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Is Someone Spying
On Your Phone?
Callum Tennent
Updated Invalid Date About author +
/ Guides / Is Someone Spying On Your Phone?

Worried that someone is spying on

your phone activity, reading your
messages, and watching what you do
online? This guide explains how to
spot spyware on your phone, how to
properly remove it, and how to protect
yourself against spying in the future.

Our cell phones provide a snapshot of our

entire lives through the storage of photos,
messages, and phone calls. Unfortunately,
this can make them a target for people who
want to spy on you.

Regardless of whether you use an Android or

an iPhone, it is possible for someone to install
spyware onto your phone that will secretly
report on your activity. It’s even possible for
them to monitor your cell phone’s activity
without ever even touching it.

Mobile spyware, sometimes called

stalkerware, can be installed onto
your phone to monitor information
such as calls, text messages, emails,
location, photos, and browsing
history. In some cases it may be able
to take photos and record nearby
conversations.

Spyware is designed to remain hidden, so

that it can monitor your phone without you
knowing. However, a lot of spyware is
detectable if you know what you’re looking
for.

In this guide, we’ll introduce 10 signs that

your phone might be being spied on.

We’ll then explain what to do if you suspect

spyware is on your phone and walk you
through how to remove it.

Lastly, we’ll explore ways you can protect

yourself from someone spying on your phone
in the future.

Did You Know?

ISPs, mobile carriers and many Internet
services monitor and log your web
activity. Some then sell that web data to
other companies.

To stop this from happening, we

recommend using a mobile Virtual Private
Network (VPN).

See our list of the best VPNs, or try our

top choices ExpressVPN and NordVPN
virtually-free for 30 days.

WHAT'S IN THIS GUIDE

How to Tell If Someone Is Spying on Your

Phone

How to Remove Spyware from Your Cell

Phone

How to Protect Your Phone Against

Spying

Can Someone Spy on My Phone Without

Touching It?

How to Tell If Someone Is

Spying on Your Phone
Detecting spyware on your phone is difficult
because it will usually be hidden or operating
in stealth mode.

However, if someone is spying on your phone

there are some common signs you can look
out for. In particular, you should check for
suspicious files and applications, unusual or
malfunctioning device behaviour, and strange
messages.

Here are 10 of the most common signs that

someone is spying on your phone:

1. Unfamiliar Applications

Although the most sophisticated spyware is

hidden, people occasionally misuse apps like
parental control apps in order to spy on
others.

If someone is spying on your phone using

one of these apps, then the spyware will be
hiding in plain sight.

Search your phone for any unfamiliar

applications that you don’t remember
downloading. Common ones to look out for
include Net Nanny, Kaspersky Safe Kids,
Norton Family, and Qustodio.

Skip to our section below on How To Remove

Spyware for more.

2. Your Device is ‘Rooted’ or

‘Jailbroken’

‘Rooting’ an Android device or ‘jailbreaking’

an iOS device allows users to bypass the
official app stores and install unapproved
apps.

If your device has been rooted or jailbroken

and you didn’t do it, that’s a strong
indication that something suspicious is going
on.

To check whether an Android device has

been rooted, download an app called Root
Checker.

To check whether an iOS device has been

jailbroken, look for an app called ‘Cydia’.
Cydia is the app used to install software onto
jailbroken phones. If you find it on your
device, then it’s almost certain your phone
has been jailbroken.

EXPERT ADVICE: When you buy a

second-hand phone, it’s worth restoring
it to factory settings to make sure it isn’t
jailbroken or rooted. Find out how to do
this here: Android or iPhone.

3. The Battery Is Draining Fast

If spyware is working continuously, it can

drain your battery faster than usual. All
batteries degrade over time though, so look
for a significant and sudden change, rather
than a gradual deterioration.

If you do notice a sudden change, check if

any recently installed or updated apps are
responsible, before concluding you have a
problem. We’re often surprised at how power-
hungry some social media apps can be.

4. Your Phone Is Getting Very Hot

If your device is running hot, it may be a sign

that someone is spying on you by running
spyware in the background.

This is especially relevant if your phone is

heating up even when you’re not using it, or
when you’re barely using it.

NOTE: Similarly, if there is a sudden drop

in your phone’s processing speed, it could
be because of spying. As more of its
resources are directed toward the
spyware app, your phone may start to run
noticeably slower.

5. Unusually High Data Usage

An unusual surge in the amount of data your

phone is consuming can sometimes be a sign
spyware is running in the background.

The spy app needs to use data to send

information back to the perpetrator, so a
spike in data usage may indicate foul play.

To check your mobile data on iPhone, go to

Settings then Mobile Data. You can see your
overall data use, or scroll down to see how
much mobile data individual apps are
consuming.

To check your mobile data usage on Android,

go to Settings > Network & Internet > Data
Usage. Under Mobile, you’ll see the total
amount of cellular data being used by your
phone. Tap Mobile Data Usage to see how
your data use has changed over time. From
here, you can identify any recent spikes.

NOTE: These measures only track the use

of cellular data (i.e. the data you use when
not connected to WiFi). If your phone is
always connected to a WiFi network, this
won’t be much help in identifying
spyware.

That said, some Android phones offer the

option to “Show Wi-Fi Data Usage” too.
Use this to monitor how much data your
phone is using while connected to WiFi.

Again, high data usage is not always the

result of spyware. You’ll need to rule out
legitimate apps first by checking the data
consumption and behavior of individual apps.

For example, we were alarmed to see our

data use spiking, until we discovered our new
podcast app was downloading lots of
previous episodes.

6. Strange Activity In Standby

Mode

Your phone can still receive messages and

calls when it’s on standby (or in sleep mode),
but it shouldn’t be lighting up or making
noises for any other reason. If it is, then it
may be a symptom of spyware.

Similarly, your phone’s screen should be off

and not just darkened when in standby mode.

7. Issues With Shutting Down the

Phone

Spyware apps might sometimes interfere

with a phone’s shutdown process so that the
device fails to turn off properly or takes an
unusually long time to do so.

In 2014, Edward Snowden revealed NSA

technology that prevents phones from
switching off fully, to then use them for
eavesdropping purposes. This is the result of
a very sophisticated and highly-targeted
attack, but it demonstrates that this form of
spying is possible.

NOTE: Frequent and seemingly random

reboots can also be an indicator that
there is spyware on your phone.

8. Odd SMS Messages

Text messages can be used by spyware and

malware to send and receive data. If you see
outgoing messages that you didn’t send, it’s
likely an indication that something’s not right.

Look out for unusual incoming messages,

too. Primitive spyware apps will sometimes
use SMS messaging to communicate with
their base. The message will typically be
coded in some way if it is associated with a
spyware app.

There’s also services like Cerberus which

send hidden commands within SMS
messages that can make your phone take a
picture and email it to the perpetrator, wipe
your SD card, take a screenshot, and many
other invasive things.

9. Autocorrect Is Misbehaving

Keyloggers are a form of spyware that keep a

record of all your keypresses. Someone
spying on your phone could use a keylogger
to capture your messages and login details.

One possible sign that someone may be

using a keylogger to spy on your phone is a
misbehaving autocorrect system. The
keylogger interferes with how the
autocorrect function works, so if you notice it
acting strangely or working significantly
slower than usual, it may indicate that
someone is spying on your phone.

10. Screenshot Quality

If you notice the quality of screenshots is

worse than expected, that could be the result
of spyware, according to Malwarebytes.

CAUTION: These symptoms are not

exclusive to spyware. They can also be
caused by other forms of malware.
Adware, for example, can slow down your
phone and use up data.

Similarly, there are websites that secretly

mine your ‘spare’ CPU resources which
can consume more than 5% of your
battery power in ten minutes.

In these cases, your device is being

exploited but you’re not necessarily being
spied on.

How To Con!rm There Is

Spyware On Your Phone

If you suspect your phone is being spied

on, there are a couple of things you can
do to try and confirm it.

1 Certo makes applications that

check if your device has spyware
apps on it:

Certo AntiSpy for iOS devices

runs on your PC or Mac and
investigates your device’s
backup, rather than the phone
itself. It checks for tracking
services, hidden apps, and
anything with access to your
location, microphone, or camera.

Certo Mobile Security for Android

devices runs on your phone and
scans for spyware, among other
threats. It can also take a photo
whenever someone moves your
phone or enters the password
incorrectly multiple times. That
can help you to identify who is
tampering with your device.

2 Set up a trap to see if your

information is being accessed
without your permission:

1. Pick any public web link you can

share, such as an article from an
online news site. You can even
just pick ‘www.google.com’, but
it’ll look more natural if there’s
real content there.

2. Use a link shortening service,

such as bit.ly, which has a free
option. You enter your link and it
gives you a shorter version. The
important thing is that bit.ly will
count every time the shortened
version is clicked. Don’t test the
shortened link yourself.

3. Send the shortened version to a

friend in a message. Make sure
your friend has been forewarned
not to click the link. Warn them in
person, not on or near your
phone. Add a suitably enticing
message, or perhaps just send it
without a message.

4. Check your stats in bit.ly. It

should show that nobody’s
clicked the link. You’ll know your
phone is being monitored if there
is a link count, as that indicates
that someone has seen your
message and clicked the link.

Only try this if it is safe to do so. If there

is any risk to your physical safety
whatsoever, seek help from the
authorities or a charitable organisation,
such as the National Domestic Violence
Hotline.

How to Remove Spyware

from Your Cell Phone

There are a number of different ways to

remove spyware from Android and iOS
phones. These include using security
software, removing the problem app
manually, and updating the operating
system.

Use the links below to find out exactly how

you can remove spyware on your chosen
device:

Android (including Samsung, Huawei,

Xiaomi, and Motorola devices)

iPhone

Whatever phone you have, the most effective

option is to do a factory reset. This will
delete everything on the device and restore
it to its factory settings, so it is the same as it
was when it left the factory. You’ll lose all
your data and apps on the device, but the
spyware will be effectively removed.

A factory reset is the surest way to

remove spyware from your cell
phone, but many people prefer a less
destructive approach.

If you do a factory reset, make a backup of

your data (including photos) first. Don’t
reinstall the same apps or software after the
reset because you might reinstall the
spyware too. If you have an older backup that
predates the spyware, you might be able to
restore your phone from that.

CAUTION: The perpetrator will probably

become aware that you’ve removed the
spyware because their information flow
will dry up. In some situations, it may be
safer for you not to remove the spyware.
Instead, you could use a secret, second
phone for any sensitive communications.

How to Remove Spyware Apps

on Android

1 Use a spyware removal tool

The simplest way to remove spyware from

your Android phone is to use software
designed for the job. It will scan your device
for spyware (and other types of malware)
and remove it.

Be sure to only use software from a reputable

security brand. Unknown security apps may
themselves carry malware.

Here are some safe options:

Avast Mobile Security, which has a free

option.

Kaspersky Internet Security, which also

has a free option.

Norton Mobile Security for Android

2 Remove the app manually

You may be able to find the spyware app in

the Application Manager and delete it
manually. To do this:

1. Start the phone in Safe Mode: Hold down

the power button, then long-press Power
Off. Tap OK to Reboot to Safe Mode.

2. Enter the Application Manager: Go into

Settings > Additional Settings >
Application Management.

3. Search for potential spyware apps: Try

searching for “spy,” “trojan,” “stealth,” and
similar words. Surprisingly, this can
sometimes reveal suspect apps on the
device.

4. Review each app manually: There is a

good chance the spyware is disguised, so
you might need to review all the apps.
FlexiSpy, for example, uses the innocent-
sounding “SyncManager” for its name.
mSpy uses the name “Update service” to