Random gambling or sweepstakes tabs that open on their own in Chrome on Android usually trace back to a pop-up you allowed or a site with notification permission.
Start with Chrome's pop-up blocker, then revoke notifications from sites you don't recognize. If tabs still appear, check Android for apps with overlay access.
In this guide, I have covered:
Contents
Why Spam Tabs Keep Opening in Chrome on Android
A gambling tab opens on its own. Then another. You close Chrome, open it later, and a sweepstakes page is waiting. On Android, that almost always comes down to two things: a site opened a pop-up, or you allowed a sketchy site to send notifications, and tapping one of those notifications opens a new tab.
Chrome blocks most pop-ups by default. That protection only holds if the setting stays on and sites have not been granted permission to bypass it. Once a site gets notification access, it can keep launching tabs long after you closed the original page.
A third, less common cause is an Android app with overlay permission. If the spam tabs started right after you installed a new app, the fix is at the Android level, not in Chrome.
Turn On the Pop-up Blocker in Chrome
A new tab that opens without you tapping a link is usually a pop-up. Check Chrome’s pop-up blocker first.
Google blocks pop-ups by default, but the global toggle can get flipped off by an accidental tap, a managed device policy, or a Chrome reset. Confirm it is on.
- Open the Chrome app on your Android phone.
- Tap the More
menu in the top-right corner and choose Settings. - Scroll to Advanced and tap Site settings.
- Tap Pop-ups and redirects.
- Toggle Blocked off to let sites open pop-ups, or toggle it back on to block them.
Once the toggle is on, Chrome shows Pop-up blocked in the address bar when it stops one. That message is the quickest way to confirm the setting is working.
Block Notifications From Sites That Open Spam Tabs
Tabs that appear after you tap a notification are not pop-ups. Many ‘spam tabs’ are notification taps in disguise. A site you gave notification permission to can quietly open new tabs in Chrome every time you tap its alert.
Review those permissions site by site and revoke every one you do not recognize.
- Open Chrome on your phone.
- Tap the menu in the top right and choose Settings.
- Scroll to Advanced and tap Site settings.
- Tap Notifications.
- Toggle off Sites can ask to send notifications to block every new request going forward. Then use the Allowed sites and Blocked sites lists below to fine-tune what you have already decided.
After you revoke a site, close the tabs it opened and watch the notification shade. If no new tabs appear, that site was the source.
Revoking a site does not close tabs it has already opened. Close any spam tabs manually first, then revoke the permission so the site cannot open new ones.
Turn On the Intrusive Ad Blocker
Spammy sites can still slip through. Turn on Chrome’s intrusive ad blocker.
Chrome has a separate setting that hides ads on sites flagged for intrusive ad experiences, including ads that pop up new tabs or cover the page. It is off by default, so switch it on if you keep landing on those pages.
- Open the Chrome app on your Android phone.
- Tap the More menu in the top-right corner and choose Settings.
- Scroll down and tap Site settings.
- Under the Content section, tap Intrusive ads.
- Turn the Intrusive ads toggle on if it is off. Chrome blocks ads on sites that violate the Better Ads Standards as soon as the switch is on.
After you enable it, reload the page. Ads that used to cover links or open new tabs should stop appearing.
Silence All Chrome Notifications at the Android System Level
Chrome notifications can be turned off completely from Android settings. That is stronger than revoking sites one at a time. It stops notifications from opening new tabs even if a site slips through later.
- Open Settings from the app drawer.
- Tap Apps. On Samsung One UI, tap Notifications instead, then App settings.
- Tap the browser you want to mute, such as Chrome.
- Tap Notifications.
- Turn off All [browser] notifications at the top of the screen.
After you switch them off, Chrome notifications should disappear from the notification shade entirely.
Check Your Android Apps for the Source of the Spam
When the spam tabs are always the same type (gambling, ‘you have a virus’, fake giveaways), an app on the phone is often the cause. Free VPNs, ‘cleaner’ apps, and some games ask for overlay permission to draw on top of other apps. A few of them abuse that permission to open browser tabs in Chrome.
To rule this out, think back to when the spam tabs started. If it was right after you installed a new app, uninstall any app you installed around that time. You can also boot the phone into Safe Mode and watch whether the spam tabs still appear. If they stop, an app is the cause.
TIP: On most Android phones you can boot into Safe Mode by holding the power button, then long-pressing Power off until the Reboot to safe mode prompt appears. This disables all third-party apps temporarily, so you can confirm whether an app is the source.
While you are checking apps, scan the device with Google Play Protect. Open the Play Store app, tap your profile 
, then choose Play Protect and run a scan. It will flag apps known for displaying unwanted ads and overlays.
Clear Chrome’s Data as a Last Resort
The spam tabs keep coming back even after you revoke notification permissions and turn on the ad blocker? Clearing Chrome’s data is the last resort. It wipes every site’s data, including leftover permissions and scheduled tasks a spammy site set up in the background.
Before you do this, know that the reset may sign you out of websites and remove passwords stored only in Chrome.
If you are signed in across devices, clearing Chrome on Android does not affect the desktop version. Confirm your Chrome sync settings first.
ALERT: Clearing all Chrome data signs you out of websites, removes saved passwords and payment methods stored only in Chrome, and clears site permissions. Confirm your passwords are saved to your Google Account or backed up before continuing.
- Open Chrome and tap the More menu, then Settings.
- Tap Privacy and security, then Delete browsing data.
- Switch to the Advanced tab.
- Tick every box: Browsing history, Cookies and other site data, Cached images and files, Passwords and other sign-in data, Autofill form data, and Site settings.
- Set the Time range to All time.
- Tap Delete data and confirm the warning.
After the reset, sign back into Chrome and check that the spam tabs are gone before you install any new apps.
What to Do If Spam Tabs Still Appear
After all the steps above, you still see random tabs opening. At this point, the cause is almost certainly an app on the phone, not Chrome itself. From here, the practical moves are:
- Uninstall every app you do not recognize, especially free VPNs, ‘RAM booster’ or ‘cleaner’ utilities, and any app installed from outside the Play Store.
- Open Android Settings → Apps → Special access → Display over other apps (the path varies by phone) and remove every app you do not trust.
- Update Chrome from the Play Store. The latest version has the most up-to-date block lists.
- As a final test, open the same pages in a different browser like Firefox. If the tabs follow you there, the problem is on the phone, not in Chrome.
Frequently Asked Questions
Still have a question after the steps above? These are the ones that come up most.
Are spam tabs in Chrome on Android caused by a virus?
Almost never. The spam usually comes from a site you visited and gave notification permission to, or from an app with overlay access. A scan through Google Play Protect is a sensible precaution, but a real device virus is uncommon on an up-to-date phone.
Will clearing Chrome’s data stop spam tabs for good?
It removes the local permissions and stored data spammy sites use. That usually solves the problem. If the tabs come back after a reset, the source is almost always a separate app, not Chrome.
Do I lose my saved passwords if I clear Chrome’s data?
Yes, if your passwords are stored only in Chrome and not synced to your Google Account. If Chrome is signed in and syncing, passwords stay in your Google Account and reappear after the reset.
Why does Chrome say ‘Pop-up blocked’ in the address bar?
That message confirms the pop-up blocker is active. Chrome shows it whenever it silently stops a tab or window from opening. It disappears when the page reloads or you move to another page.
Once the pop-up blocker is on and the notification permissions are cleared, the spam tabs should stop. If they come back, treat it as an app problem on the phone and work through the overlay and Safe Mode checks again.
