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Have you ever suspected someone may be spying on your phone? While this is a common concern for high-profile people like government officials, celebrities, and CEOs, it happens to everyday people as well. Security tools are a solid preventative measure, but you may have already been hacked.
Androids and iPhones have different vulnerabilities, but the indicators are often the same. Read on to learn the signs that someone is spying on your phone and discover the best anti-spyware protection for you.
A hacker doesn’t need physical access to your phone to install spyware, although some apps — like mSpy, which is meant to be an extreme form of parental monitoring — require physical access. Know that it’s always illegal for a person to monitor your phone activity without your knowledge or consent. If your phone is being monitored, you should follow up with the police.
Phishing texts and emails, malware downloaded knowingly or unknowingly, and security vulnerabilities on your device — and even just using public Wi-Fi — are all ways a hacker can gain access. Without the proper security tools, like a virtual private network (VPN), hackers can get into your phone when using shared Wi-Fi.
Downloads from unverified or third-party sources, jailbroken iPhones, and even tainted downloads straight from the Google Play store have all been found to contain malware that can be used for spying.
Check out signs and indicators that someone may have put spyware on your phone.
Your phone’s battery will deplete as you use it throughout the day. However, if you notice a considerable amount of drain when you aren’t using it, that could be a sign of spyware software running in the background, using your resources, and draining your battery.
Like the battery draining quicker, spyware apps also use data on your device. If you notice increased data usage, this may indicate that spyware is sending data from your phone to a hacker.
Before your phone can turn off, it has to finish sending its data packets. Try turning your phone off immediately after making a call, browsing the web, or sending a text or email. If your phone takes longer to shut down than usual, it may be sending data packets to a hacker before being able to turn off.
Batteries can get hot when you’re charging and using your phone simultaneously. You may notice your battery getting hot even when you aren’t using your phone. This can indicate that the phone is working to send information to another source.
You should be aware of all the apps on your phone. If there’s one you don’t recognize or haven’t seen before, delete it immediately. Make sure to check app folders to see if anything you didn’t install is buried on your device.
Sometimes, spyware sends and receives texts that are supposed to be hidden from normal text viewing. Spyware apps aren’t infallible; sometimes, these texts get through and are visible. If you see a text with many strange symbols, letters, and numbers, this could indicate a hack.
When you make a call, if you hear odd clicks, voices, beeps, static, etc., that could indicate someone is listening in. It could be a poor signal or connection, but if it happens regularly, you may be compromised.
Similar to battery drain, the health of your battery could be degrading faster than what’s normal for your phone’s make and model. Schedule some time with a certified technician or reseller to see if they think it’s normal or if something nefarious could be happening.
Your phone turns off and on, apps open and close, and notifications come through on silent or DND mode could all be indications someone is spying on you. If your phone seems to have a life of its own even when you aren’t using it, you may be compromised.
Most phones have a small orange or green dot at the top of the screen when the camera or microphone is in use. If you see this indicator on when you aren’t using those two features, someone may be listening to or recording you through your phone.
Websites do look different on mobile devices as opposed to desktop or laptop computers. If the websites on your phone look different from how they normally look on your phone, it may be malware affecting your access.
Is there a message posted to your socials you didn’t post or new Snapchat contacts you didn’t add? This may indicate that a spy is using your device remotely and accessing your third-party apps.
Pop-ups on your phone aren’t something you should ignore. They could indicate malware meant to trick or spy on you. Any pop-up should be treated like malware and investigated.
Your phone will slow down over time. It’ll also slow if it’s near storage capacity or doing heavy processing. But if your phone is lagging or sites and apps are taking longer than normal to load, spyware may be the culprit.
You can root an Android and jailbreak an iPhone to increase your access to content, but there are many reasons why you shouldn’t. If you’ve done this yourself, you’re opening your device up to malware and easier hacking. Someone may have hacked you if you haven’t done this, so look to see if your device is now rooted or jailbroken.
Unless your device has been rendered inoperable, there’s still time to repair the damage yourself and safeguard against any future issues. There are several steps you can take to remove malware. We suggest starting with the least intrusive method and moving to more advanced removal processes until the problem is resolved.
Apple iPhones are much safer and less prone to malware than Androids. While it’s not impossible to hack an iPhone, it is much harder.
Users who do find themselves in need of spyware removal have a few options:
Unfortunately, Android phones are much easier to compromise than iPhones. Warnings are being issued regularly regarding new malware, including ransomware and spyware, found in apps in the Google Play store. Android users may need antimalware tools more often than their iPhone-using peers.
Prevention is much easier than remediation. Whether you’ve just removed malware from your phone or you’re looking for preventative measures, the tips below will help keep your smartphone secure:
A good VPN and antivirus bundle will keep your phone secure from hackers, malware, and any other malicious content on the internet. Below are some of our favorites.
Get Surfshark One | Read Our Surfshark One Review
Get Norton 360 | Read Our Norton 360 Review
Get Bitdefender | Read Our Bitdefender Review
Blocks ads and pop-ups, including cookie consent requests, while browsing
Can also browse ad-free without a digital footprint with the Surfshark Search engine
All-in-one app includes VPN, antivirus scans, alternative ID creation, malware protection, and more on unlimited devices
There are a variety of ways your phone can get infected with spyware. Someone can directly install it physically on your phone. More likely, however, you’ll get spyware from going on shared Wi-Fi without a VPN, downloading a compromised app or file, picking up malware while browsing the internet, or responding to a phishing text or email. Additionally, jailbroken iPhones and rooted Android devices are more likely to be infected because they bypass the manufacturer’s built-in protections.
There are a few codes meant to help with spying, but they may not work on all phone makes and models. If you aren’t satisfied with your results from these codes, try the methods we’ve listed for removing spyware.
Maybe. Hackers can access your camera if they get into your phone, but recent software updates have equipped phones with green and orange dots that indicate when the microphone and camera are being accessed. If those dots are on and you aren’t using those features, follow our steps for removing spyware.
Yes. Some apps are marketed as extreme parental controls. Still, they’re just legal forms of spyware that can access everything on your phone, including listening to you through your phone’s microphone without your knowledge. It’s illegal for another person to install this software on an adult’s phone without their knowledge. If you find an unrecognized app on your phone, you should report it to the police.
Apart from apps, malware can be installed remotely on your phone when you use shared Wi-Fi without a VPN, click links from phishing texts and emails, jailbreak or root your phone, download malicious apps and files, and visit infected websites. From there, someone can monitor your phone without you knowing.
If someone is monitoring your phone, you’ll see clues and signs. Slower phone and app loading, unusual battery drainage, strange noises and voice on calls, your phone doing things of its own volition, and a host of other indicators could mean someone is monitoring your phone.
Yes, a factory reset can remove a hacker by wiping everything installed on your phone. Be careful, however, because most people restore their phones from a backup. This could cause you to reinstall the malware that allowed the hacker access.
It’s possible to hack and monitor both Android phones and iPhones, but more likely with an Android. If you don’t root or jailbreak your phone, you reduce your chances of being hacked, but it’s still possible. Make sure you always use security software to catch potential hackers before they become a problem.
The best antivirus software for mobile devices includes a VPN for an encrypted connection and can keep your phone clean. Make sure to take care of any warning signs as soon as possible, and if you think your phone has been hacked, contact your local police station immediately.
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