If you keep getting ads on the lock screen of your Android, the problem is usually in a third-party app with a bundleware/adware or some system app that took over wallpaper-related services. By uninstalling or disabling certain apps or settings, you should be able to remove ads from the Android Lock Screen in no time. Check the instructions below.
Table of contents:
How to get rid of annoying lock screen ads on your Android
1. Check the third-party apps
The first thing to do is to check the third-party apps. Yes, many OEMs will push some adware but it’s usually contained in system apps and services. Rarely (almost never in our experience) will even the most notorious of OEMs (Xiaomi, we’re looking at you) will place ads on the lock screen. Unless you enabled some feature that serves ads but we’ll leave that for later.
Everything points out towards third-party apps that, somehow, passed through Google Play Store evaluation. The list of apps is long so there’s a good chance that you installed some inconspicuous app plagued with adware. But how to find out which app is causing this?
The simplest way is to navigate to see the recently active apps in the Apps (App Manager). Here’s what you need to do:
- Open Settings.
- Tap Apps.
- Sort apps by Last used.
- Check if some recently added suspicious apps appear.
- Uninstall everything you deem suspicious and restart your device.
Many apps will change over time and add bundleware that will bring ads to your smartphone. Remove as many apps as you can that you don’t actively use and save yourself the trouble.
2. Disable system features that serve ads
Now, on rare occasions, certain services and system apps can project ads on your Android Lock Screen. An example is the Galaxy Global Goals on Samsung devices. This might be the case with some other OEMs and their respective services, as well.
In this case, what you need to do is navigate to Settings > Lock Screen > Wallpaper services. Once there, make sure that the option is set to None.
That should do it. In case you have any questions or suggestions, make sure to share them with us in the comments section below. Thank you for reading, and follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
