Good Question: How Do Viruses Make Our Smartphones Sick?

ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO) -- The average person spends 90 minutes a day on their cell phone. They connect us to family and friends and hold personal information hackers want to get their hands on.

So, how do viruses make our smartphones sick? Good Question.

You name it, our phones do it.

"Bunch of apps, pictures," one St. Thomas student told us.

"It's kind of my lifeline. I depend on it for everything," another added.

Some might not consider the importance of keeping all that safe. But, Julio Ojeda-Zapata says we should.  He's a business writer at the Pioneer Press.

"Yes, your smartphone can get a virus," he told us. "There's Android operating system and then there's the iPhone operating system. The Android operating system is a little more vulnerable to these types of things."

Ojeda-Zapata explains how Android users are given more freedom to download any app and customize their device. Meaning, there's more of a risk.

"The good side of Apple keeping a tight lid on its devices and its operating systems and where you can get apps from keeps those devices relatively safe, unless you do things to circumvent and then you're kind of on your own," he said.

If you do suspect something is up, our expert suggests we head in the same direction we do with our desktops.

"If your computer is acting weird just reboot it. That applies to your phone as well," Ojeda-Zapata said.

If that doesn't work, try deleting recent apps you've added.  In some cases you might have to completely wipe your phone and reinstall apps from scratch. No matter the brand of phone, Ojeda-Zapata believes connecting to public Wi-Fi is never safe without installing what's called a Virtual Private Network or VPN first.

Lastly, apply common sense to every email you might look at.

"If you get a weird email and it says 'download this file,' it's a bad idea, just don't do it," he said. "If you're following good, safe, common sense habits, like making sure you know where your apps are coming from, you'll be relatively safe."

For Android users, Ojeda-Zapata also suggests googling "Android malware" each week to see the latest threats. If there's a big problem going around, he says someone will publish the instructions to clean up your phone.