Stop Radio Now App from hijacking your browser

What is Radio Now App?

Radio Now App is a browser hijacker and a PUA (potentially unwanted application). It is endorsed as a helpful tool for finding popular online radio stations, accompanied by a fake search engine. It is categorized as a PUA, due to most users installing it inadvertently.

Its functions as a browser hijacker include: changing browser settings and redirecting to search.radionowtab.com (a fake search engine), as well as monitoring browsing activity.

Typically, browser hijackers are designed to affect the most popular browsers, such as Google Chrome, Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox. They alter browsers' homepages, new tab/window URLs and default search engines.

These changes affect browsers thusly: every new tab/window opened and every web search done through the URL bar - all lead to their fake search engines or cause a redirection chain, possibly settling upon a legitimate search engine (e.g. Yahoo, Bing, Google or other).

Radio Now App changes these settings into search.radionowtab.com, which if used redirects to search.yahoo.com - an actual search engine. Attempting to use a hijacked browser is an exercise in futility. While the alterations browser hijackers make, may seem easily reversible, that is rarely the case.

Any user changes made are simply reset, if access to the settings is even possible. Thereby, recovery of a hijacked browser is impossible without removal of the rogue application. Radio Now App also has data tracking abilities.

By gathering info relating to browsing activity (pages viewed, URLs visited, search queries typed and etc.), they can infer personal information (IP address, geolocation and real-life user identity details). What is important to know, is that this data is then resold to third parties seeking to generate revenue, and it may end up serving criminal purposes.

Often this browser hijacker is promoted alongside the Hide My Searches app, which is also a PUA. All unwanted applications endanger the safety of devices and users; they can cause serious browser and system invasions/infections, also lead to severe privacy issues (even identity theft). Therefore all rogue apps must be removed immediately upon detection.

Threat Summary:

Name	Radio Now App
Threat Type	Browser Hijacker, Redirect, Search Hijacker, Toolbar, Unwanted New Tab
Browser Extension(s)	Radio Now App, Radio
Supposed Functionality	Access to various radio stations via Internet.
Promoted URL	search.radionowtab.com
Serving IP Address (search.radionowtab.com)	34.206.62.241
Affected Browser Settings	Homepage, new tab URL, default search engine
Symptoms	Manipulated Internet browser(s) settings (homepage, default Internet search engine, new tab settings). User's are forced to visit hijacker's website and search the Internet using their search engines.
Additional Information	Radio Now App is distributed alongside with another browser hijacker called Hide My Searches.
Distribution methods	Deceptive pop-up ads, free software installers (bundling), fake flash player installers.
Damage	Internet browsing tracking (potential privacy issues), displaying of unwanted ads, redirects to shady websites.
Malware Removal (Windows)	To eliminate possible malware infections, scan your computer with legitimate antivirus software. Our security researchers recommend using Combo Cleaner. ▼ Download Combo Cleaner To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. 7 days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by Rcs Lt, the parent company of PCRisk.com read more.

Most browser hijackers share certain similarities, however some are identical. Analogous PUAs to Radio Now App include: Forms Hub App, Your Template Finder, Live Radio Now and others. While the features they offer may differ, the way they function does not.

Most PUAs lure users with promises of "practicality" and "functionality", however frequently these promises turn out to be utterly false. Their features rarely operate as advertised, if they are functional at all. The only purpose that PUAs serve is to generate profit for their developers, aside from that they are useless.

Instead of working as promised, they: alter browsers, cause redirects to sale-based, untrustworthy, even malicious websites, as well as deliver intrusive advertisement campaigns (pop-ups, banners, coupons, etc.) and gather vulnerable data.

How did Radio Now App install on my computer?

Radio Now App is offered to download in its official website. PUAs can also be installed inadvertently along with desired software. "Bundling" is a false marketing tactic, by which ordinary programs are packed together with rogue apps.

By rushing through the installation process (e.g. ignoring terms, using pre-set settings, skipping steps and etc.), users can easily install PUAs onto their device. Additionally, these applications can infiltrate systems when users click on intrusive ads (commonly located within unreliable websites).

Advertisements of this kind can execute scripts, designed to make unauthorized downloads/installs of unwanted apps.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

It is highly recommended to use only official and verified sources for downloading, ideally via direct download links. It is ill-advised to use peer-to-peer sharing networks (BitTorrent, eMule, Gnutella, etc.) and other third party downloaders, as software gotten from such is more likely to contain PUAs.

Users should read installation terms and explore possible others, in order to make sure that they are installing exactly what they intend to. Additionally, using "Custom/Advanced" settings and opting-out/declining additional apps/features - is advised. Prudent browsing habits are encouraged (e.g. avoiding suspicious sites and adverts).

Invasive advertisements tend to look absolutely legitimate and harmless, therefore easy to fall prey to. However, the websites they redirect to (gambling, pornography, adult-dating and similar) - can be used as a sign of their inauthenticity.

Should users encounter such ads/redirects, they are strongly recommended to inspect their device and remove all suspicious applications and/or browser extensions/plug-ins. If your computer is already infected with Radio Now App, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate this browser hijacker.

Radio Now App browser hijacker installer set-up:

List of permissions that Fast Mail Tab gets if added to a browser:

Website promoting Radio Now App browser hijacker:

Another website promoting Radio Now App browser hijacker:

IMPORTANT NOTE! This deceptive site asks to enable web browser notifications:

Therefore, before commencing, perform these steps:

Google Chrome (PC):

• Click the Menu button (three dots) on the right upper corner of the screen
• Select "Settings", scroll down to the bottom and click "Advanced"
• Scroll down to the "Privacy and security" section, select "Content settings" and then "Notifications"
• Click three dots on the right hand side of each suspicious URL and click "Block" or "Remove" (if you click "Remove" and visit the malicious site once more, it will ask to enable notifications again)

Google Chrome (Android):

• Click on the Menu button (three dots) on the right upper corner of the screen and click "Settings"
• Scroll down, click on "Site settings" and then "Notifications"
• In the opened window, locate all suspicious URLs and click on them one-by-one
• Select "Notifications" in the "Permissions" section and set the toggle button to "OFF"

Mozilla Firefox:

• Click the Menu button (three bars) on the right upper corner of the screen
• Select "Options" and click on "Privacy & Security" in the toolbar on the left hand side of the screen
• Scroll down to the "Permissions" section and click the "Settings" button next to "Notifications"
• In the opened window, locate all suspicious URLs, click the drop-down menu and select "Block"

Internet Explorer:

• Click the Gear button on the right upper corner of the IE window
• Select "Internet options"
• Select the "Privacy" tab and click "Settings" under "Pop-up Blocker" section
• Select suspicious URLs under and remove them one by one by clicking the "Remove" button

Microsoft Edge:

• Click the menu button (three dots) on the right upper corner of the Edge window
• Scroll down, find and click "Settings"
• Scroll down again and click "View advanced settings"
• Click "Manage" under "Website permissions"
• Click the switch under each suspicious website

Safari (Mac):

• Click "Safari" button on the left upper corner of the screen and select "Preferences..."
• Select the "Websites" tab and then select "Notifications" section on the left pane
• Check for suspicious URLs and apply the "Deny" option for each

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Quick menu:

• What is Radio Now App?
• STEP 1. Uninstall Radio Now App application using Control Panel.
• STEP 2. Remove search.radionowtab.com redirect from Internet Explorer.
• STEP 3. Remove Radio Now App browser hijacker from Google Chrome.
• STEP 4. Remove search.radionowtab.com homepage and default search engine from Mozilla Firefox.
• STEP 5. Remove search.radionowtab.com redirect from Safari.
• STEP 6. Remove rogue plug-ins from Microsoft Edge.

Radio Now App browser hijacker removal:

Windows 11 users:

Right-click on the Start icon, select Apps and Features. In the opened window search for the application you want to uninstall, after locating it, click on the three vertical dots and select Uninstall.

Windows 10 users:

Right-click in the lower left corner of the screen, in the Quick Access Menu select Control Panel. In the opened window choose Programs and Features.

Windows 7 users:

Click Start (Windows Logo at the bottom left corner of your desktop), choose Control Panel. Locate Programs and click Uninstall a program.

macOS (OSX) users:

Click Finder, in the opened screen select Applications. Drag the app from the Applications folder to the Trash (located in your Dock), then right click the Trash icon and select Empty Trash.

In the uninstall programs window: look for any recently installed suspicious applications (for example, "Radio Now App"), select these entries and click "Uninstall" or "Remove".

After uninstalling the potentially unwanted applications (which cause browser redirects to the search.radionowtab.com website), scan your computer for any remaining unwanted components. To scan your computer, use recommended malware removal software.

Radio Now App browser hijacker removal from Internet browsers:

Video showing how to remove browser redirects:

Remove malicious add-ons from Internet Explorer:

Click the "gear" icon (at the top right corner of Internet Explorer), select "Manage Add-ons". Look for any recently installed suspicious extensions, select these entries and click "Remove".

Change your homepage:

Click the "gear" icon (at the top right corner of Internet Explorer), select "Internet Options", in the opened window remove hxxp://search.radionowtab.com and enter your preferred domain, which will open each time you launch Internet Explorer. You can also enter about: blank to open a blank page when you start Internet Explorer.

Change your default search engine:

Click the "gear" icon (at the top right corner of Internet Explorer), select "Manage Add-ons". In the opened window, select "Search Providers", set "Google", "Bing", or any other preferred search engine as your default and then remove "Radio Now App".

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the search.radionowtab.com redirect, reset your Internet Explorer settings to default.

Windows XP users: Click Start, click Run, in the opened window type inetcpl.cpl In the opened window click the Advanced tab, then click Reset.

Windows Vista and Windows 7 users: Click the Windows logo, in the start search box type inetcpl.cpl and click enter. In the opened window click the Advanced tab, then click Reset.

Windows 8 users: Open Internet Explorer and click the gear icon. Select Internet Options.

In the opened window, select the Advanced tab.

Click the Reset button.

Confirm that you wish to reset Internet Explorer settings to default by clicking the Reset button.

Remove malicious extensions from Google Chrome:

Click the Chrome menu icon  (at the top right corner of Google Chrome), select "More tools" and click "Extensions". Locate "Radio Now App" and other recently-installed suspicious browser add-ons (e.g., "Hide My Searches"), and remove them.

Change your homepage:

Click the Chrome menu icon  (at the top right corner of Google Chrome), select "Settings". In the "On startup" section, disable "Radio Now App" or "Hide My Searches", look for a browser hijacker URL (hxxp://search.radionowtab.com or hxxps://hidemysearches.com) below the “Open a specific or set of pages” option. If present click on the three vertical dots icon and select “Remove”.

Change your default search engine:

To change your default search engine in Google Chrome: Click the Chrome menu icon  (at the top right corner of Google Chrome), select "Settings", in the "Search engine" section, click "Manage search engines...", in the opened list look for "hxxp://search.radionowtab.com" and "hxxp://hidemysearches.com", when located click the three vertical dots near this URL and select "Remove from list".

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the search.radionowtab.com redirect, reset your Google Chrome browser settings. Click the Chrome menu icon  (at the top right corner of Google Chrome) and select Settings. Scroll down to the bottom of the screen. Click the Advanced… link.

After scrolling to the bottom of the screen, click the Reset (Restore settings to their original defaults) button.

In the opened window, confirm that you wish to reset Google Chrome settings to default by clicking the Reset button.

Remove malicious plugins from Mozilla Firefox:

Click the Firefox menu (at the top right corner of the main window), select "Add-ons". Click on "Extensions" and remove "Radio Now App" (or simply "Radio"), as well as all other recently installed browser plug-ins (e.g., "Hide My Searches").

Change your homepage:

To reset your homepage, click the Firefox menu (at the top right corner of the main window), then select "Options", in the opened window disable "Radio Now App" (or simply "Radio") or "Hide My Searches", remove hxxp://search.radionowtab.com or hxxp://hidemysearches.com and enter your preferred domain, which will open each time you start Mozilla Firefox.

Change your default search engine:

In the URL address bar, type about:config and press Enter.
Click "I'll be careful, I promise!".
In the search filter at the top, type: "moz-extension"
Right-click on the found preferences and select "Reset" to restore default values.

Optional method:

Computer users who have problems with search.radionowtab.com redirect removal can reset their Mozilla Firefox settings.

Open Mozilla Firefox, at the top right corner of the main window, click the Firefox menu, in the opened menu, click Help.

Select Troubleshooting Information.

In the opened window, click the Refresh Firefox button.

In the opened window, confirm that you wish to reset Mozilla Firefox settings to default by clicking the Refresh Firefox button.

Remove malicious extensions from Safari:

Make sure your Safari browser is active and click Safari menu, then select Preferences...

In the preferences window select the Extensions tab. Look for any recently installed suspicious extensions and uninstall them.

In the preferences window select General tab and make sure that your homepage is set to a preferred URL, if its altered by a browser hijacker - change it.

In the preferences window select Search tab and make sure that your preferred Internet search engine is selected.

Optional method:

Make sure your Safari browser is active and click on Safari menu. From the drop down menu select Clear History and Website Data...

In the opened window select all history and click the Clear History button.

Remove malicious extensions from Microsoft Edge:

Click the Edge menu icon  (at the top right corner of Microsoft Edge), select "Extensions". Locate any recently-installed suspicious browser add-ons, and remove them.

Change your homepage and new tab settings:

Click the Edge menu icon  (at the top right corner of Microsoft Edge), select "Settings". In the "On startup" section look for the name of the browser hijacker and click "Disable".

Change your default Internet search engine:

To change your default search engine in Microsoft Edge: Click the Edge menu icon  (at the top right corner of Microsoft Edge), select "Privacy and services", scroll to bottom of the page and select "Address bar". In the "Search engines used in address bar" section look for the name of the unwanted Internet search engine, when located click the "Disable" button near it. Alternatively you can click on "Manage search engines", in the opened menu look for unwanted Internet search engine. Click on the puzzle icon near it and select "Disable".

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the search.radionowtab.com redirect, reset your Microsoft Edge browser settings. Click the Edge menu icon  (at the top right corner of Microsoft Edge) and select Settings.

In the opened settings menu select Reset settings.

Select Restore settings to their default values. In the opened window, confirm that you wish to reset Microsoft Edge settings to default by clicking the Reset button.

• If this did not help, follow these alternative instructions explaining how to reset the Microsoft Edge browser.

Summary:

A browser hijacker is a type of adware infection that modifies Internet browser settings by assigning the homepage and default Internet search engine settings to some other (unwanted) website URL. Commonly, this type of adware infiltrates operating systems through free software downloads. If your download is managed by a download client, ensure that you decline offers to install advertised toolbars or applications that seek to change your homepage and default Internet search engine settings.

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