How to Stop Apps from Automatically Downloading on Android

What to do if the random apps keep installing by themselves on Android devices? Learn how to stop apps from automatically downloading on Android phones.

Why is my Android phone downloading apps by itself? How to stop apps from automatically downloading on Android devices? Android users usually ask such questions when the random apps keep installing by themselves on their devices. Well, it seems strange but yes it’s true.

Occasionally, you might have also noticed while browsing the internet on your Android phone or visiting any untrusted website that the unwanted pop-ups start appearing on screen and random applications start downloading all of a sudden by itself.

As we all know that Google Play Store is the most legit way to install android apps and if we want to download and install any Android application on our smartphone, we have to specifically press the Install button when installing applications using the Play Store app.

how to stop apps from automatically downloading on android

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But in case you haven’t done anything (not visited Google Play Store app and especially not pressed any Install but) and still, random apps keep installing by themselves then you will feel really frustrated and insecure.

Internet services and software are greedy for clicks and sales, and they always try every possible way to get into the user’s device for various reasons. And when you install apps from non-play store or unknown sources, there is a high possibility that your smartphone will get affected by viruses and malware, and from time to time it will automatically download unwanted apps and .apk files for Android from different unknown sources.

There are many websites on the internet that have scripts running which lead to automatic downloading of apps on Android devices. Website owners make money as applications get downloaded and installed but it is very annoying for smartphone users.

Cool browser, iLocker, poker apps, Lucky try, Mobogame etc. are some of the well-known applications which get installed automatically on Android devices without permission and without the user’s knowledge.

If you are also one of those users who are wondering why is my android phone downloading apps by itself or why random apps keep installing on my android device and want to know how to stop unwanted apps downloading automatically on Android then you are at the right place.

Table of Contents:

How to Stop Apps from Automatically Downloading on Android

Since now you are familiar with the basic reasons for “why random apps keep installing by themselves on Android devices”, so now it’s time to dive into the solutions and find out how to prevent automatic unwanted downloads by apps on Android devices.

There are plenty of ways to resolve the automatic apps download problem and here we have listed some of the most effective procedures. You can try out these solutions one by one and troubleshoot the unwanted apps downloading automatically issue on your end.

So, without any further delay, let’s find out how to stop unwanted apps from automatically downloading on android phone or tablet:

Method 1: Block Installation of Apps from Unknown Sources

Enabling Unknown Sources will allow downloading and installation of applications from any website across the internet. You can disable this feature which will stop apps from downloading by themselves.

Follow the steps mentioned below and learn how to disable unknown sources on Android devices:

First of all, open Settings > Security on your Android device.
Now under the Security section, turn Off the Unknown sources option which says “Allow installation of apps from unknown sources“.

Next, simply tap on OK button to confirm the changes.

Disabling unknown sources on Android phone or tablet will stop installation of apps from sources other than the Play Store.

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Method 2: Delete Unwanted Apps

This is the most important solution which will help you to stop apps from downloading by themselves on Android phone and tablet.

Many adware and spam applications cling to famous applications which are safe and are downloaded by the users. The applications are installed in form of updates and the user thinks that these updates are for the genuine application which they have installed.

If you know any application which is showing similar behavior then you need to delete all those unwanted apps and then disable automatic app updates on your Android devices.

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Method 3: Disable Automatic App Updates

If you want to completely stop unwanted apps from automatically downloading on Android devices then you should disable auto-updates on the Google Play Store as well. Here’s how to disable automatic app updates in Android devices:

At first, open Play Store app on your Android device and then tap on the Menu icon.
Next, you need to tap on the Settings > Auto-update apps option.
Now select “Do not auto-update apps” option to disable automatic app updates on your Android device.

Once you have disabled automatic app updates on the Google Play Store, you can manually permit the installation of updates whenever you want. This way, nothing will be updated without your permission.

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Method 4: Revert to Stock Rom

Are you using a custom ROM on your android smartphone? If yes then this is also a good reason why you are experiencing the issue of random apps keep installing on your Android device automatically.

You need to get the default Stock ROM back which was available for your Android smartphone as it should fix the auto app download problem for you. Installing Stock ROM on your Android device will restrict the installation of third-party applications which we usually see with custom ROMs.

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Method 5: Log Out and Change Google Account Password

It might be also possible that your Google account has been compromised which is leading to the problem of random apps keep installing by themselves in the background without your knowledge.

As a safe practice, sign out of Google Account on your Android devices and then change the password.

Here’s how to log out of Google Account on Android smartphone and tablet:

First of all, open Settings and then tap on Accounts or Users & accounts option.
Next, tap on the Google account and select the Gmail account you wish to sign out from.
On the next screen, tap on the 3-dot Menu icon and then select Remove account option.

If the confirmation box appears then tap on the Remove account button to log out.

Once you have logged out of Google account on your Android device, change its password and login back in. As all the old sessions will get cleared, it should stop the installation of random applications on your Android device.

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Method 6: Restrict Background Data

Restricting background data is also one of the most helpful ways to prevent automatic unwanted downloads by apps on Android. All the malicious applications consume background data/WiFi connection to download apps automatically or upload your valuable data, logs, and passwords to hackers in the form of an image.

But if you restrict background data usage on your Android phone, the malicious apps won’t be able to download or upload on your phone silently in the background. Here’s how to restrict background data on Android devices:

First of all, open Settings and then tap on Data usage option.
Now select each app one by one and turn On “Restrict app background data” option.

Next, simply tap on OK button to confirm the changes.

Once you have restricted the background data, it will prevent automatic unwanted apps downloading on your Android smartphone and will allow only all those apps that you have allowed from the setting manually.

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Method 7: Disable Automatic Restore

Factory reset on Android is also a good option to consider if apps are getting automatically installed on Android devices. Factory reset will delete all the files and settings which you are having on your Android smartphone or tablet, so make sure that you are having a backup of your Android device.

But before you factory reset your Android phone, make sure that Automatic restore option is not enabled. Here’s how to turn off Automatic restore on Android devices:

At first, open Settings on your Android smartphone or tablet.
Now scroll down and tap on the Backup & reset option.
Next tap on Back up my data option and then switch the toggle to turn off the data backup.

If the confirmation box appears then tap on OK option to proceed.

Now you can factory reset your android device. And since the automatic restore is disabled, it would prevent all the unwanted apps from restoring after the factory reset. Thus, all the bad applications which were present earlier won’t be restored on your device.

Conclusion

So these are the few most useful solutions which will help you in order to stop unwanted apps downloading on android automatically. Although, disabling automatic app updates and disabling unknown sources should work in most cases. But we recommend you to try all these methods one by one and get rid of the problem of random apps keep installing by themselves on Android smartphone and tablet.

We hope this tutorial “How to Stop Apps from Automatically Downloading on Android” answered all your queries such as – Why is my Android phone downloading apps by itself? Why do random apps keep installing on my Android without my knowledge?

If you have any other better ways to prevent automatic unwanted downloads by apps on Android then feel free to share it with us through the comment section below.

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