If your Galaxy S23+ suddenly started showing constant popup ads, even on the home screen or lock screen, it usually means a third-party app (often recently installed or updated) has started pushing ads in the background. This isn’t normal Samsung behavior — it's almost always caused by a specific app abusing permissions.
Here’s how to find and stop it:
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Step-by-Step: Stop Popup Ads on Galaxy S23+
1. Identify the Culprit App
Go to Settings > Apps
Tap the three-dot menu (top right) > Special access
Tap Appear on top or Display over other apps
Review the list and look for apps that you don’t recognize or that shouldn’t need this permission (like flashlight apps, wallpaper apps, battery savers, etc.)
Turn off "Allow display over other apps" for anything suspicious
2. Check Recently Installed Apps
Go to Settings > Apps
Tap the three-dot menu > Sort by: Last used
Check the last few apps you opened or that updated recently
Uninstall any apps you don’t fully trust or don’t remember installing
3. Use Samsung’s Built-In Ad Detector
Open the Galaxy Store
Install “Nice Catch” (part of Samsung’s Good Lock suite)
Launch it and enable “Toast history” and “Ad pop-up history”
Let it run — the next time an ad appears, open Nice Catch and it will tell you which app triggered it
4. Block Notifications from Offending Apps
When a popup appears, pull down your notification shade
Long press the ad notification
Tap the “i” info icon or App settings
Tap Notifications and turn them off for that app
Or just uninstall the app directly
5. Run a Malware/Adware Scan
Go to Settings > Battery and device care > Device protection
Tap Scan phone
This uses Samsung’s built-in antivirus powered by McAfee
Optional: Use an Ad Detector App
Install “Ad Detector” or “Malwarebytes” from the Play Store
Run a scan to detect apps showing ads outside of normal use
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Common Offending App Types
Free flashlight apps
Random wallpaper or theme apps
Free games not from big publishers
Battery savers or phone boosters
Some shady QR scanners
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Final Note
Samsung does not serve popup ads like this. If you're seeing constant ads outside of apps, it’s almost always a rogue third-party app. Once the bad actor is removed or stripped of overlay/notification permissions, the problem stops.
Let me know what app shows up in Nice Catch — happy to confirm if it’s the issue.
