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 Unknown app auto-installed?

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post Nov 14 2024, 07:10 PM, updated 2y ago

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Today I found some weird apps in my mom's tablet. One is a game, two idiom apps in Chinese and another one is some kind of loan money app...

The only thing she does with the tablet is surf YouTube. Is it possible those things came from accidental clicks on the ads there? I tried poking around the YouTube on her tablet but couldn't find any ads to test. I'm sure I've seen those around before, but they never appear when I want it to. I don't use the app myself, since I prefer desktop PC so I'm not 100% sure on that.

Can anyone shed some light on this? She doesn't surf the play store so I'm sure she didn't install it herself. All she does is YouTube.
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post Nov 14 2024, 08:45 PM

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My bad, its a Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0" 2019.
Android 11, Google Play system update 1 May 2023

There is a "Install unknown apps" setting under "Security" but everything there is "Not allowed" which I assume means those apps are not allowed to install apps. YouTube is not on the list though. It only has these:

Chrome
Drive
Email
Galaxy Store
Gmail
Messages
My Files
Samsung Cloud
Samsung Internet
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post Nov 14 2024, 08:52 PM

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Under "Privacy", its just the google advertising ID thing that I can see. Samsung Privacy is a different section which I didn't even sign up an account for her. As I recall I've already disabled all the google diagnostic, tracking and other things back when the tablet was new... I'll have to double check once I can remember what password I set for her account biggrin.gif But I don't think that is the issue here. Those apps that got installed were not APKs either, because I found them when I was going in to clear cache for the YouTube app. They were in the list of apps and already "auto disabled". I went in from there, opened the page in the Play Store and uninstalled. So they were legitimate apps in the Google Play Store.
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post Nov 14 2024, 09:11 PM

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Well... sh!t. Google actually has ways for people to do that via their ads

https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/6357635?hl=en

I think I found the answer here, although all it does is add another prompt which hopefully mom won't just click through...lol

https://www.airdroid.com/app-management/pre...om-downloading/
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post Nov 14 2024, 09:26 PM

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QUOTE(akhito @ Nov 14 2024, 09:14 PM)
I would got though the history of chrome and Samsung Internet just to be extra sure.

Firstly, I would suspect it is mainly due to samsung galaxy store since mentioned sideloading is not allowed for all apps. Have you check if the apps are available on galaxy app store also?. Samsung galaxy store works quite dodgy like xiaomi app store also they place recommended app when u open the app and a misclick the app is installed.

Second, considering u suspected that this might stems from some install me ads that youtube or internet browser then going for adblock is the way. This ads after click will link to android market and install app Chrome app. But without clicking install on playstore page should be impossible unless there is
Can you check for DT ignite or mobile service manager in your system app?
https://eu.community.samsung.com/t5/galaxy-...er/td-p/1524722
another link for ur reading interest since ur device release year is quite near the case of the news
https://www.androidpolice.com/apps-are-usin...t-your-consent/
I suspected "DT ignite" or "mobile service manager" might be preinstalled.Disable those if you found them
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She doesn't open the galaxy store so I don't think it came from there. I checked the Play Store again and those 4 apps are still in her "list of apps" under "Not Installed", so it makes me think it went through the Play Store.

I don't think its either of those articles either. This is the first time I've encounter this in 4-5 years. All this while I've had her Auto update in Google Play Store disabled, but somehow it got turned on to auto-update everything. Something changed it and its not my mom, because as I've said all she does is the YouTube app. Only the app, not via the browsers. She's not very savvy so the only thing that could have gone wrong was clicking some well placed banner ads on the YouTube app
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post Nov 14 2024, 09:29 PM

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QUOTE(akhito @ Nov 14 2024, 09:20 PM)
Thanks for sharing the info google also getting scummy. Never really encounter this cuz using adblock on browser to watch youtube
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lol I wish I could do that but mom already used to the YouTube app... if I have to change her to browser will be a pain. Tablet also pretty old the browser is really slow loading pages, I can't imagine what will happen if I try to load YouTube there.

Slightly off topic, is it even possible to load YouTube in a browser on a tablet? I know some sites like Lazada tries to install the app if you open it in a tablet browser
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