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My Nexus 7 has recently been behaving oddly (closing apps unexpectedly for example). I figured I would install Lookout on my device, and tried to download it twice, it seems to download but after the download is finished the app isn't there and the play store has an Install button again. I'm trying to download AVG anti-virus remotely (from the play store with the "install to device" button.

If that doesn't work, what else can I do?

EDIT: "Remote Install" did work. No virus was found. What else might cause apps to close randomly? Especially weird was any time I tried to go to Settings > Running Apps it would boot me out to the home screen. Now it's not doing that. Could there have been a virus that was ONLY in RAM?

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  • Did you try to remote install Lookout, or direct installed AVG? Did it work? I'm thinking of out-of-memory for app closing unexpectedly, but it's still unclear. Did you install suspicious app recently?
    – Andrew T. ♦
    Commented Jan 7, 2015 at 13:07
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    No, there wouldn't be a virus only in RAM. Likely your device just had other issues.
    – Booger
    Commented Jan 7, 2015 at 13:14

1 Answer 1

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If your device is not Rooted, it would be impossible for an App to block installation of another app. If it is rooted, this is possible (anything is possible), but still very unlikely.

Bottom line, it is very, very unlikely that malicious software is blocking installation from the Play Store.

Things to try:

  • Try to install it directly on the device (ie. don't push from Web).
  • Clear the cache and data for the Play Store App
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  • How would rooting make that possible?
    – Ryan Conrad
    Commented Jan 6, 2015 at 19:07
  • When you root a phone, ANYTHING is possible (rooting is a super level on your device, that bypasses a lot of security mechanisms). Bottom line, rooting changes ALL the rules, and makes anything possible.
    – Booger
    Commented Jan 6, 2015 at 20:28
  • Just having a rooted device does not make this possible. You would then need an app install on the system partition, that replaces the default package installer, and even modifies google play. Only system apps can install packages, root or not. Google play does not depend on any other installer, it installs its own packages, so it would have to be modified. Root is not this end all magical thing.
    – Ryan Conrad
    Commented Jan 6, 2015 at 21:15
  • Fair enough regarding root. My comment was relating to if the phone is rooted, this is possible (again, assuming the malicious code jumps through all those hoops). If the phone is NOT rooted, then this is NOT possible. My point was that this is not possible if the phone is not rooted, and MAY be possible if it is.
    – Booger
    Commented Jan 6, 2015 at 21:53
  • Bottom line, if the phone is NOT rooted, then an app cannot stop an application from installing. If it is rooted, then this MAY be possible (but not likely, like you said).
    – Booger
    Commented Jan 6, 2015 at 21:55

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