither have the annoying adverts for now.

I also found this on the Malwarebytes forum which relates to the item mentioned in Jo's post above (com.uucun4470.android.cms) and is linked to a dubious alternative Playstore.

https://forums.malwarebytes.org/inde...rojansmsagent/

Not sure what the above tells me however. Perhaps someone could translate... ;)

TIA

Re: Annoying Android adverts
 

It means other people have your problem to, it looks very much like your phone is to blame :(

Consider getting a moto g you can get one for £120 or so, and is a fantastic phone (I have one)

Re: Annoying Android adverts
 

Thing is I like the phone I have and it's dual sim which I love. If it amounts to putting up with some annoying Ads I'd be reluctant to ditch it just for that. If it's something more sinister then of course I'd reconsider. Given how long I've had the phone, I'm slightly reassured that searching hasn't yielded lots of reports linked to this issue. It can't be much of a threat if nobody is reporting it... or can it?... :erm:

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Have you tried Air Push Detector since the adverts reappeared Osem?

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It's not being reported much because I suspect most people have a branded phone, especially now you have cheap good phones like the moto g now.

Re: Annoying Android adverts
 

Yes and it shows nothing up.

Oddly although GSearch reappeared, GFirewall hasn't. Also I noticed that the dubious 'Playstore's' app. had some data on it despite being disabled so I've cleared all data and will check again to see if it stays that way.

@Techguyone

I take your point about these phones but loads of them are sold around the globe so if there'd been some sort of attempt to ship them with adware/malware, surely there'd be other reports of people finding this on the net.

I still don't know what 'com.uucun4470.android.cms' or 'com.zgs.gg.pack' relate to and whether they're part of the problem or not. Could it be that GSearch and GFirewall are nothing to do with the dubious 'Playstore' and have come from somewhere else.?

I checked back on Lookout 'recent activity' and found that these 2 apps first appeared on my phone a couple of weeks ago and it has only been since they did so that the adverts started. The only downloads it shows around the same time were updates to GooglePlayStore, Whatsapp and GooglePlayServices so it seems unlikely that they have anything to do with the 2 new apps.

I don't know if Lookout would list everything, however, so is there any way I can check to see when all my apps were downloaded and try to find out which one might have something to do with this issue?

I presume something else which got onto my phone somehow in the last few weeks could be causing these apps to download and if so where might that have come from and how would I go about finding and removing it? Would a reset get rid of something like that?

Thanks for the help guys it's much appreciated. :tu:

Re: Annoying Android adverts
 

Osem the Phandroid forum thread I linked to in my first post is still active so it may pay you to keep an eye open over there for any developments. The latest post talks about ditching android and going over to Ubuntu but I don't know whether that would be feasible, or attractive, for you to consider. Maybe the other guys could give their opinions of this option?

Re: Annoying Android adverts
 

Yes thanks Jo I will keep an eye on it because I'm certain I can't be the only one who's getting this issue.

TVM

Re: Annoying Android adverts
 

Is the phone on now?

Re: Annoying Android adverts
 

Sorry just seen this. Not sure why you're asking but it's never off.

The GFirewall app suddenly reappeared (after over a week) along with GSearch yesterday at 7pm. Quite by chance I discovered this about 15 mins later. I immediately checked the dubious Playstore app and found that it had no extra data stored at that point. In the past I've noticed that when the apps have reappeared the 'playstore' app seems to acquire data even though it's disabled. Guess I'm going to have to live with this...

Re: Annoying Android adverts
 

Oops! i meant to type is the phone OK now? lol.... must be because i did it on the tablet.

Are you still getting those full screen ads? If not then live with it or possibly just do that simple phone reset, although those ads may come back if they're built into the dodgy Chinese firmware.

Re: Annoying Android adverts
 

The ads stop when the 2 apps are removed but reappear shortly after they do.

http://www.bloglovin.com/viewer?post...click=0&user=0

Done a bit more searching and eventually found a few things of interest which seem to indicate these apps are associated with:

http://www.pandawillforum.com/showth...tphone-MTK6582

http://chinamobilemag.com/android-tr...ular-expected/

and this:

http://securelist.com/blog/virus-wat...pre-installed/

Re: Annoying Android adverts
 

Interesting links Osem. Seems that these built in apps are rife on Chinese mobiles. At least your's seem to be benign compared to some of the pre-installed apps out there.

Just a random thought but I wonder if an advert blocker would do anything to help.

http://getandroidstuff.com/5-best-ad...p-for-android/

Re: Annoying Android adverts
 

Yes it looks like it. I'm hoping the intimate details of my boring life will soon cause the eavesdroppers to commit suicide. :)

Might try an adblocker when I get time. TVM

Re: Annoying Android adverts
 

Can't you root it and then permanently remove these apps?

Re: Annoying Android adverts
 

I'm curious as to how much the chinese phones cost, The best value phone from the branded makes is the motorola G which you can pick up for around £120. I have one myself and can attest to its quality.

Unless the Chinese phones are like £50 or something I don't see the pint in getting, especially as the build quality & indeed the components within are likely to be, well... crap really.

Add to that they deliberately load as part of the ROM itself. Malware apps, and you really do need to be asking yourself why you'd want to walk that road.

Re: Annoying Android adverts
 

@ Bubblegum - I have no idea how to root a phone and would be concerned about bricking it.

@ Techguyone. Mine was around £80, 5.5 inch screen, dual sim, quad core and unlocked. I like the phone very much just not the 'freeware' it came with which of course I didn't know about at the time. lol

When I was looking, I checked out the Moto G and it was much more expensive, didn't have an SD card and wasn't dual sim both of which were features I wanted. Users were also reporting problems with their batteries after the 4.4 update which was the final straw.

Re: Annoying Android adverts
 

Well this is a Chinese phone for £229:
http://oneplus.net/uk/one#overview

Yet it has comparable specs to current £500+ 'name brand' models.

It's not about being cheap, it's about value for money.

Re: Annoying Android adverts
 

Just a thought... I have Lookout AV on my phone and I appreciate it can't do anything about what was loaded onto the phone back in China but it scans and accepts GSearch & GFirewall as safe even though we know they are some form of pernicious 'unwantedware' and they almost certainly contain permissions which could easily be abused in all sorts of ways and therefore represent a threat. That being the case, it seems to me that AV has a gaping hole in it. :confused:

Re: Annoying Android adverts
 

Rooting and flashing new ROMs are quite easy tasks. I think people are just put off by things they don't recognize. I'm not sure if rooting alone would rid you of this bloatware as its likely it's been implemented in the manufacturers version of the OS, quite like when you buy locked phones from British companies. With that said it's pretty likely that factory resetting the device will simply just reinstall the craps at some point. Rooting may provide a half fix otherwise. Flashing a new ROM would provide a full fix. Never dabbled with these phones so unaware if popular ROMs like CM 10.2/11 are available.

Re: Annoying Android adverts
 

If it gives you any reassurance about how doable it is Osem then I installed cyanogenmod on my phone last year.

There are vids on YouTube that show you how to do it and the cyanogenmod site has really detailed instructions and a forum that is only to happy to help you. The only thing I will admit was keeping my eyes closed at the end whilst I waited for the new ROM to finalise. :D

Installer

Installer forum area

Re: Annoying Android adverts
 

Re-flashing anything be it phone, router, BIOS or smart TV is always something of a buttock clenching moment. Just make sure that the power can't go absent during or it'll likely be bricked.

Depending on how the original software writers set up the boot loader program you may get a second chance.

Re: Annoying Android adverts
 

I must say I've never been into flashing. Far too risky... :D

Re: Annoying Android adverts
 

It really isn't. It's nearly impossible to break most manufacturers' phones by flashing, plus flashing is technically exactly same thing you do every time you download an app, update the system, or take a photo.

Re: Annoying Android adverts
 

I had a look at the links Jo supplied and couldn't follow the installer one at all. Got lost in all the steps and with the jargon which is double Dutch to me.

I seem to come up with an alternative 'solution' anyway. Disabling Wi-Fi seems to have done the trick since neither GSearch or GFirewall have reappeared since I did so. By way of a test, I'll switch it back on in a day or two if the phone is still clear and see what happens.

Re: Annoying Android adverts
 

The simplest thing that works gets a thumbs up from me. :) The only reason I messed with my phone was that it was a hand-me-down freebie from my son and he double dared me to have a go. :D

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Me too. I think that's the only way I'd try tbh Jo. That or if I had an expert sat right next to me able to help me make sense of all the options, choices, etc. which are required.

Re: Annoying Android adverts
 

From my first time on a now puny HTC wildfire, the bits I found difficult back then were rooting the device and putting CWM recovery (Clockwork recovery) on there. Flashing a new ROM was the easiest bit.

Always keeping a backup of the OS and even a fresh installation zip on an SD to flash from the boot menu is recommended.

Galaxy S2 S3 and S4 as well as an s3 mini, the wildfire and a HTC sensation flashed since. It's brought life to my S3 which is now basically my guinea pig.

I can't stand ads in apps so I can't bare to think of the annoyance you're having.

Re: Annoying Android adverts
 

TVM for the feedback Adzii. :tu:

Just by way of an update. Since disabling Wi-Fi I've found the apps have not reappeared. I reconnected Wi-Fi a couple of days ago and there have been no more ads. Fingers crossed they've gone for good.

Re: Annoying Android adverts
 

With many of the cheap Chinese phones, tablets, music players etc, the people who sell them usually get the rom images or firmware from a few well known chinese websites, that make/modify firmwares to work properly on the cheap copies. Think of them as a chinese xda-developers type forums, where someone will add extra features to existing firmware, which means those selling can add extra features to their marketing/selling pages.

The problem is that some of the popular chinese roms/firmware have been backdoored from the start by those offering them on the forums. As they are at such a low level they are not easily identified or got rid off.

The only real way to know for sure is to flash a trusted rom like Cyanogen and also the baseband.

Re: Annoying Android adverts
 

Nice explanation cheers.

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I have a Android phone & some apps has annoying adverts blocking most of my Android phones screen you have to buy the premium version that has no annoying adverts

Re: Annoying Android adverts
 

Just an update on this. I still have the phone and it's working fine. I disabled the android.cube preinstalled app which appears to be at the root of this issue but discovered it relaunches itself every time the phone is turned off/on. I now leave the phone on, avoid using it on Wi-Fi (because the rogue apps only appear via wi-fi) and stick to mobile data when I need it which isn't often. The problem hasn't reappeared.

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Basically crippling the internet on the phone with wifi off.

Is it an app you have installed?

Re: Annoying Android adverts
 

Having gone to a Samsung phone I now find that when I delete an app it stays deleted..unlike the previous two HTC phones.

Re: Annoying Android adverts
 

For many people it would be but I don't tend to use my phone to access the internet much. If I need internet when out and about, 1gb data for £5 pm is more than adequate.

The problem stems from preinstalled adware which can only be removed by rooting and that for me is more trouble than it's worth. If I did stuff like banking and shopping online by phone I'd definitely get a UK phone but for my limited use and apart from the pesky adverts the phone's been great.