Smartphones of the series Honor 8, despite their age, remain popular due to their stylish design and balanced characteristics. However, owners of these devices often encounter intrusive advertising that can appear in the most unexpected places: in notifications, when unlocking the screen, or right on top of open applications. This is not just annoying, but also significantly reduces system performance, wasting traffic and battery power.
The nature of advertising garbage on Android may be different. In some cases, these are standard shell functions EMUI, which are enabled by default by the manufacturer. In others, it is the result of installing malware or applications with aggressive monetization. To effectively solve the problem, you need to consistently check all possible sources of threats and disable unnecessary services.
In this article we will analyze in detail the algorithm of actions to completely clean your device of unwanted content. We will touch on both the software settings of the system itself and methods of combating hidden viruses, which are often disguised as harmless utilities.
Disabling system advertising in the EMUI shell
The shell EMUIinstalled on Honor 8contains a number of built-in services that can broadcast advertising offers. Most often, users notice them in folders on the desktop or as push notifications from system applications. The first step to a clean interface is to disable personalized recommendations.
Go to your smartphone settings and find the section Security. There may be a hidden item responsible for receiving updates and recommendations. It is also worth checking the settings of the “Themes” and “Gallery” application, since they often become the channel for delivering advertising content from the manufacturer.
To completely disable it, you need to follow the path Settings → System and updates → System → Advertising (the path may differ slightly depending on the firmware version). If there is no such item, look for the “Receive recommendations” switch in the settings of specific system utilities.
Before changing system settings, it is recommended to create a full backup of your data through the “HiSuite” application on your computer to avoid accidental loss of important information.
Do not ignore notifications from the application store AppGallery or service HiCare. Even if you rarely use them, they can run in the background. Disable notifications for all system services that are not critical for the operation of the phone.
⚠️ Attention: After updating the firmware, some settings may be reset to factory values. Periodically check the recommendations section so that advertising does not return.
Searching for and removing malicious applications
The most common reason for pop-up banners appearing on the entire screen are third-party applications installed by the user. These could be “memory cleaners”, “game boosters”, flashlights, or players downloaded from unverified sources. Such apps often have hidden permissions to display advertisements on top of other windows.
To find the culprit, pay attention to the moment the advertisement appears. If the banner crashes immediately after launching a specific game or utility, the problem is clearly in that game. Go to the menu Settings → Applications and carefully study the list of installed software.
Look for applications without an icon or with a name consisting of a set of characters. Viruses are often disguised as system services, but a closer look reveals that they were recently installed. Uninstall any suspicious apps, especially those that you don't remember installing.
- 🔍 Check permissions: Go to the settings of each suspicious application and see if it has the “On top of other applications” permission. If there is, take it away immediately.
- 🗑️ Use safe mode: hold down the power button, then long-tap on “Turn off” to enter safe mode. If the advertisement disappears, then a third-party application is to blame.
- 🛡️ Antivirus scanning: install a reliable antivirus, for example Dr.Web or Kaspersky, and conduct a full system scan for Trojans.
☑️ Search virus
After removing the malware, it is recommended to reboot the device. If the advertisement continued to appear before, it should now disappear. In rare cases, you may need to reset the settings to factory settings if the virus is deeply integrated into the system.
Blocking ads in the Chrome browser and others
Even if the system is clean, you may encounter advertisements when surfing the Internet. The Google Chromebrowser, which is often used by Honor 8 default, has built-in, but not always sufficient, protection mechanisms. For comfortable viewing of sites without pop-up windows and banners, additional settings will be required.
In the browser settings, go to the section Privacy and security. Here you can enable the Safe Browsing feature, which warns you about dangerous sites. However, to directly block ads, it is better to use specialized solutions.
One of the effective methods is the use of DNS filtering. This allows you to block advertising requests at the network level without installing unnecessary applications. In the phone settings, find the section Connections or Other settings and select Private DNS.
dns.adguard.comEnter the address specified above in the private settings field DNS. This will redirect all requests to ad servers to nowhere, making browsing much cleaner and faster. This method works in all applications that use the system network connection.
Alternative browsers
If Chrome continues to show ads, try installing browsers with a built-in blocker, such as Brave or Firefox with the uBlock Origin add-on. They provide a higher level of protection by default.
Configuring notifications and push services
Users often confuse system advertising with intrusive notifications from legitimate applications. News aggregators, games, stores and social networks can constantly send notifications with offers that are visually similar to advertising.
Managing notifications in Android on Honor 8 is quite flexible. You can turn off sound and vibration for specific apps or prevent them from showing notifications at all. This is done through a long tap on the notification itself in the curtain.
Click on the gear or settings icon that appears next to the notification and select “Disable all notifications” for this application. This is a radical but effective method for applications that you rarely use but that like to spam.
| App type | Recommended action | Risk of missing something important |
|---|---|---|
| Games and entertainment | Full disable | Low |
| News feeds | Disable or configure themes | Medium |
| Messengers | Leave enabled | High |
| System updates | Leave enabled | Medium |
It is also worth looking into the settings of the applications themselves. Inside many apps there is a “Notifications” or “Push” section where you can configure in detail which messages you want to receive. Turn off marketing mailings and partner offers.
Resetting the advertising identifier and personalization
Advertising networks use your device’s unique identifier to target advertising. Resetting this identifier will not remove advertising completely, but it will make it less relevant and may break the chain of tracking your interests.
In your phone settings, find the section Google. Inside it, select the item Advertising. Here you will see an option to Reset Advertising ID. Click on it to generate a new ID.
Also in this menu there is a switch “Disable ad personalization”. Activate it. This will tell ad networks that you don't want ads based on your browsing activity and search history.
In addition to Google services, check your account settings Huawei ID. In the privacy section there may be clauses that allow the use of data to improve the user experience, which in practice often means displaying targeted advertising in the service HiCloud and other ecosystem applications.
⚠️ Attention: Disabling personalization does not mean the complete disappearance of advertising. You will see ads, but they will be random and not based on your interests.
Regularly resetting the advertising ID (once every 1-2 months) helps confuse targeting algorithms and reduces the number of intrusive offers.
Radical measures: Reset to factory settings
If none of The above methods did not help, and advertising continues to poison your life, perhaps the system is infected with a deep virus or system files are damaged. In this case, the only reliable solution is to completely reset the device.
This procedure will return the phone Honor 8 to the state it was in immediately after purchase. All user data, photos, contacts and installed applications will be permanently deleted.
Before starting the procedure, be sure to save important data to your computer or cloud storage. Then go to Settings → System → Reset → Reset settings. Confirm the action and wait for the reboot.
After turning on the phone, it will offer to set it up as new. Highly not recommended immediately restore a backup copy of all applications, as you can return the virus along with the data. Install apps manually, carefully checking their source.
Recovery after a reset
When setting up for the first time after a reset, refuse to sign in to your Google account to automatically synchronize applications. It is better to set up your phone as new, install only what is necessary and make sure there are no ads.
Preventing the appearance of advertising in the future
To prevent the problem from returning, you must maintain digital hygiene. The basic rule is to download applications only from the official store Google Play or verified one AppGallery. Avoid sites with “hacked” games and modified versions of apps.
Carefully read the permissions that the application requests during installation. If a simple flashlight asks for access to contacts, geolocation and phone number, this is a clear sign of fraud. Do not provide unnecessary rights.
Regularly update the operating system and installed applications. Developers are constantly closing security vulnerabilities through which viruses can enter the device. On Honor 8 support may be limited, but critical security updates are worth installing.
- 🚫 Do not follow suspicious links in SMS and messengers, even if they come from friends (their account could be hacked).
- 🧹 Once a month, audit installed applications and delete them those that you do not use.
- 🔒 Install an ad blocker at the network level (as described above), this will create a permanent barrier to most banners.
Following these simple rules will allow your Honor 8 remain a fast and clean device for a long time. Advertising is not an inevitable evil, but a consequence of user settings or actions, which can and should be controlled.
Is it possible to remove Honor system applications to remove advertising?
Removing system applications without root access is impossible using standard means. Using third-party apps to freeze system software can lead to unstable operation of the phone or “bricking”. It’s safer to simply turn off notifications and recommendations in the settings of these applications.
Why do ads appear even after deleting the application?
Perhaps there are several malware left on the phone, or a virus has created a hidden shortcut. Ads may also arrive through browser notifications if you accidentally allowed a site to send push notifications. Check your browser notification settings.
Will installing an antivirus help remove all advertising?
Antivirus effectively finds and removes known viruses and Trojans that cause pop-ups. However, it will not remove legitimate advertising in free applications or system recommendations from the manufacturer. To do this, you need manual settings described in the article.
Is it safe to use AdGuard DNS on Honor 8?
Yes, using private DNS is absolutely safe and does not require root access. This is a standard Android feature starting from version 9 (on older ones it can be configured through the app). It only redirects requests without interfering with the operation of other applications.