red "target" icon in my URL field?

[northbound]

Hi,

In the URL field in my Android Chrome browser, I'm seeing a new icon that I don't recall seeing before: a red circle w/ a white circle inside it, that looks for all the world like a target.

What is it?

Thanks,

northbound

 

[Brian706]

I've never seen that icon either. The google "G" usually shows up there for me if I'm just doing a search like in your picture, which makes me wonder if you somehow your default search engine was changed? I looked on Chrome > Settings > Search engine but couldn't find anything that stood out on my device.

 

[ocnbrze]

what happens when you select the target icon? nothing? it might be adware installed on your browser.

 

[northbound]

I've never seen that icon either. The google "G" usually shows up there for me if I'm just doing a search like in your picture, which makes me wonder if you somehow your default search engine was changed? I looked on Chrome > Settings > Search engine but couldn't find anything that stood out on my device.

I looked in my settings & my search engine is still, as it's always been, Bing. Thanks for the recommendation, though!

 

[northbound]

what happens when you select the target icon? nothing? it might be adware installed on your browser.

I'm starting to think that you're right, b/c I'm unable to click it at all. Can't click it, it doesn't push me automagically to other sites (like, maybe, Target?) nor does it seem to be screwing up my interactions w/ the phone. It's just there.

How do I determine whether it's adware? If it is adware, how do I get rid of it?

 

[Dannydet]

Clear the cache in Chrome if that doesn't fix clear data in Chrome

 

[ocnbrze]

I'm starting to think that you're right, b/c I'm unable to click it at all. Can't click it, it doesn't push me automagically to other sites (like, maybe, Target?) nor does it seem to be screwing up my interactions w/ the phone. It's just there.

How do I determine whether it's adware? If it is adware, how do I get rid of it?

adware is exactly what it sounds like. if you have adware on the device, then you will get popups ads constantly.