How to Remove Malware From iPhone – 9 Effective Methods

Here you will find the top effective step-by-step methods with screenshots to remove malware from the iPhone: 

This article tells you about the methods that can help you remove malware from the iPhone, the precautionary measures that you should adopt, in order to avoid any threat to your device, and ways to detect the presence of any malware in your device.

Malware, or “Malicious Software”, as the name suggests, is dangerous software, which is designed to be put in a device, in order to cause some sort of harm to it, or to extract some personal information.

They can be extremely harmful if not taken seriously.

Remove Malware from iPhone

How Does Malware Get Inside Your iPhone

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Since malware is dangerous to any device, everyone wants to safeguard their devices from them. But a question arises: how does this malware get inside your personal device when no one else has used it?

The answer to this question is here: There are many ways through which a virus or malware can enter your device.

Some of them are as follows:

1. You had ‘Jailbroken’ your device when you wanted to download something that is not available in the App Store.
2. Connecting to unsafe Wi-Fi networks can sometimes cause serious problems.
3. Opening a phishing link or website can also be dangerous.

Since iPhones are known for their security, it is difficult for malware to enter your iOS device, but it is still possible, so you should become alert if you encounter any sign that indicates any danger to your device.

Recommended Tools

#1) TotalAV Antivirus

Best for Real-time threat detection and elimination.

TotalAV Antivirus is a powerful feature-packed tool that can easily identify malware and other types of threats. Its real-time monitoring capabilities make it suitable for eliminating malware, Trojan, and virus threats before they can do any severe harm to your system.

The tool allows you to set-up scheduled scans that are triggered at your specified date and time to ensure your system is malware-free at all times. Besides this, TotalAV Antivirus is also great at cleaning browser history, junk, and duplicate files to optimize PC performance.

Features:

• PUA Protection
• Phishing Scam Protection
• Ransomware Protection
• Smart Scheduled Scans
• Zero-Day cloud scanning

Price: Free plan for basic scanning only, Pro plan: $19 for 3 devices, Internet Security: $39 for 5 devices, Total Security: $49 for 8 devices.

#2) AVG

Best for real-time scanning.

AVG is a powerful and robust cross-compatible antivirus solution. The software is capable of detecting and neutralizing the newest and advanced viruses, malware, ransomware, and other such threats. The software scans systems round the clock to detect and block threats in real-time. The software keeps updating itself regularly.

So you can rest assured of being safe from all sorts of threats 24/7. The software is also great at blocking all remote attacks. With its premium plans, you’ll also be able to strengthen your system’s firewall to keep hackers at bay. The software is also quite effective at blocking spams and phishing emails.

Features:

• Virus and malware blocking
• Ransomware protection
• VPN Network security
• Block fake and unsafe products

Price: The tool is available to use for free. For added internet protection, you’ll need to pay $3.89/month to secure 1 mobile device.

How Do You Know Your iPhone Has Malware?

There are certain signs that indicate the presence of some sort of malware in your device.

Some of those indicators are:

• Your battery is draining faster than normal.
• Your phone is behaving abnormally.
• You find fishy apps installed on your device, automatically.
• Your device is getting heated up too quickly.
• Your device may show you some kind of warning message.
• Increase in data usage.
• There may be an appearance of some calls or text messages you did not send.

Further Reading => Simple Guide on How to Completely Uninstall or Delete Apps on Mac

Remove Malware From iPhone: Methods

If you think your iPhone has some sort of malware, and you are searching for ways how to remove malware from the iPhone, then you are at the right place.

Here we have listed some ways through which you can remove malware from iPhone:

#1) Restart Your Phone

The first thing you must do if your phone behaves abnormally is just ‘Restart’ your phone. If it is merely a bug and not a big issue, your phone will most probably start working well again.

To Restart your iPhone, follow these steps:

• Press and hold the Power button until you see ‘Slide to Power Off’ written on your screen

• Slide right. (Your phone gets switched off).
• Then Restart the phone by pressing and holding the Power button again.

#2) Delete Apps Downloaded From Outside App Store

If you had downloaded any suspicious app from outside the App Store, then there are chances it is harmful to your device. Try deleting the app, then restart the device.

For deleting an app on your iPhone, follow these steps:

• Press and hold the icon of that specific app (that you want to delete) until you see a box pop up, which will show you the options to remove the app, share the app, etc.

• Select the option to REMOVE the app, then click on ‘Delete App’.

#3) Delete Suspicious Apps

If you see any apps on your device that you haven’t downloaded, then you should delete them instantly. They may be spyware or some other kind of threat to your device, being put in it intentionally, through a spam email, or any other method.

Further Reading => Simple ways to Unlock a Disabled iPhone

#4) Check Permissions Asked By Each App On Your Device

You should avoid installing apps that ask for unnecessary permissions.

You can easily check for the permissions given to each app by following these steps:

• Go to Settings.
• Scroll down until you see the list of downloaded apps on your device.

• Click on any app and you will see a list of permissions given to that particular app.

#5) Clear Your Browsing History

To clear your data history, follow these steps:

• Go to Settings.
• Click on ‘Safari’.

• Click on Clear History and Website Data.

#6) Clear Your Data Until Previous Backup & See If It Works

You can also try earlier backups to get your phone working normally back again. If you had done a backup before your phone got the malware, then you can get your phone back to normal, after restoring it to the Backup.

To restore your phone to a previous backup, follow these steps:

• Go to ‘Settings’ on your phone, then tap the ‘General’ option.

• Click on ‘Transfer or Reset’.

• Select the option of Erase All Content and Settings.
• Click on Backup Then Erase.
• Your iPhone will show you the ‘Apps and Data’ screen. Click on ‘Restore from iCloud Backup’.
• Sign in to your iCloud account and then select the Backup that you think would solve the issue.

#7) Update iOS Version

Many times, our phones behave abnormally and we do not understand the reason. And we eventually find the reason to be the need to update the iOS version. So you should look if any updated version is available.

• For updating your iPhone, Go to Settings.
• Then Click on ‘General’.
• Then Tap on ‘Software Update’.

Then just follow the instructions for entering your Face/Touch ID or PIN.

#8) Reset To Factory Settings

If anything of the above doesn’t work, then the last option is to Clear/Erase everything from your phone.

In order to erase all the content from your phone, follow these steps:

• Go to ‘Settings’.
• Click on ‘General’.
• Select the ‘Reset’ option.
• Click on Erase All Content and Settings.

• Enter Password.
• Tap on ‘Erase’.

#9) Install iOS Security Software or Anti-malware Software

There is some software that helps you in maintaining the security of your iPhone and keep your phone safe from malware. They can be easily downloaded from the App Store.

Some of the best software for the security of your iPhone are:

• Avira Antivirus
• Bitdefender
• McAfee
• Norton360
• Avast Security and Privacy

Avoid Threat To iPhone

Precautions that should be taken, in order to avoid any threats to your iPhone

Getting a virus or malware inside your iPhone and then having to delete all of your essential files from the device, in order to get it working well again, can be very painful.

Thus, you should be very careful and always take proper precautionary measures, if you want your iPhone to remain free from any such dangers.

Following precautions should be taken to avoid any threats to your iPhone:

1. You should download apps from the App Store only.
2. Do not click on any suspicious links.
3. Do not open any spam messages or emails.
4. You should look for the number of downloads and the reviews of an app, before downloading it from the App Store. Apps having a huge number of downloads and good customer reviews are less likely to be troublesome.
5. You should also look for the permissions asked by an app, before downloading it. Apps asking for unnecessary permissions should be avoided.
6. Update your phone and your apps regularly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q #1) How can I check my iPhone for malware?

Answer: iPhones rarely get malware or viruses. But, if you are having some problems with your iPhone lately, then there are chances that it may have caught malware.

To check your iPhone for malware, look for the following signs:

• Is your phone getting heated up too quickly?
• Is your phone battery draining too fast?
• Is your phone showing you notifications of some sort of a warning?
• Have you noticed any app/apps on your device that you did not install?

Or any kind of abnormal behavior by your device can indicate the presence of some malware.

Q #2) Does resetting your phone remove spyware?

Answer: Resetting the phone or clearing all the data will most probably remove any spyware, malware, or virus available on your device.

But it should be the last option. First, try deleting unwanted apps and the apps that ask for access to your personal information, then try restoring your device to a previous backup. If all of this doesn’t work, then the last option is to do a factory reset.

Q #3) Can an iPhone be infected with malware?

Answer: Yes, an iPhone can be hacked or infected with malware or even spyware. If you are looking for ways how to remove malware from iPhone 6, iPhone 7, iPhone 8, etc., then you can follow these steps:

1. Look for any suspicious app available on your device, delete instantly if found.
2. Try restoring your device to a previous backup and check whether it works or not.
3. Always delete any suspicious text messages or emails instantly.
4. If anything doesn’t work, clear all the data from your phone. This will most probably remove all sorts of malware from your device. (Remember to back up your device before doing a factory reset).

Q #4) Can your iPhone camera spy on you?

Answer: It has been found in the past that a hacker named Ryan Pickren had discovered a trick to hack iPhone cameras.

But thankfully, Apple has innovated a security mechanism that does not allow any app to have access to the camera when that specific app is running in the background. Apps that need permissions to access the camera can only ‘spy’ on you when these apps are in active use.

Q #5) How do I remove malware from my iPhone?

Answer: If your iPhone has got malware, follow these steps to remove it:

• First, if you had downloaded an app from a third party, i.e., from outside the App Store, then immediately delete that app. There are high chances that it is creating the problem.
• Check for any app existing in your device that you did not install. It may be a threat to your privacy and to your device.
• If there is any spam/suspicious message on your device, delete it.
• Try restoring your device to a previous backup.
• If all the above options don’t work, then go for the factory reset option.

Conclusion

Malware can be extremely dangerous. Thus, it is important that you take precautionary measures to avoid one.

Some experts even say that you should keep the cameras of your devices covered up all the time and open only when needed. This suggests the chances of being spied through your phone’s or laptop’s camera.

Apart from this, there are innumerable ways through which a virus or any kind of threat can enter your device, for example, by clicking on a suspicious link, or even by opening a spam message or email!

Even after following the measures, if your device gets malware, then you can go for removing the malware, all by yourself, by following certain steps, like deleting apps downloaded from third parties, resetting the phone to a previous backup, etc.