Can my iPhone get a virus? It’s a question you’ve probably asked yourself before, but you may not have ever known the answer. The short answer is that your iPhone actually can get a virus.
Luckily for you, if you only visit the App Store, the chances of that happening are rare and it’s extremely unlikely that it’s going to happen to you. Still, it’s something that you’ll want to be on the lookout for and it’s something you may want to at least scan for periodically.
If you didn’t even know that your iPhone could get a virus you probably don’t know how to do the scan, right? We’re here to help with this helpful article on how to scan an iPhone for viruses.
Signs of an iPhone Virus
Like with Android devices or similar mobile devices, there are several different problems that can signal a virus and place your personal data at risk. The first thing you may notice is a spike in data that’s being used on your device. That’s because the device is infected with a virus that is always running, even when you’re not doing anything at all.
Another possibility is an app that seems to crash constantly. This could be a sign of a virus or a potential problem that you should look into. While apps (even those from the App Store) will crash once in a while, they definitely don’t do it frequently. Check for updates or problems with the app and then consider a virus as a potential problem.
Your phone bill increasing can also be a sign of something going on in the background of your phone. Viruses or other types of malware could affect what your phone is doing without your permission. As a result, they can corrupt security, send texts, delete text messages, make calls and a number of other things, increasing your bill.
Finally, you may notice that apps have appeared that you didn’t download on your device from the App Store. These apps could be a sign of something happening that you didn’t authorize. Make sure that you never open anything that you believe you didn’t install. Quickly delete it and check for another way to remove a potential virus.
Recovering from an iPhone Virus
If you notice a problem with your iPhone you should first take a look at any of the apps you may have. Chances are that the apps are the problem and may have some type of bug or even has malware. Updating the app may fix the problem or you may have to delete it. Either way, this is generally going to take care of things and you likely won’t notice any further problems. But there is the chance that you could have a bigger issue.
If your device is jailbroken and you think that your phone does have a virus you should start by deleting any apps that you think may have been infected. With Android, an infected app can continue to cause problems for your device as long as it’s left on the phone, and this can work in the same way on an iPhone. Removing it puts a stop to the continued infection. But there’s a whole lot more than you can continue to do in order to remove the virus entirely and get your device back.
The second step is to look for a backup of your device that doesn’t have any kind of corruption or malicious apps hidden away. If you have an iPhone or any other Apple device, it will continue to automatically back up all of your data and settings every week. Hopefully, you realize that there is a problem before your device saves a new backup. If you don’t, there are ways to get access to older versions and older backups of the device.
Look for a backup that happened before the infection and restore your device from that. If you can’t find an uncorrupted backup you may have to save your data as best you can and restore your phone entirely using the factory settings. If you have a serious infection on the device, this may be the only option. However, it’s something you’ll want to save as a last resort. After all, if you have to restore entirely to nothing you could lose a lot of your information in the process.
Scanning for iPhone Viruses
There are actually only a few iPhone antivirus programs on the market because there are virtually no viruses found on them at this point in time. Luckily, the programs that are available are top-notch and will give you the confidence you want in knowing your iPhone is protected.
You’ll be able to get rid of the virus, if you find one, and get your phone back the way you want it to be. It can be difficult to find a problem with these devices, but if you have a jailbroken iPhone, it’s crucial that you keep track of everything you do.