How To Tell If Someone Is Spying On Your Phone?

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We at SpyDrill are in the favor of spying and monitoring apps when it comes to the security of your dear ones.

But it’s only legal when you have taken the consent from the target person or the monitoring has to be done of a teenager or younger child.

But what if you aren’t a teenager and you haven’t given consent to anyone to install spyware on your phone?

And recently you noticed your cellphone behaving strangely, or heard something from someone that only you know about.

Or due to any other reason if you think there’s a spy app on your device, then it’s a matter of concern.

It’s a clear breach of privacy and you can even sue that person in court for such an audacious step.

But first, you need to check if someone is spying on your phone or if it’s just your misconception.

So let’s see how to tell if someone is spying on your phone (Android or iPhone) and if it’s been tracked, tapped, or monitored by spy software? And most importantly, how to get rid of it if it exists.

Table Of Contents

How To Tell If Someone Is Spying On Your Phone?

Know If Someone Is Spying On You By Checking Your Installed App List

Have you recently started to get bothered due to your gut feeling that someone is tracking your phone?

Are you familiar with all the apps on your home screen? And switching the phone on and off is not helping at all and not giving a rest to your uneasiness.

Is that the kind of situation you’re stuck in?

You don’t need to worry. The simple tricks that I am going to share with you will confirm if your phone has a spy app or not 99% of the time.

NOTE 1: The steps that you need to follow might differ from device to device and operating system to operating system.

NOTE 2: The following steps are done with Samsung M12 running on Android version 11.

1. Launch the phone settings and open the app manager or simply Apps depending on your phone and Android version. Use the search option to locate the app manager if you can’t find it manually. In some of the devices, the app name might appear in the Accessibility section.

app manager

2. Spy apps on Android phones are hidden under fake names like System Services, System Update Services, Internet Services, Sync Service, Update Services, or something along those lines.

how to tell if someone is spying on your phone

Monitoring apps are installed with a fake generic name so that the victim confuses them with system apps and never suspects them.

3. If you see an unknown app with such names installed on your phone, then you can easily find out that someone is spying on you. Just tap on the UNINSTALL option to get rid of the app.

 

uninstall spy app

Now that you have uninstalled the hidden spy app from your phone, there’s nothing you should worry about.

See If Someone Is Spying On Your Phone By Checking Data Usage

The total number of apps in the app manager section is obviously going to be countless.  So it’s assumed that some of the people might have failed to locate spyware on Android from such a huge list.

Don’t worry here’s another trick to locate spyware on Android or iPhone by checking your data usage. Since spyware needs the internet to work properly so by checking your data consumption you can tell if there is a spy app on your phone or not. Here’s how you can do it.

1. Launch the phone Settings and open the Data monitor. Use the search option to locate the data monitor if not found manually.

data monitor

2. Select the Data monitor option.

check the data used

3. Go for the Data usage details.

details of the data usage

4. Now look for the app that you are unfamiliar with but have high data usage. An unknown app using lots of data is bound to be spyware. Hence monitoring data usage is one of the best ways to know if someone is spying on your phone.

Know If Someone Is Spying On Your Phone By Checking The Battery Usage

It’s commonly seen that the cell phone drains a huge amount of battery after the installation of spyware.

And these apps themselves make the user agree that a high amount of battery drainage will take place after the installation.

That’s why checking the power consumption of your phone can help you detect spyware on phone.

1. Open the phone Settings and head to the Battery option.

battery option2. Under the Battery settings, select Battery Usage.

power consumption ranking

3. The list of apps with the amount of battery these apps consumed will appear here. The app with the most consumption will be on the top and the one with the least consumption at the bottom.

battery percentage

If you see an unknown app is consuming a lot of phone battery then it means it is hidden spyware and you should get rid of it asap.

Other Signs That Tell If Someone Is Spying On Your Phone

The above methods to know how to tell if someone is spying on your phone will work in most cases. But what option is left for the selected people who can’t find any such app resting in the app manager?

Let us first discuss the hints that our smartphone gives when it has a monitoring app installed.

Unnecessary Phone Heating

An increase in the temperature of the device can be the result of excessive use of the cell phone or other technical issues.

But first the sudden increase in data usage, then the high drainage of battery, and now the unnecessary heating. All these things at the same time don’t sound right.

So this further strengthens your suspicion about the existence of a monitoring app on your device.

Unexpected Lag

If your mobile phone is of low specification, in that case, this problem is normal. But in the case of devices with high specs, the lagging problem is completely absurd.

So if you doubt someone installing spyware on your phone and recently out of nowhere your high-spec device starts to hang, then your doubt might be true.

Weird Background Noise During a Phone call

If your phone is hacked with spyware that can intercept your phone calls then you might hear unwanted noise while you are on a call with someone. If your device is tapped then you won’t get any better hint than this to tell if your phone is hacked or spyware is installed on it without your permission.

How To Get Rid Of The Spy App

Now the only option you are left with is resetting the phone to factory settings and deleting all the existing data.

But don’t forget to take the backup of your device before you reset it and delete all the apps, their data, photos, videos, and everything else.

Once the smartphone is reset to factory settings, there’s no chance that the spy app still exists on your phone.

How To Tell If Your Cell Phone Is Being Tracked Tapped Or Monitored?

The use of spy apps is widely done to keep an eye on the kid, when someone suspects their partner of cheating or for business purposes.

But whatever the reason, your affirmation for installation is what matters here.

We hope that you will be able to tell if someone is spying on your phone. If it turns out to be true, you have full light to make them answerable and you can even sue them in court in the case of breach of privacy.

So do you have even the slightest suspicion of the survival of such an app on your device?

Just use the methods above to confirm your suspicion and delete the spy apps.

FAQs

Can Someone Remotely Spy On iPhone?

It's comparatively tough to spy on an iPhone than on Android but there are some apps that can allow someone to remotely spy on an iPhone.

What Do Hidden Apps Look Like?

They are mostly hidden under fake names and look like system apps.

How Do You Know If There Is Any Hidden App On My Phone?

You can look for various signs like high data and battery consumption, phone heating, etc.

About the Author

Ankit Prasad, an engineer driven by a passion for digital safety, founded SpyDrill to simplify cybersecurity. With a modest approach, Ankit shares insights on parental control and monitoring apps and effective protection measures. His aim is to empower users with practical knowledge, bridging the gap between technology and everyday understanding. An advocate for digital literacy, Ankit's commitment to demystifying cyber threats underscores his dedication to creating a safer online environment for all.

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