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Strange google pop ups?

When using safari on my iPhone, a pop up from google pops up several times a day which is very annoying. It says that there is suspicious activity coming from my IP address and it needs me to do a CAPTCHA (human verification) in order to proceed, theres no X button. Google says this is probably malware. Is this Malware that’s been installed from clicking on a bad website or link? If so how to I fix it?

iPhone 8, iOS 14

Posted on Oct 2, 2020 3:38 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Oct 8, 2020 9:20 AM

Most likely it is malware on sites you visit. However, it’s possible that it’s a JavaScript exploit that was installed in Safari from an ad on a website. See this user tip—>Dealing with Safari popups that won't go away | Communities

35 replies

Oct 9, 2020 6:06 PM in response to Lawrence Finch

This is what pops up when I use safari with google as my browser, when I switch browsers ( Yahoo, Bing, etc) it continues to give me access to the internet. When I click on the why did this happen, malicious software is the first and most popular option. I have had some pop ups such as you have won a $1000 Amazon or Walmart gift card pop up on screen but never completed their survey. I have also been to sites that could have potentially harmful bugs. A common topic among Apple users is IPhones cannot get viruses. Do I have a virus or malware? I have cleared history and website data, restarted the phone and even reset the network settings on my iPhone to try to fix the problem but this screen keeps on popping up multiple times a day.

Oct 9, 2020 6:22 PM in response to Smurfystank

That’s a legitimate notification from Google. Try following the instructions and tapping the captcha checkbox. If it keeps coming back it’s likely your router has been infected, not your phone. Do you have any home automation accessories (security cameras, non-name brand speakers, etc) on your Wi-Fi network? The vast majority of inexpensive Wi-Fi accessories are easily hacked.


I see that it is reporting an ipv 6 IP address; that is also very suspicious and could indicate a hacked router, camera or other accessory as it’s unlikely your ISP has switched to ipv6 addressing.

Oct 10, 2020 6:59 AM in response to Smurfystank

As you are not using Wi-Fi if it is an infection it is not from you, and it may not be an infection; it may just be AT&T consolidating traffic from a number of sources, one of which is infected. As iPhones are not susceptible to this type of infection it isn’t from you or even your phone. So check the box in the link and see if Google stops bothering you. And contact AT&T; most likely you are not the only one seeing this.

Oct 10, 2020 7:17 AM in response to Lawrence Finch

Okay, thank you, the only reason my mind goes to this is because I’ve gotten a pop up from an unknown website telling me I had a virus. I watched a YouTube video that says it is fake, I didn’t click on anything it had there telling me to fix the virus, I closed the page, force quit safari and then cleared my history and website data. I also have been getting text messages from spam emails with links attached to them, (haven’t clicked on any of those) But that’s the only things I can think of that could be manipulating my device.

Oct 10, 2020 7:24 AM in response to Smurfystank

None of those things can affect your device. Even clicking on a link will not infect your device, and won’t do you any harm either as long as you don’t enter any personal information.


One thing to try to remember is if you do get a suspicious popup or message; do not tap a “close” or “cancel” button in it; instead close the page using the nested box icon without tapping anywhere on the page. Those buttons (and the page as a whole) are frequently not what they seem or are labeled; they trigger a JavaScript process that can remain in the browser until you clear website data. That JavaScript can cause the popup to return on other pages that are unrelated.

Strange google pop ups?

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