If you’re still adjusting to how much that 30-baht noodle soup costs in back-home-money, real-time currency conversion app XE (iOS/Android) lets you make the calculation on the fly. The app appeared out of nowhere, and can only be located in the app store. It has permissions to my entire phone, there’s no app data. I will post screenshots or imgur 4yrs I still don’t know this place.. This isn’t an unknown app you can google it and find people saying it’s perfectly safe, and others reporting the demise of their phone.
Have you recently downloaded a mobile installer app in Chinese from the Play Store, only to find that it is wreaking havoc on your phone? You’re not alone. Many users have reported similar issues with this mysterious app that seems to be causing more harm than good.
They may offer imitations, but unless you can read Chinese, many of these will be useless to you. Additionally, without knowing how these marketplaces vet prospective apps, it’s difficult to know if what you’re downloading is really safe or not. This service keeps your internet traffic private using a combination of a kill switch, DNS and IPv6 leak protection, and 256-bit encryption. If you’d like, you can allow certain apps to pass through the VPN, or tell the app to connect automatically any time you use a public wifi network.
Similar to Google Play Store, the 360 Mobile Assistant offers users a huge listing of available apps to download/install. Previously, the app was known as Qihoo 360, but after gaining in popularity – it became the 360 Mobile Assistant. You’ll most likely want to go into your phone settings and wipe the Google Play Store cache and data. Sometimes, updates can cause finicky stuff with old cached files. You can follow our Google Play Store troubleshooting guide to figure things out. The government in China is extremely strict about what it allows citizens to access online, and it specifically blocks hundreds of Western services.
The Problem: The mobile installer app in question appears to be malware disguised as a legitimate tool for installing applications on your device. Once downloaded and installed, it starts running in the background and consuming an excessive amount of resources, leading to slow performance, overheating, and rapid battery drain.
There are a lot of versions of the Google Play Store, and some are even for other devices like Android TV or Wear OS. If the installation doesn’t work, double-check that you have the correct APK version and that you have the version that supports your device. The first (and most obvious) issue is that these app stores likely won’t have the apps you want.
Generally speaking, it should be up to date all the time since it does update in the background. The simplest way to update the Google Play Store is to launch the Google Play Store, tap on your profile icon, and select Settings. For an in-depth look at accessing and using VPNs in China, you should check out our VPNs in China guide.
An especially valuable tool during April’s New Year celebration, Songkran, when people douse each other with water, so you can easily find— or avoid—the wet spots. Tom Bedford was deputy phones editor on TechRadar until late 2022, having worked his way up from staff writer. Though he specialized in phones and tablets, he also took on other tech like electric scooters, smartwatches, fitness, mobile gaming and more.
The Consequences: Users who have fallen victim to this malicious app have found their phones practically unusable due to constant lagging and freezing. Some have even reported data breaches and unauthorized access to sensitive information stored on their devices.
The Solution: If you suspect that the mobile installer app in Chinese is causing problems on your phone, the best course of action is to immediately uninstall it and perform a thorough scan with a reputable antivirus program. Additionally, be cautious when downloading apps from third-party sources and always read reviews before installing any unfamiliar applications.
Hotspot Shield deletes all personally identifiable data when your session ends, so there’s no chance of having your activities traced back to you. NordVPN provides apps for Linux, MacOS, Windows, Android, and iOS devices. This service can also be manually installed on select internet routers. As Huawei and Honor’s most recent devices have not been run through this process, any side-loaded Google apps may perform unreliably, and they may not get updated which could cause security issues further down the line.
Protecting Your Device: To prevent future incidents of malware infiltration, consider enabling security features such as app permission controls, automatic software updates, and regular backups of your data. Stay vigilant and stay informed to keep your phone safe from potential threats.
