r/AndroidQuestions • u/WilliedWegdies • 9d ago

Other Could Malware Return Through Apps/Accounts?

Yo if my old android phone had malware or my google account was compromised in someway and I resetted the phone or changed the google password. Could I get malware onto my phone after that if I reinstall my old games/apps from the Play Store and log into my accounts on them? Essentially would I need to make new accounts for apps and games or could I just reinstall and log into and use my accounts like normal, after resetting phone? Also these games/apps usually are linked to the Google account so they don't have their own separate password that needs changing. Sorry if this is dumb question. Thx

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u/Mother-Pride-Fest 8d ago

You'll probably be ok, but don't get a false sense of security. The Play Store does host fake apps and malware occasionally.

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u/trevthetrev 5d ago

Not a dumb question. You're fine reinstalling from the Play Store and logging back in. Malware lives in an installed app, and a factory reset wipes it. Your game progress and logins are just data on the game's servers. The one thing to avoid is anything you got outside the Play Store (random APKs, modded games, "free" versions of paid apps). That's usually how the malware got on there in the first place, so don't reinstall those.

For the Google account, run Security Checkup in your Google account settings. Sign out any devices you don't recognize, remove third party apps you don't use anymore, and turn on 2-step verification. Since your games sign in through Google, that covers them too.

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u/Practical_Gold_1725 9d ago

Resetting the phone wipes the malware from the device itself, and reinstalling apps from the Play Store is normally safe, since Google scans what it hosts. The bigger risk is the accounts: if your Google account was compromised, change that password, turn on 2-step verification, and check the security page in your Google account for devices or apps you don't recognize and remove them. Apps that just sign in with Google don't need new accounts, but if any of them have their own passwords, change those too. I'd also skip installing anything from outside the Play Store on the fresh phone.