Is Someone Spying on Your Android Phone? -7 Best Ways to Find It

A mobile phone is a device that brings the world into your hands. Your phone contains entire life information which you can easily access as well as manage your daily operations without hassle. How to know if someone is spying on your android phone can sound tricky, but all these tips to know who is spying on your android makes it easy.

But, can you imagine what may happen if such information gets into the wrong hands? And what if they have control over your Android phone? 

Cybercriminals are widespread and somehow, they always find a way to get into their victims and spy on them –– all without the latter’s knowledge. 

So, this article will give you a clear picture of what are the signs that your phone is being spied on, how the spyware is getting installed on your phone, and how you can get rid of the spyware.

What is Mobile Spyware?

Mobile spyware is software that keeps track and records all your information and actions without your knowledge. However, it does need your permission to get access to your mobile. 

The software also needs to be installed physically or through any spam sent by malicious actors to spy on your phone. Everything that you do on your smartphone will be tracked and makes you under the eyes of someone.

You should be aware of this software and actions must be taken to deactivate this software.

How does Spyware get Installed on Your Phone?

The installation of spyware is done physically on the target phone. It needs permission to access the needed apps –– which is also done physically.

But cybercriminals are more clever than you think! If they can’t get their software installed physically, there is still another way to get their victims to install it without being too obvious.

Cybercriminals attach the spyware to a link or an email where they can get their victims to click. And before they know it, the permission is already given without the victim’s knowledge. 

How to Know if Someone is Spying on Your Android Phone — 7 Easy Ways

Normally, spyware are designed to be hidden. However, some can be detectable if you know what you’re looking for. 

There’s one way to tell if your mobile phone is being spied on: unusual activities. 

These unusual activities must be closely watched and you must find a way to get rid of the spyware on Android.

1. Unusual High Data Usage

An unusual amount of data your phone is consuming can be sometimes a sign that your phone has spyware installed. Although it may not seem too odd, this is one way to notice if someone is spying on your android phone.

The spyware runs in the background and needs data to send back to the perpetrator who has targeted the mobile.

To get track of your mobile data usage, follow the steps below:

      1. Go to Settings.

      2. Select Network & internet and click on the Data usage.

In this, you can see the total amount of mobile data usage. Assess and identify which apps have spiked your data usage.

2. The Battery on Your Smartphone Drains Quickly

The spyware running in the background needs a battery to run. This continuous running may drain your battery very quickly. So, be aware if you notice a sudden drop in your battery life. For many battery, problems can seem pretty ordinary, but in the case of spyware, they can indicate that someone is spying on your android phone.

There are things you can do if this happens to you. Before doing anything drastic, first, check for the recently updated or installed app on your phone –– they may be responsible for the battery drop. 

Before you conclude if it’s spyware there are power-hunger apps that you should know about.

Read:

• How to Find Hidden Spyware on Android: 11 Ways
• How To Make A Spy Camera Using Android Phone (3 Methods)
• The 5 Best Free Spy Apps for Android

3. New and Unfamiliar Apps Being Installed on Your Android

The thing about spyware is that it is hidden in apps.. Some apps are misused to spy on others. Moreso, they misuse parental-controlled apps to spy on someone without their knowledge.

Making use of unfamiliar apps is one method for those spying on your android phone. So, closely check for any unfamiliar apps that you haven’t downloaded but are somehow found on your device.

Net Nanny, Norton Family, and Kaspersky safe kids are just some of the apps used by cybercriminals for spying.

4. Your Phone Keeps Getting Very Hot

When you’re barely using your phone and it’s still getting hot, there’s a possibility that your phone has spyware running on the background. 

Although it may seem silly, you should be careful as there’s a chance that someone is spying on your android phone.

5. Issues with Shutting Down

The spyware software and apps sometimes interfere with the phone’s shutdown as it is continuously working in the background.

This makes the device fail in shutting down properly. If there is something unusual in shutting down your phone, it is likely that there’s spyware on your device.

6. Unusual Text Messages

Unusual text messages and SMS can be an indication that you’re being spied on. 

First, check for messages you didn’t send in your inbox. This shows that something is not going well. 

Second, have a close check on unknown incoming messages too. Messages can be used to send spyware –– through a link. Once users click this link they unknowingly let spyware get installed on their devices.

Be very careful with Cerberus which sends hidden commands through SMS. These commands enable your phone to take a snap and send it to the perpetrator. These hidden prompts can also access your SD card and take screenshots from the same. Other than this, these applications can do grave harm to your data and sensitive information.

7. Autocorrect Keeps Malfunctioning

If you notice something wrong with your autocorrect feature or if it’s working very slowly, then it’s a sign that your phone is being spied on by someone. 

Keyloggers are the kind of spyware that records all your keypresses. These keypresses allow the perpetrator to get your messages as well as your login details. 

The misbehaving auto-correct system is an indication that someone is spying on you using keypresses.

How to stop someone from spying on your Android phone?

In the advancing world of technology, spying has become more common. Moreso, the ways in which someone can spy on you.

With all the technology available today someone spying on your android is quite plausible. Good thing, there are ways to find hidden spyware and remove them!

Below are the steps to get rid of spyware software on your Android phone:

1. Go to Settings.

2.  Select Additional Settings.

3. Click on Application Management. Here you need to search for an unknown file that is unusual that you have not downloaded before. You can also specifically search for spy apps with keywords like trojan, stealth, monitor, etc.

Sometimes the file may be named differently with fake names. In that case, you will need the right provider to help you in deleting those files to avoid spying on your Android.

4. If you find anything strange, delete it! 

To block the spyware applications, these alternative steps must be followed:

Step 1: Go to Settings.

Step 2: Click Additional Settings.

Step 3: In there, go to Safety and Privacy.

Step 4: Look for the ‘Unknown sources’ section –– this blocks the installation of apps that are not from the Google Play store.

How to Know if Someone is Spying on Your Andriod Phone

To get rid of being spied on, you need to pay more attention to your phone. To do this, we’d recommend you check every unusual behavior that suggests the presence of spy software.

After noticing any unusual activity, only then you can step toward removing them. Additionally, there are also many spy removal tools that are available online.

Generally, you can’t prevent spyware from getting into your Android phone. That’s why it’s important to have the knowledge and skills how to identify and remove them so you can escape the long-term repercussions.

FAQs