35 more dangerous Android apps discovered by Bitdefender in Google Play Store

Bitdefender announces Android smartphone users that it has identified another 35 malicious apps in the Google Play Store. So if you happen to have one or more of these apps installed, it would be a good idea to uninstall them as soon as possible to ensure that the data stored on your device is safe, and that your devices are not attacked with various ads, or slowed down due to running ads in the background.

Unlike other apps that try to trick users by promising certain features but running other activities in the background, these apps aim to show lots of ads to users in order to increase their artificial ad revenue. It is thus “adware” rather than malware in the sense we usually encounter it.

The type of apps range from those that promise to provide access to wallpapers, to those that promise a better keyboard for emoji icons, to apps for GPS location or photo editing. Even QR code scanning apps can be dangerous, and some have such ads, Bitdefender warns. Incidentally, QR code apps shouldn’t even be necessary, as most default camera apps either have built-in QR readers or can quickly access Google Lens, which offers this feature.

Here’s the list of Android apps that Bitdefender encourages us to uninstall:

• Walls light – Wallpapers Pack
• Big Emoji – Keyboard
• Grad Wallpapers – 3D Backdrops
• Engine Wallpapers – Live & 3D
• Stock Wallpapers – 4K & HD
• EffectMania – Photo Editor
• Art Filter – Deep Photoeffect
• Fast Emoji Keyboard
• Create Sticker for Whatsapp
• Math Solver – Camera Helper
• Photopix Effects – Art Filter
• Led Theme – Colorful Keyboard
• Keyboard – Fun Emoji, Sticker
• Smart Wifi
• My GPS Location
• Image Warp Camera
• Art Girls Wallpaper HD
• Cat Simulator
• Smart QR Creator
• Colorize Old Photo
• GPS Location Finder
• Girls Art Wallpaper
• Smart QR Scanner
• GPS Location Maps
• Volume Control
• Secret Horoscope
• Smart GPS Location
• Animated Sticker Master
• Personality Charging Show
• Sleep Sounds
• QR Creator
• Media Volume Slider
• Secret Astrology
• Colorize Photos
• Phi 4K Wallpaper – Anime HD

Bitdefender’s recommendations for protecting yourself from such apps in the future are simple and easy to apply:

• Don’t install applications you don’t need
• Remember to delete apps you no longer use
• Be careful when apps with a high number of downloads don’t have reviews on the Play Store
• Watch out for apps that ask for special permissions, such as being able to display over other apps, or that ask for accessibility access
• Beware of apps that ask for permissions unrelated to promised functionality
• Always run a security solution in the background that can detect malicious behavior. Just because an app is downloaded from an official store doesn’t automatically mean it’s safe