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An app called APP Lock installed on my phone yesterday and I have no clue how it got there. I can't find the app under the Play Store installed apps, my app drawer, or any folder within the system that might be related to it. I've looked in different folders to find where it might be installed but can't find it at all. It doesn't show up under Device Administrators either, the only trace of the app existing is it's icon on my home screen.

When I open it it lists my installed apps and asks if I want to "protect my privacy" in broken English. I think it's malware so I want to get rid of it.

Is there any way to cleanly remove it or at least find where it's installed?

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  • If your problem is solved please accept the answer that solved it.
    – Saad
    Apr 2, 2017 at 12:38
  • Don't know if problem was solved, as no answer accepted. If not, try this anti malware: play.google.com/store/apps/… It's free and worked great for me.
    – Wrichik Basu
    Apr 14, 2017 at 14:17

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Is the app in this question the same as the one you're talking about? If so, you might be dealing with malware.

The reason the app might not be showing up in the installed apps list in the Google Play Store is because it was installed outside of the Google Play Store (by a different app). Try finding the app in the installed applications list of Android itself. Do this like so:

  1. Open the Settings app.
  2. Scroll down to Apps.
  3. In the top right corner, click ... and then Show system apps.
  4. Search for the app name in the list, presumably APP Lock, and select it.

Have you found it? Great! Uninstall it by clicking Uninstall. If this button is greyed out, then the app might have installed itself as a system app and you will need root to remove it with Root Uninstaller, for example.

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  • Yeah, most probable that author needs root for uninstalling, if it's not listed in standard apps.
    – Suncatcher
    Mar 31, 2017 at 8:12

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