Contemporary smartphones are amazing technological marvels. Our entire digital existence could be stored on these tiny little machines. If it won’t fit in the phone, it sure will fit in the cloud. Our entire music, picture and chat libraries are stored on these smart devices. While this is quite practical, it also makes you a target of surveillance. There are too many potential spies to be concerned about. To begin with, online attackers such as scammers, hackers and others are looking to steal your personal data. Then there may be someone close to you who wants some personal information about you.
Here are the ways to find out if someone is spying on your phone
1. Unrecognized Applications: The most advanced spyware is hidden, but sometimes people misuse programs like parental control apps to spy on others. If someone is using one of these apps to spy on your phone, the malware will be hidden. – Search your phone for any unfamiliar apps you don’t remember downloading. Includes Net Nanny, Kaspersky Safe Kids, Norton Family.
2. Performance Issues: Spyware continually collects your data, painstakingly uses your resources, and works in the background. This explains why devices often become sluggish when this stealthy software is running in the background. If your phone’s performance suddenly and mysteriously starts to drop, get worried. Check out our specific post on how to speed up a smartphone first as this could possibly happen for other reasons as well.
3. Battery draining fast: If malware is running continuously, your battery may drain faster than normal. Yet since all batteries wear out eventually, look for a large and sudden change rather than a decline over time. Before assuming you have a problem, see if recently installed or updated apps are to blame if you notice rapid changes. The power requirements of some social media programs often surprise us.
4. Phone heating up: If your device is heating up, it could be a sign that someone is spying on you by running spyware in the background. This is especially important if your phone is heating up even when you’re not using it or using it sparingly.
5. Abnormally High Data Usage: Sometimes, a sudden increase in the amount of data your phone is using is a sign that malware is active. An increase in data usage could be a sign of mischief as the spying app requires data to transmit information to the perpetrator. On an iPhone, choose Settings then Mobile Data to check your mobile data. You can scroll down to see how much mobile data specific apps are using, or you can view your overall data usage.
6. Shutdown or restart problems: Hackers can make it challenging to restart or turn off the phone. Some malware can even prevent such behavior. These criminals want uninterrupted access to your phone so that they can view and use it. If they can’t turn off the device, they will be severely constrained.
7. Weird Search Browser History: Check your browser history to see if there are any odd occurrences. Try searching for anything specifically about phone spying software. Your browser may have been used by someone to download spyware. Similarly, someone trying to steal your personal information may browse the website to see what they can find.
Here’s how to fight these spyware
Use a Spyware Removal Tool
The simplest way to remove spyware from your Android phone is to use software designed for this task. Your device will be scanned for spyware (and other forms of malware) and removed. Please use software from well known security companies only. Unknown security programs may be infected with malware.
update operating system
Applying an update, if one is available, can sometimes break a spyware program. But, it will not always eliminate it, and its effectiveness is not always ensured. Therefore, we recommend combining this strategy with another.
factory reset your phone
Spyware is challenging to detect and difficult to remove. Wiping and restarting the phone will assure that everything is gone. You should always do this every time you get a new device. Even if it looks like the phone has already been reset, you should still do it just to be safe.
Avoid rooting the phone and downloading unofficial apps
Although Google Play Store does everything possible to keep you safe, keep in mind that we are Android users. It’s easy to install third-party programs, which puts us at risk of attack. We urge you to download apps from Google Play Store only. There are many advantages to manually installing apps, but it’s also a favorite technique used by spies and hackers to get their software onto your smartphone.