How To Check If Someone Is Spying On Your Phone

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Android PhoneiPhoneSmartphone Security
Is someone tracking my phone? The thought can be unnerving, but unfortunately quite possible with the wide range of spyware apps available today. Worried about someone anonymous having access to all that personal data in your phone? Feel as though Big Brother is watching? Or perhaps you’re worried that you may have inadvertently installed spyware on your phone as you were carrying out your normal browsing. Phones are basically a one-stop-shop for all our personal lives. The text messages held on them, call logs, emails sent out, voicemails, photos – from those snapped out in the park and events, to those of your private intimate moments, videos of your loved ones, your browsing history and social media profiles – that’s a whole lot of data that you don’t want falling into the wrong hands.

The Lure Of Your Personal Data

So why should someone be interested in spying on you? Well, there are different reasons. Perhaps the position you hold in your business makes you a target for people interested in data about the company operations. It can be a private matter, such as a spouse looking to unravel a potential affair. Alternatively, your wealth may draw unscrupulous individuals who want to hack their way into your checking account. There are those whose jobs increase their risks of being targets of spyware – like journalists, government workers, activists, judges and even scientists. When it comes to phone spying, having a strong password is not enough to protect you. There are lots of apps that can be monitoring your phone activity without you noticing. Let’s delve into the different ways that you can tell if there is someone spying on your phone.

Signs To Watch Out For

Spike in data usage

Have you noticed a sudden surge in the amount of data that your device is using – and yet you know that your own phone habits have not changed? Then there is a likelihood that additional software has been installed on the device, which can be spyware. This is typically seen with the spyware apps that are of a low quality, which tend to used loads of data to send the information that they have picked up form your phone. The high quality software apps on the other hand have been developed to used less data, so this step won’t be of much use here. So read on to other signs that you will notice.

Sudden decrease in battery life

Sure, batteries gradually weaken over time. This, coupled with the numerous apps you’re constantly using, means that the rate of the battery getting depleted will slowly increase. However, when you notice sudden drops in battery life, then this is a red flag. Either the device is actually faulty, or there is unwanted software running in the phone that’s consuming loads of resources while it works in the background.

Phone is acting up while in standby mode.

When the phone is in standby mode, common actions that trigger activity include incoming calls and messages, plus the standard notifications. If you notice that the phone screen is randomly lighting up, or there are sudden unexplained noises, then it means that something is not quite right under the hood.

Random reboots

If the phone keeps rebooting without any clear reason, then it could point to someone else having remote access to the device. This is particularly disconcerting because if one has such access and control such that they can remotely reboot your phone, then getting to the data itself will be far much easier. Don’t lose your wits over this one though. It’s a common feature with buggy phones. However, coupled with the other signs on this list, then you should be more cautious.

Unexplained surge in battery temperature

Activities like playing games or heavy usage will definitely increase temperature. This also happens when the phone is charging, and is expected. However, if you notice that the phone gets hotter when lightly using it, or even when it is idle, then could point to tracking software sending data to another location.

Weird noise when calling

Occasionally, you may find yourself in a location with bad reception, in which case you don’t have to worry about this. However, if you keep hearing a beeping sound, white noise, or echoes when calling, it could indicate the presence of spyware on the app.

Delays or difficulty in shutting down the device

When shutting down the phone, it first closes the active applications before going completely off. This also means cancelling any data transmission from the device. If the phone is taking longer than usual for the shutdown especially after you’ve only been using it for light tasks like calling and texting, then there could be an active app that’s simultaneously running in the background, recording and transmitting data. There are cases where the phone actually doesn’t seem to completely shut down to the black screen. This indicates that the device has been compromised. Here, the backlight doesn’t switch off due to the spy software that’s in the background, which is stopping the device from shutting down.

Dealing With Spy Software On Phones

So, what can you do if you suspect there to be spyware in your phone? Let’s break this down into two:

Android Users

First, try and locate the app manually. Navigate to the “Application Management” options in the settings:
  • Open Settings
  • Go to “Additional Settings”
  • Tap “Application Management”
Go through the list of apps, looking for suspicious names. Remember that the developers of the spyware will try to keep things “normal”, to prevent their app from standing out. Just check for unusual apps – especially those that you don’t remember installing.
  • Blocking unverified apps
This is a prevention measure, and can be quickly done by toggling the security settings.
  • Open settings
  • Go to “Additional Settings”
  • Select “Safety and Privacy”
  • Uncheck “Unknown sources” option.
This will prevent apps that are not in Google’s PlayStore from being installed.
  • Check which apps have access to the camera and microphone
These are the tools that can collect huge loads of data. You want to determine which apps have permission to use the camera and microphone. Toggle the access off for apps that you are suspicious of. Note that this does not mean that the apps themselves are malicious. Ask yourself if you use the app to record videos, take pictures or post them online. Do you actually use them to listen to playback audio? If no, then deny the app access.
  • Open settings
  • Go to “Apps and Notifications”
  • Select “Advanced”
  • Click “Permission Manager”
Here you will be able to review different permissions, from access to call logs, to the camera and microphone. Once in the preferred category, click on the apps to switch between “Allow” and “Deny”.
  • Install antivirus software
In addition to sticking to verified apps from Google PlayStore, installing an anti-virus app will give you an extra layer of protection from malware, spyware and other apps that pose a risk to your phone. There are plenty of antivirus software suited to phones, such as Avast Mobile.

iPhone Users

Monitoring the iPhone is pretty hard unless one jailbreaks the phone. Jailbreaking removes the manufacturer restrictions, allowing spyware apps to be installed. Is my iPhone Jailbroken? Are you concerned that someone has bypassed the iOS device security and is installing unwanted apps? One of the ways that you can check this out is looking for the “Cydia” app. It enables one to install software into the jailbroken devices. If you find the app in your iPhone, then that’s a pointer to it already having unwanted software. mSpy – A useful tool that can also be used wrongly This is one of the legal applications in App Store, and it will work on non-jailbroken iPhones. It’s marketed to parents monitoring their kids. However, this does not mean that a business rival, suspicious spouse, or employer cannot install it on your device. They simply need to get access to your iCloud account’s password. Simply changing the password will stop this. Tracking camera and microphone usage The latest privacy features with iPhones operating system monitor the usage of the camera and microphone. For instance, the “recording indicator” feature with the iOS 14 update lets you know whenever any of the apps, including those in the background, are using the camera or microphone. A little orange dot will show up next to the Wi-Fi and cellular data icons. Don’t worry. You don’t have to keep your eyes peeled onto the top right corner of the phone to check if there’s that glowing orange dot. From the Control Centre, you will be able to see which apps in the phone have recently used the microphone or camera. Changing camera and microphone permission settings To do this:
  • Open “Settings”
  • Select “Privacy”
  • Click Camera or Microphone as needed.
You can also go through the app’s privacy policy to determine if the app developer uses the data collected through the camera and microphone. Remember the TikTok backlash? The app was heavily criticised for collecting loads of data, though to be fair the app had actually listed the data collection policies clearly in its privacy notice – you know, those terms that you agree to without reading? Taking some time to go over them can be an eye-opener.

Factory Reset: When All Else Fails

The sure way of ensuring that the spyware is gone without spending much time or energy, is to simply wipe it clean and get a fresh start. The factory data reset will restore the phone to the condition it was when it was first turned on – which you should also do when you get a new phone. Since this route will actually delete everything, you should first backup your important files. – For Android users, this can be found under: Settings> Additional Settings> Backup and reset> Factory Data Reset Here you can choose between erasing all app data and apps, and keep saved data like phones and music; or chose to remove all the phone’s contents entirely. – For iPhone users: Settings> General> Reset> Reset All Settings You can also use iTunes to reset the phone. Simply connect the device to your PC, open iTunes, and select the “Restore iPhone” option.

Update Your Operating System

Spy apps rely on being compatible with the device’s OS to be able to function. Both Google and Apple are heavily invested in rooting out threats to the Android and iOS systems respectively to protect their users – which includes fixing any loopholes that the spy app may have taken advantage of. As such, when you update the phone OS, the spy software may malfunction, thus getting rid of the threat. It’s also strongly recommended that you don’t root your Android device or jailbreak your iPhone. This opens the door for malware to be installed on your phone.

Physical interventions

This is for those who still feel anxious about the camera spontaneously turning on. Physically blocking the hardware until you’re ready to use them will come in handy. For instance, a vinyl sticker can be used to cover the phone’s camera. These are simply peeled off as needed. Emphasis is on vinyl stickers since the regular stickers will leave a sticky residue behind on the camera. You can also opt for hard shell covers that come with sliding mechanisms that cover the camera. For the microphone, there are blockers available which typically use a 3.5-millimetre headphone jack that blocks the port. This will need to be pulled out whenever you want to use the microphone. Remember to secure your phone. It is a personal item, and you shouldn’t allow just anyone to go around snooping in it. Keeping your phone with you, using protectors like the password, fingerprint or pin security will limit the access to your phone’s contents.
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