Max boost phone clean / tap black tile

Forums › Android › Max boost phone clean / tap black tile - advertising virus?

gzt

17104 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#223730 14-Oct-2017 22:59

I installed several apps on my el-cheapo tablet recently on the same day.

Today every few minutes it pops up a full screen window saying virus detected (what a classic) and saying install something called Max boost phone clean. At the same time there is a window in the background called Max 'tap black tile'.

Is there any sensible way to remove this?

I will full reset in a few days but it's just not convenient right now..

bradstewart

4335 posts

Uber Geek

Retired Mod

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#1883670 14-Oct-2017 23:03

It will be part of one of those apps you installed. Go to Settings > Applications and start uninstalling the ones you recently installed.

Once you remove the offending app, the popups will disappear.

The following apps are know to have that embedded in them:

Touchpal
Xender
Kitty Play
Amber Weather
Z Camera
GO Weather Forecast & Widgets
Most GO apps

Just a short list of the common ones.

gzt

17104 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#1883672 14-Oct-2017 23:17

Go to Settings > Applications and start uninstalling the ones you recently installed.

I've removed those and a few more. The popups are continuing.

bradstewart

4335 posts

Uber Geek

Retired Mod

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#1883673 14-Oct-2017 23:25

The popups will definitely be be coming from an app. It might just be hiding away in the app list looking completely innocent.
Finding which one might be a mission though. The good thing is, you wont be able to uninstall any system apps, and any dodgy app won't be able to prevent itself from being uninstalled. So you might just have to check every app on the list and see whether or not it can be uninstalled.

Oblivian

7296 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

#1883675 14-Oct-2017 23:29

This has helped in the past. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.denper.addonsdetector

kyhwana2

2566 posts

Uber Geek

#1883685 15-Oct-2017 00:00

Note that if your device isn't up to date with Android security patches it's possible for malware to become persistent (via rooting/etc) to the point where uninstalling the offending apps won't help. In most cases you can do a full factory reset to get rid of it.

Dial111

978 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1883714 15-Oct-2017 09:57

A lot of cheap Chinese tablets come with preinstalled custom ROMs which also contain adware, if this is the case with your one then only option is to install a reputable ROM. But you may find nasty cheap tablets are rarely supported by devs.

My first step will be to confirm this by factory resetting and checking if any pop up, then I'd take it back and get a refund.

gzt

17104 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#1883764 15-Oct-2017 12:35

Oblivian:
This has helped in the past. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.denper.addonsdetector

That was useful for me. It showed 'tap black tile' in the system installed app list. I only looked in the store previously. The install date was the same day I installed a bunch of apps. It had an add-on called Facebook Audience. Tap black tile was misusing the add-on.

Somehow the app remained installed after uninstalling everything from the store.

Max boost clean whatever that might be is not implicated in this just one thing the misused add-on was advertising for click revenue.