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QUICK FIX: Android default browser hijacked?

A lot of “free” apps ruin the default internet browser in Android phone by adding spammy search sites as your default start page. These search sites often look like legitimate search engines e.g. Google. Removing the app doesn’t remove this problem. Some of us even went on and reinstalled the whole OS. That’s not needed. Here’s the simplest way to reset your browser settings.

NOTE: All your internet browser data will be cleaned away, i.e. browser bookmarks, passwords, and anything else stored in browser cache will be lost.

  • Go to “Settings“, then “Applications“, “Manage Applications“, and then choose “All“. You will see list of all applications.
  • Find “Internet” in the list and tap it to open the options.
  • Tap the options to clear all data. It’s usually “Clear Data” or “Clear Cache” option.
  • Say OK if another prompt warns you about clearing all cached data.

That’s it. Your browser is clean again!

13 Comments

  1. JAY VOV

    Thank you so much it worked. You saved me a lot of frustration

  2. Paul

    Hi

    “Find “Internet” in the list” – no such item in the list under “All” 🙁
    I have tablet with Android KitKat 4.4.2

    Built-in browser auto-opens (even in new tab) a site gotoamaizing.com

  3. H

    I don’t see it on my galaxy’s edge

  4. I have a Bright-Tab model V90 Android Tablet that has recently changed the browser from the Google one installed, to a hijacked browser named shineonet.com
    I am unable to change it back no matter what I do. I need help BAD!!! Tom Shacklee (retired military )

  5. Anthony Jaques

    Hi there,
    While the quick fix may work in some cases it certainly doesn’t in mine. Shineonet virus survives even a manufacturer’s reset on an Oshion tablet (several times). Of course this may just mean that the Oshion is rubbish!
    I realise that shineonet is not actually a virus, but the behavious is so nasty that it is exactly like one. If it looks like a virus, and behaves like a virus, and is as nasty as a virus – then it is a virus!
    Of course there are no circumstances under which I would by anything from Shineonnet, so what they gain I cannot see.

    Tony…

  6. Thanks Tony, I will try to scald the cat again and find a means of ridding my tablet of this creature. I have no idea how it suddenly appeared on my tablet, but it has given me a bad headache. Thanks again. Tom

  7. I get a google message with a 2 min 53 sec timer that says i was on some porn site, which i wasn’t … and there is a Remove button at the bottom .. probably a Ransomware site …. No Internet app here on my LG Ultimate II phone. NEED HELP

  8. Myojin

    ty so much sir o made simple what everyone makes hard tyvm.

  9. fred h

    my brite-tab android tablet’s browser homepage restes itself to smartdrone.com, no matter how often
    i change it to something else. Apparently this infestation has also disabled the tablet from running .exe files, so the “browser hijacker fixer” apps I have downloaded , including one from Kaspersky, simply won’t run. I have AVG for tablets and it says there is nothing wrong. This ismy first tablet, so I may be doing something wrong. Anybody have a suggestion?

  10. I have been browsing online more than 3 hours today, yet I never found any interesting article like yours. It is pretty worth enough for me. Personally, if all website owners and bloggers made good content as you did, the internet will be a lot more useful than ever before.

  11. darwinhawk

    I been scramwre hijsked. Nednhelp recovering sectors ab and f8. Dont jnow wgatnwent wrong. Waa tailingntwo bogeysnwhennthe damn thingnjust died. Atttempting recovery mode now. Will keep you updated.

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  13. AB

    Hi guys solved my tablet with a hijacked browser by a youtube vid. Installed sophos; root app delete and a root app. First run sophos and mark malicious apps.. Root tablet then run root app delete on pro and delete malicious app and done.

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