After today's disaster, some apps have vanished.

[Zippy1970]

I too suffered from the problem that AVAST incorrectly identified legit apps as malware. Oddly enough, it only warned me of two (Whatsapp and Android Camera) and I was able to add them to the ignore list. But then later today I noticed that a few apps were completely missing. And looking in my settings, they were no longer installed. I then went through AVAST's log of today and sure enough it said it had found problems with those apps. And apparently, it uninstalled/deleted them without warning.

Now I don't want to just reinstall them because I don't want to loose any data. So did AVAST actually uninstall them or has it moved those apps to a vault? In other words, is there an easy way to get those apps (with all accumulated date) back or am I screwed and do I need to reinstall those apps (and loose any data)?

[svehlak]

Actually you can not uninstall the app on android without user permission, so if they are gone, you have to agreed with it.

[AdrianH]

Actually you can not uninstall the app on android without user permission, so if they are gone, you have to agreed with it.

You might like to rethink that statement !

Yesterday, avast totally borked my Samsung Galaxy S2 ........... continued warnings to password protect GMail, and apps I don't have installed.

Everything I did have was declared dangerous/infected and Several apps simply vanished, I did not give permission for any action whatever.

My phone locked up and I spent hours sorting out the mess avast created.

Never, ever again would I trust this product.

Avast is gone  ........ replaced with other highly rated Android protection.

[Filip Havlicek]

Hi,

actually the statement is correct. I'm not saying there isn't some bug in Android OS allowing this, but I don't know about it and it certainly is not by design in the system.

Filip

[Zippy1970]

Well, three apps disappeared from my phone yesterday without me giving any permission for anything: JetPack Joyride, McDonald's and Sense Analog Clock.

If I look at the AVAST activity log, I see those three apps listed (it's in Dutch so I'll try to translate it):

Found problems (1)
10:38 9 jan.

Problem in: Sense Analog Clock 3.6.1

Android:Gappusin-BL [Trj]
Android:GinMaster-UF [Trj]
Android:GinMaster-TU [Trj]
Android:MTK-BY [Trj]
Android:MTK-BZ [Trj]
Android:MTK-BQ [Trj]
Android:MTK-BE [Trj]
Android:Fakeapp-R [Trj]
Android:SMSSend-DC [Trj]
Android:GinMaster-CW [Trj]
Android:Agent-HM [Trj]
Android:Stiniter-H [Trj]
Android:GinMaster-AEO [Trj]
Android:Kiser-P [Trj]
Android:GinMaster-TQ [Trj]
Android:SMSReq-EQ [Trj]
Android:JiFake-CC [Trj]
Android:Agent-QZ [Trj]
Android:JSMSHider-BH [Trj]
Android:FakeInst-FO [Trj]
Android:Agent-QV [Trj]
Android:SMSSend-DW [Trj]
Android:GinMaster-IW [Trj]
Android:GinMaster-XI [Trj]
Android:Agent-DP [Trj]
Android:DoubleDip-G [Trj]
Android:GinMaster-ABD [Trj]

I see the same entries for JetPack Joyride and the McDonald's app (but with a lot more trojans listed.

Since yesterday, those apps are gone. If they have been uninstalled, moved to some vault or physically deleted I don't know (hence my original question) but they are no longer in my list of installed apps and Play Store says there not installed either.

So in short, no I have not given AVAST or anything else permission to uninstall these apps. And yet they are gone.

So my original question stands. What does Avast do with apps it considers "infected"? Are they moved to a vault, deleted or uninstalled?

[Blobba]

Avast is doing the following if an infected app will be found?
It will ask YOU what YOU will do?

- Ignore -> put to ignore list
- allow for 15 minutes
- deinstall -> remove from your mobile

You need actively chose one of these options. Avast is not doing anything by their own.

[Zippy1970]

And yet it did.

[AdrianH]

Avast is doing the following if an infected app will be found?
It will ask YOU what YOU will do?

- Ignore -> put to ignore list
- allow for 15 minutes
- deinstall -> remove from your mobile

You need actively chose one of these options. Avast is not doing anything by their own.

That is what should happen , but as others have experienced apps vanished . When the problems started with the " bad VPS update"  I ignored all the warnings, but had many other problems with my phone and it locked up.

Having got the phone running again, I shut down and removed avast. The apps were gone ........... there was at no time any removal process started / offered or allowed by me.

At no point did avast ask what it should do.

[Zippy1970]

I just reinstalled the missing applications and unfortunately, all user data is gone. To say I'm not happy about this is a gross understatement.

I would like to repeat that at no point in time did I give anything permission to uninstall these apps. What happened was that AVAST warned me about problems with two apps (Whatsapp and Android Camera) and asked me what to do. I chose to put them on the ignore list. That was all AVAST ever asked me.

I'm not saying it was AVAST that uninstalled these programs, but it was at least the trigger.

[brustan99]

the same problem was happen on my smartphone , every app (every!!!)was infected with all the infections currently alive.
it was impossible to use the phone because when i want to open a app avast asked me to desinstall the app.
i have to desinstall avast and reinstall it .
the problem is solved (probably a avast bug )but i want to now why we can't simply clean the infection instead of remove completely the app ( if a infection is really there)

[polonus]

Hi brostan99,

Thanks for posting the heads-up on this hick-up. 
Something for the developers to go over.

Just some additional general advice for everyone here:
1. Only download  apps from Google Play store.
2. Only download "useful" apps.
3. Do not root your device! This will only create additional security problems.
4. Get a Google device (Nexus) or another high-end smartphone. Low en mid-range devices almost never come with the latest Android version.
5. Use your common sense.
Info credits go to Flashback956

polonus

[svehlak]

And yet it did.

Do you die uninstall these apps, why are you blaming avast application?

[Zippy1970]

Do you die uninstall these apps, why are you blaming avast application?

I have no idea what you just tried to say. I can reply to  the last part though. I don't blame Avast. I know Avast caused the uninstall.

[Filip Havlicek]

I know Avast caused the uninstall.

It would be awesome to know how Cause I don't know how to do that without user consent.

Filip

[svehlak]

So Avast! showed infected apps and adviced to uninstall these (as you can not as an app uninstall anything without user action and permission), then you have reinstalled them and all users data are gone, right? Well, whenever the app is being uninstalled from device, all settings, data, etc are deleted.