One line answer, “Because people get money when they do.

But since this is an article, I (an Android user myself) will be taking you to the root of the
problem and suggesting you some ways to avoid this, and yes you can call me Santa Clause
because, at some point, this is exactly what you wished for, out of frustration.

All right let’s take a situation first, you chose an Android device instead of an iPhone to save
money, and it was all fun and games till one day, you decided to visit an unauthorised site (I
can’t name it, this is a family-friendly article) and a bunch of weird popups showed up on your
screen and some weird application just comfortably started moonwalking its way inside your
phone and you are just confused… I mean, you didn’t plan or wanted that to happen.

But we return to our original question,

“Why do apps keep installing themselves?”

Well, as it turns out, for every minute you spend online, every application you install, every
advertisement you see, someone earns money. No matter if you are using any social media or
browsing the internet, reading articles or just using “those sites” for research purposes. You don’t
pay for all that directly, but they gain money every time you use them.

Hence, some developers write little scripts in their websites that make your phone install certain
apps or .apk files or other stuff by themselves, as soon as you visit those sites. Of course, you can
uninstall/delete them later but this irritates you for sure.

“But ain’t that illegal or something?”

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No, this is just an irritating way of earning money as it (usually) causes no harm. However, some
sites that can insert viruses or malware or trojans in your devices, so you need to update your
antivirus.

But how to prevent that?

Since you know the reason why Rome fell, let me suggest some ways to prevent that from
happening. And of course, they are extremely simple and free, because I am a broke idiot.

Method #1: Block Installation of Apps from Unknown Sources

Enabling Unknown Sources will allow downloading and installation of applications from any
website across the internet. You can disable this feature which will stop apps from downloading
by themselves.

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Follow the steps mentioned below and learn how to disable unknown sources on Android
devices:

First of all, open Settings > Security on your Android device.

Now under the Security section, turn Off the Unknown sources option which says “Allow
installation of apps from unknown sources“.

Next, simply tap on the OK button to confirm the changes.

Disabling unknown sources on Android phone or tablet will stop the installation of apps from
sources other than the Play Store.

Method #2: Delete Unwanted Apps

This is the most important solution which will help you to stop apps from downloading by
themselves on Android phone and tablet.

Many adware and spam applications cling to famous applications which are safe and are
downloaded by the users. The applications are installed in the form of updates and the user
thinks that these updates are for the genuine application which they have installed.

If you know any application which is showing similar behaviour then you need to delete all those
unwanted apps and then disable automatic app updates on your Android devices.

Method #3: Disable Auto Updates

If you want to completely stop unwanted apps from automatically downloading on Android
devices then you should disable auto-updates on the Google Play Store as well. Here’s how to
disable automatic app updates in Android devices:

At first, open Play Store app on your Android device and then tap on the Menu icon.

Next, you need to tap on the Settings > Auto-update apps option.

Now select “Do not auto-update apps” option to disable automatic app updates on your Android
device.

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Once you have disabled automatic app updates on the Google Play Store, you can manually
permit the installation of updates whenever you want. This way, nothing will be updated without
your permission.

Method #4: Revert to Stock Rom

Are you using a custom ROM on your android smartphone? If yes then this is also a good reason
why you are experiencing the issue of random apps keep installing on your Android device
automatically.

You need to get the default Stock ROM back which was available for your Android smartphone
as it should fix the auto app download problem for you. Installing Stock ROM on your Android
device will restrict the installation of third-party applications which we usually see with custom
ROMs.

Method #5: Log Out and Change Google Account Password

It might be also possible that your Google account has been compromised which is leading to the
problem of random apps keep installing by themselves in the background without your
knowledge.

As a safe practice, sign out of Google Account on your Android devices and then change the
password.

Here’s how to log out of Google Account on Android smartphone and tablet:

First of all, open Settings and then tap on Accounts or Users & accounts option.

Next, tap on the Google account and select the Gmail account you wish to sign out from.

On the next screen, tap on the 3-dot menu icon and then select the Remove account option.

If the confirmation box appears then tap on the Remove account button to log out.

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Once you have logged out of Google account on your Android device, change its password and
login back in. As all the old sessions will get cleared, it should stop the installation of random
applications on your Android device.
Method #6: Restrict Background Data

Restricting background data is also one of the most helpful ways to prevent automatic unwanted
downloads by apps on Android. All the malicious applications consume background data/WiFi
connection to download apps automatically or upload your valuable data, logs, and passwords to
hackers in the form of an image.

But if you restrict background data usage on your Android phone, the malicious apps won’t be
able to download or upload on your phone silently in the background. Here’s how to restrict
background data on Android devices:

First of all, open Settings and then tap on Data usage option.

Now select each app one by one and turn On “Restrict app background data” option.

Next, simply tap on the OK button to confirm the changes.

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Once you have restricted the background data, it will prevent automatic unwanted apps
downloading on your Android smartphone and will allow only all those apps that you have
allowed from the setting manually.

Method #7: Disable Automatic Restore

Factory reset on Android is also a good option to consider if apps are getting automatically
installed on Android devices. Factory restore will delete all the files and settings which you are
having on your Android smartphone or tablet, so make sure that you are having a backup of your
Android device.

But before you factory reset your phone, make sure that Automatic restore option is not enabled.
Here’s how to turn off Automatic restore on Android devices:
At first, open Settings on your Android smartphone or tablet.

Now scroll down and tap on the Backup & reset option.

Next tap on Back up my data option and then switch the toggle to turn off the data backup.

If the confirmation box appears then tap on OK option to proceed.

Now you can factory reset your android device. And since the automatic restore is disabled, it
would prevent all the unwanted apps from restoring after the factory reset. Thus, all the bad
applications which were present earlier won’t be restored on your device.

So, these are some ways of restricting apps or sites to download stuff you don’t want in your
phone.

…...Alternatively, you can buy an iPhone.