• After 15+ years, we've made a big change: Android Forums is now Early Bird Club. Learn more here.

"Cheap Cars" app appeared on home screen. Virus? NEW TO ANDROID. help.

xnikki

Lurker
Nov 4, 2012
1
0
Hello. I realize there are multiple postings on this topic but none have helped me. I literally just got my phone yesterday. This is my first smart phone, I am brand new at this and still confused.

I have only downloaded the following apps: instagram, pandora, facebook, tumblr & a free live wallpaper..which im sure is the culprit. I've already uninstalled it.

Randomly a few hours I got a notification in my bar at the top that said "NO JOKE you have won 12,000 in gift cards" or some crap like that. I just hit the clear button and thought whatever. Then an icon appeared on my home screen that says "Cheap cars".

I have downloaded Airpush detector AND addons detector. Both have said that my phone has no push ad problems or whatever. Does my phone have some sort of virus? What do I do? It's BRAND new..ugh. And how can I prevent this in the future? :(
 
GooglePartnerSetup will cause notifications like that in your notification bar.

as for the app on your home screen, that sounds like an ad-push or ad-mob.

you should root and delete GooglePartnerSetup and GoogleFeeback from the /system/app/ folder for sure though. those apps are Google's way of pushing ads and keeping up with when you are sleeping (i say sleeping because it keeps up with when your phone is on the charger, which is usually when you are sleeping--and then when you get up you have an ad in your notification bar).
 
Upvote 0
I have GooglePartnerSetup on my phone and have never had one of those ads.

not an ad on the home screen but one in the notification bar (not necessarily cheap cars either--did you even read my post? probably not).

they can be semi-thwarted by using adblock or similar with that apk still installed, but i assure you it does produce those types of ads in the notification bar.

i was getting them on my zte merit running gingerbread until i deleted googlepartnersetup, and then they were gone.

just because you've never seen one doesn't mean it doesn't do it...
 
Upvote 0
Actually I did read your post, and meant that I have never seen such ads in my notifications.

It may be that removing that broke some service that was being used by the ad serving aps on your phone. A useful tip if so. That apk does not produce ads by itself though, or else everyone would get them all of the time.
 
Upvote 0
I have GooglePartnerSetup on my phone and have never had one of those ads.


Everyone has that Google Partner Setup process on their phone. ;)

Edit: From what I've been reading, Google Partner Setup is responsible for re-enabling certain apps after a reboot. Or if you keep killing certain apps, they keep coming back... it's due to that process. I could find no indication that it has something to do with pushing notifications to the notification bar (not saying it doesn't, just that I couldn't locate info on it doing so).
 
Upvote 0
Actually I did read your post, and meant that I have never seen such ads in my notifications.

It may be that removing that broke some service that was being used by the ad serving aps on your phone. A useful tip if so. That apk does not produce ads by itself though, or else everyone would get them all of the time.


well, i can't imagine what else would do it... unless it has something to do with subscribed feeds data that is stored in /data/data/

all i know is that it surely appeared to be the culprit on my phone after much searching and log hunting, and when it was removed i never had such ads again.
 
Upvote 0
As far as I know, on it's own Google doesn't push advertisements anywhere to the phone. 3rd party apps will do that when they use certain advertisement companies who use those sneaky tactics. You just have to be careful of the apps you install and diligently read more than one page of their reviews.

Nine times out of ten the ads to not get pushed immediately after the app is installed. From what I gather it could take quite some time before you see the first ad.



For those using AirPush Detector, Addons Detector, Lookout Ad Network Detector, AdAway etc.; if you're still seeing ads then pretty please report it to the app/host file developers. They can't update their apps to locate or block new push notifications unless you report them. ;)
 
  • Like
Reactions: Hadron
Upvote 0
As far as I know, on it's own Google doesn't push advertisements anywhere to the phone. 3rd party apps will do that when they use certain advertisement companies who use those sneaky tactics. You just have to be careful of the apps you install and diligently read more than one page of their reviews.

Nine times out of ten the ads to not get pushed immediately after the app is installed. From what I gather it could take quite some time before you see the first ad.



For those using AirPush Detector, Addons Detector, Lookout Ad Network Detector, AdAway etc.; if you're still seeing ads then pretty please report it to the app/host file developers. They can't update their apps to locate or block new push notifications unless you report them. ;)

you're not understanding me...

this was on a phone that had NO third party apps installed--only what came stock on the phone... that's how i know it was Google related...
 
Upvote 0
Are you saying Google is responsible for AirPush ads on your phone?

what i'm saying is there is no doubt that Google was responsible for the ads i was getting in my notification bar... i had no user apps installed, not one. it was completely stock system. when google partner setup and google feedback were removed, the ads stopped.


in all my investigating, those two apps were responsible for what i was experiencing--everyday after waking up and taking my phone off the charger there would be an ad in the notification bar--usually something like "you won a free ipad," "act now and get a free $500 walmart gift card," or "click now for your free tablet." without fail. never had any ads any other time. those two apps got removed, specifically google partner setup, and the ads stopped. simple as that.
 
Upvote 0
you're not understanding me...

this was on a phone that had NO third party apps installed--only what came stock on the phone... that's how i know it was Google related...

Let's see if we can figure this one out. Exactly what model phone and who is your carrier? Did you get the phone from the carrier?

what i'm saying is there is no doubt that Google was responsible for the ads i was getting in my notification bar... i had no user apps installed, not one. it was completely stock system. when google partner setup and google feedback were removed, the ads stopped.

Unfortunately that's a logical fallacy. It's similar to saying that if there was a bridge that was used by foxes to steal chickens and you blew up the bridge so the chicken theft stopped, the bridge was responsible.

in all my investigating, those two apps were responsible for what i was experiencing--everyday after waking up and taking my phone off the charger there would be an ad in the notification bar--usually something like "you won a free ipad," "act now and get a free $500 walmart gift card," or "click now for your free tablet." without fail. never had any ads any other time. those two apps got removed, specifically google partner setup, and the ads stopped. simple as that.

Google Partner Setup would most definitely provides a service to an app that allowed the ads to be delivered to your phone, but it wasn't the source. You just found a way to prevent them. Now, if disabling Google Partner Setup will have other consequences, I can't tell you.

What I can tell you is that I expect everyone to treat each other with respect and not get bent out of shape over this. We're here to help each other.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Petrah
Upvote 0

BEST TECH IN 2023

We've been tracking upcoming products and ranking the best tech since 2007. Thanks for trusting our opinion: we get rewarded through affiliate links that earn us a commission and we invite you to learn more about us.

Smartphones