New apps appearing on my phone

[Anonymous]

I only have basic apps on my phone, which I use for work. I have deleted FB, instagram,etc
I noticed my battery was draining quickly these past few days, and noticed about 6 new apps I never installed, including temu, tiktok, Amazon shopping. I am sure I never downloaded these apps
Would the carrier have put them on my phone in an update? Especially something as controversial as tiktok?
I deleted them all but WTF?

[Anonymous]

Ugh. It’s so good you noticed. I wonder if it was connected to an update, like you said, but that seems like it would be illegal.

[Anonymous]

Probably your phone has been broken into by cyber criminals or China or Russia,

Wipe the phone entirely, full factory reset, and do not restore from backup as the backup could already be compromised. Probably delete the backups. I hope you already copied photos into a photo app outside your phone.

Then start from scratch to configure your phone and install any apps you do want from the official App Store for your phone. Manually enter people who you need into the phone’s address boom.

[Anonymous]

Is it an iPhone? Do you have other devices linked to the Apple ID (iPad, child phone, laptop)?

[Anonymous]

Google your carrier's name and the app names and see if it was a forced download for many accounts.

I have Verizon coverage and a Samsung Android phone.

For a long time, Verizon was automatically downloading crappy little video games (many years). Just this year they started offering a choice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Google your carrier's name and the app names and see if it was a forced download for many accounts.

I have Verizon coverage and a Samsung Android phone.

For a long time, Verizon was automatically downloading crappy little video games (many years). Just this year they started offering a choice.

Neither AT&T nor T-Mobile have done anything like that to us on iPhones.

[Anonymous]

Someone is accessing your phone.