Help Keep getting nagged to install Instagram V20-US996

[Zoandroid]

I am using an unlocked US996 LG V20. So far I had been getting along fine without having to root it. But now I keep getting nagged to install Instagram. I also see a spinning white circle with a yellow trashcan in the center, counting up in MB, then finally it shows "released" before it disappears.

I've tried hunting down the cause of this. I don't use, and have never used, Instagram, and did not install it. I found a copy on the phone, so I tried to disable it, which lists in Settings/Apps as disabled now. But the nags persist.

Does anyone know what is causing this, and better still, how to stop it? I recently read elsewhere that LG has a "re-install feature" on this phone, which may be working against me. But I haven't found a way around the problem.

If I end up having to root, I can go that route. I just got the phone recently and wanted to avoid unlocking the bootloader for awhile (which will instantly void the warranty when done through the LG website) to make sure the phone is gonna work OK. So I am hoping to fix this issue without rooting, if possible. This is the first Android device I have NOT rooted over many years, having owned several rooted phones and a couple tablets.

 

[Leon Marco]

Could you show a screenshot of that. I think what you describe is an adware. Do you remember installing any strange app?

 

[Zoandroid]

Thank you for the reply!

While the spinning circle and trashcan are displayed, I am unable to pull down the notification bar (the only way my aging hands can do a screen shot on this phone) to take a screen shot. But, after several search attempts for Google Imagery, I finally found one someone else has posted online. Keep in mind this is NOT my phone screen you are seeing, so the displayed app icons are not mine. But this is what it looks like when I do see it. Once it gets done counting up in MB, this image goes away, and then "Released" appears, followed by a large check mark.

It is sporadic. But I usually see it several times throughout the day. I think the version I see is slightly different, in that the trash can image I see is not skewed like this one, but it is the same thing.

When I was ready to post this thread, it occurred to me to see what information accompanied that posted image, and I am glad I did! It is from an Android Central forum post here:

https://forums.androidcentral.com/a...llow-trash-can-appears-controls-my-phone.html

And reading that thread, it appears to be adware generated from a bundled app included in our US Unlocked LG V20 phones called "Beacon Flashlight". Several members reported removing that app and solving the problem, so I just uninstalled Beacon Flashlight from my V20. Fingers crossed!