As hackers continue to improve their methods, it can be tricky to tell if your phone has been compromised. But, despite their sneaky tactics there are some telltale signs to know if you are being tracked.

Unusual Battery Drain. One of the most common signs that your phone is being tracked is an unusual battery drain.

Tracking apps use GPS, and other sensors in your phone to collect data, and this process consumes a lot of battery power. So, if you notice that your phone is losing its charge quickly, it is a good idea to check if there is any tracking app installed on your device.

Data Usage If you notice a sudden increase in data usage on your phone, it could be a sign that your phone is being tracked. Tracking apps use your phone’s data connection to send data to the person tracking you.

Unusual Background Noise If you hear unusual background noise while making a phone call, it could be a sign that your phone is being tracked. Tracking apps use the microphone in your phone to record your conversations, and this can cause background noise.

Slow Performance If your phone’s performance has become slow and sluggish, it could be a sign that your phone is being tracked. Tracking apps use a lot of system resources, which can cause your phone to become slow and unresponsive.

Pop-Ups and Ads If you notice that your phone is displaying pop-ups and ads more frequently than usual, it could be a sign that your phone is being tracked. Tracking apps can display pop-ups and ads on your phone to collect data or generate revenue.

Phone Temperature If your phone feels warmer than usual, it could be a sign that there is a tracking app running in the background. Tracking apps use a lot of processing power, which can cause your phone to become warmer than usual.

Unfamiliar Apps Noticed any unfamiliar apps on your phone. It could be a sign that your phone is being tracked.

So, if you see any unfamiliar apps on your phone, it is a good idea to check them for any tracking features. 8.

Tracking apps can send commands and messages to your phone to control it remotely. So, if you receive any unusual or suspicious messages, it is a good idea to check your phone for any tracking apps.

Luckily, there are warning signs that you can pick up on that will alert you that there may be spyware infecting your device and monitoring your activities. While some signs are tougher to pick up on than others, if you stay aware of how your device usually performs, you can detect if something is going on with your device.

1) Unusually High Data Usage Has your monthly data usage spiked recently. Is your device suddenly using more data than normal, bumping up against your monthly data allotment, yet you haven’t changed your online habits.

Lower-quality spy tools will try to send as much data about your device back to their home base (AKA the bad guys) as they possibly can. This can use large amounts of data.

This makes detection a bit tougher. It all comes down to making sure that you stay aware of your monthly data usage and pay close attention to any sudden spikes in usage that you might see.

This means you can quickly check data usage without the need to search around on your provider’s website or app for data usage information. How to Check Cellular Data Usage on Android To check your cellular data usage on an Android 10 device, do the following.

Tap “Mobile Network” (It’s in the “Network &amp. Internet” section.) On the Mobile Network screen, tap “App Data Usage.” Here, you can view your current cellular app data usage.

(The process should be similar on other versions of iOS and on iPads running iPadOS.): Open the iOS 16 Settings app. Tap the “Cellular” menu option.

On the Usage screen, you can view the data usage for the current month. 2) Cell Phone Shows Signs of Activity in Standby Mode While you should expect your iPhone or Android phone screen to light up when you receive an incoming call, message, or most other types of notifications, your smartphone’s screen shouldn’t be lighting up for no reason while it’s in standby mode.

3) Unexpected Reboots Is your smartphone rebooting for no obvious reason or without you manually rebooting it. Someone may have unauthorized remote access to your smartphone.

This would also indicate they have all sorts of other access to your device and the personal data stored on it. It could also mean the latest app or operating system you recently downloaded has a bug in it.

See if you can duplicate the device reboot by using the app that was open when it happened. On your Android device, you can to scan your device.

4) Odd Sounds During Calls In the days of analog cell phone networks, weird noises in the background and unstable connections were to be expected. However, today’s all-digital cell networks usually provide connections that are stable and mostly noise-free.

5) Unexpected Text Messages Have you either received unexpected messages with weird characters in them or have your friends or other parties reported receiving weird or offensive messages from your phone. This can be a sign that you have spyware or malware installed on your smartphone.

If the victim taps the link, the worm can infect their smartphone. On your Android device, you can install and run security software such as antivirus or anti-malware to scan your device.

Also, be wary of clicking links in these text messages, as such links can also be used to scam you via phishing schemes to steal your personal and/or business information. This is true on both the Android and iOS device platforms.

Or, it could mean that your device is infected with spyware, and the additional load it’s putting on your smartphone is draining the battery quicker than usual. Spyware monitors all of your on-device activities and sends information about these activities back to the bad actors that infected your device.

Taking screenshots, copying and pasting text, recording your conversations, and possibly taking photos or recording video can eat up battery life at an alarming rate. This is especially obvious when your smartphone is supposedly idle.

Then, monitor the battery usage. Sorry iPhone users, your device’s batteries are not removable.

Users running iOS 14 and up can take advantage of a privacy feature that alerts you when an app on your device is using its camera or microphone.

On the iPhone, do the following: Open the Settings app. Tap “Privacy” (“Privacy &amp.

Tap either “Microphone” or “Camera” in the privacy menu. On the next page, you can view which apps have access to the selected feature.

On an Android Device, do the following: These instructions are for generic Android 10. The steps will be similar for customized versions of Android 10 or for other versions of Android.

Go to the Settings app. Tap “Privacy.” Tap “Permission Manager.” Tap “Camera” or “Microphone.” Here, you can view which apps have access to the selected feature.

7) Increasing Battery Temperature in Idle Mode While increased battery temperature can be a sign of multiple technical issues, it can also indicate that unauthorized activities, like spyware activities, are occurring in the background. If you haven’t used your smartphone recently, and it’s just been sitting idle on your desk, it shouldn’t be warm or hot to the touch.

8) Increased Device Shut Down Time Your smartphone, much like a Mac or Windows PC, attempts to shut down all active processes before turning itself off or when it is rebooted. And, much like your computer, occasionally those processes can hang up and either prevent or greatly slow the shutdown process.

You may notice that your smartphone takes longer than usual to shut down right after you’ve finished an active period with your mobile phone. This could mean the spyware is working in the background, saving its ill-gotten information and sending it back to home base.

Again, this can be caused by a harmless app misbehaving, but if it just started happening recently, or is happening more often than not, your device might be infected with spyware. (Did anyone else hear Jeff Foxworthy say that last sentence in their head.

Okay.) 10) Your Cell Phone is Growing Increasingly Slower High-end smartphones made in the last five years or so should run fast and not show many performance issues during day-to-day use. If you notice your smartphone is lagging, performing much worse than usual, or is suddenly running out of resources like memory or storage space, it might be infected with spyware.

But, if you pay attention to how your smartphone usually performs, you can usually tell if something is going on.

Unfortunately, hackers may easily get access to your phone. For them, it may be as easy as requiring you to click a link or install an app.

Sometimes, you may not even be aware that it is there. So, how can you find malware on an iPhone or an Android device.

For iPhone: Jailbreak: Apple does not allow the installation of spying or monitoring technologies. Because of this, if someone wants to put surveillance software on your phone, they must jailbreak it first.

While jailbreaking an iPhone may improve access to iOS’s fundamental features, it exposes your device to several security dangers. After jailbreaking the iPhone, installing surveillance software becomes pretty simple.

Your data and user accounts will be vulnerable to hackers. While attempting to jailbreak your iPhone, it may become unusable.

Because of this, if you discover the Cydia software on your iPhone and you didn’t jailbreak your device, it implies someone else did it secretly and maliciously. Accept invitations from find my iPhone without knowing: By default, you cannot tell the device is being seen with Find My iPhone.

Using free/open/public WiFi spots: A public WiFi Internet connection implies that hackers can read your data since it does not need authentication. Additionally, the administrator of the WiFi network may be able to observe the websites you visit and may even sell your information.

But like jailbreaking, rooting Android comes with several security dangers. You would send updates to you over the air or OTA.

After rooting, rogue software may install certain more harmful applications without your awareness. Viruses and Trojans may attack your device.

In reality, they are still active and vulnerable to misuse.

There are several indicators that can point towards the presence of spy software on your iPhone. Some of the most common ones include the following: 1 Noise During a Call Hearing background noise when making or receiving a call can be as a result of a poor connection.

This is because some spy software can record phone calls which can cause the noises you hear during a call. These noises can range anywhere from beeping, static, clicking and even actual voices.

If you notice that you all of a sudden have to charge you battery more often than you use to, it is very likely that someone is tracking your iPhone. Although this is an indicator, it is worth noting that your battery life will diminish as your device gets older.

3 Increase in iPhone Data Usage If you have noticed a sudden spike in the data usage on your iPhone, this is also an indicator of the presence of spy software on your device. There are certain types of Spy software that require an internet connection to send the collected data to whoever is tracking your device.

To assess the amount of data being used, use an app like Data Usage for iPhone to track your data usage. 4 iPhone Shuts Down Randomly Does your iPhone sometimes shutdown even when it is fully charged.

Low-quality spy software can cause your device to malfunction, thereby causing it to shut down at inopportune moments. 5 Too Many Strange Messages in Your Inbox If your inbox is filled with too many odd messages that contain some type of code, it is an indication that there’s a spyware tool on your smartphone.

6 Overheating of the Device How to tell if your cell phone is being tracked. Check your device’s temperature.

If you have experienced a sudden increase in battery temperatures in idle mode, beware of spying software that’s sending data to another device. 7 Strange Browser History One of the quickest way to check if your cell phone has been tracked or not is to check your phone’s browser history.

8 Look for Suspicious Apps An easier way to check if you’re being tracked is to browse your device’s application list. If there’s any suspicious app installed on your device, there’s a good chance that it’s being used to monitor your activities.

For instance, the screen may start to become unresponsive or the settings may start to change automatically. This type of behavior indicates that your device is being tracked remotely.

Use a root file explorer and look into different folders on your device. If you find any files named as “stealth”, “spy”, or “mobile spy”, understand that you are being monitored by someone.

Battery Issues One of the main signs of phone tapping is that the battery drains frequently. In some cases, it will also get hot.

However, it can also happen when you use a lot of apps and consume more data. Another reason for a hot battery will be due to malicious software running in the background.

Consider the apps which consume more battery 2. Mobile Data Usage If your mobile phone happens to consume more data and runs slow on data, then there may be something suspicious.

This can primarily happen when you connect to free public Wi-Fi. When you happen to witness any of these, you will have to find out what actually is the reason behind it.

You can easily know data usage on your Android phone by going to Settings &gt. Network &amp.

Mobile data usage. On your iPhone, you will have to tap on Settings followed by Cellular.

Unwanted Ads and Apps Unwanted pop-ups and ads can be very irritating. You should never ignore them as it can be a sign of someone spying on your phone.

There can also be apps running in the background which you have not installed. This can be possibly malicious and can gather data.

The malware generates a lot of ad traffic and increases data usage. This can be basically to generate revenue through pay per click basis.

Performance Issues There can even be a possibility when you will face general performance issues with your phone. You will have to note that your device will become slow if more data is being used.

It can even get root access to your smartphone. In doing so, hackers can receive your information.

Even though real apps can take power, they will not affect the reaction time of your smartphone. To confirm which apps are using more RAM, you need to perform this task.

Now you need to click Running. Click on the apps to confirm which app is using RAM.

Tap on General. In the next step, you will have to tap on iPhone Storage.

Strange Messages Strange messages indicate that your phone is being tapped. You must never ignore these types of messages.

Some can even have symbols. It can be highly malicious and is used by fraudsters.

You should always look at the messaging chain and check the media profiles. If you don’t remember sending anything, then it is highly suspicious.

Websites Look Weird If you happen to see any kind of URL code in your email or text, then you should never ignore it. It will cost you when you click on the link.

When there is a malicious app on your phone, the appearance of the website will appear frequently. It is because the malicious app will act as a proxy and communicate between the site and you.

This can even happen when you opt for private browsing. When you happen to go for online banking, you need to enter personal details that can be in the form of a password or other financial details.

Always compare the PC version with that of the mobile version when things look slightly different.

If you have granted location access to your friends or family, they can see where you are through the app. To see who can track your location, open up the ‌Find My‌ app and tap on the “People” tab.

A person who is able to see your location will be denoted with “Can see your location.” If you tap on any person’s name in the list, you can get to settings that will let you stop sharing on an individual basis. Just tap on “Stop Sharing My Location” to block that person from seeing where you are.

You can also get to these settings by opening up the Settings app, going to the Privacy section, selecting Location Services, and then choosing “Share My Location.” This will list family and friends who are able to see your location. Tap on any name in the list to get to an option where you can toggle off location sharing.

If you have found an unknown AirTag, you can follow these steps to see information about it, or to disable it: If you have found an AirTag, hold the top of your iPhone or NFC-capable smartphone near the white side of the AirTag until a notification appears. Tap the notification.

This can help you identify the owner, if you know them. You might want to to make sure that you can document the information.

To learn more about a set of AirPods, or Find My network accessory that’s been separated from its owner, scroll to the bottom of the Items tab, then tap Identify Found Item. If you need to see a list of all AirTag and Find My Network accessories about which you have been notified, launch the Find My app on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.

Scroll to the bottom and tap Items Detected With You. Items that have recently triggered an unwanted tracking alert will be listed.

To disable the AirTag, AirPods, or Find My network accessory and stop it from sharing its location, tap Instructions to Disable and follow the onscreen steps. After the AirTag, AirPods, or Find My network accessory is disabled, the owner can no longer get updates on its current location.

If you feel your safety is at risk, contact your local law enforcement, who can. You might need to provide the AirTag, AirPods, Find My network accessory, and the device’s serial number.

You must disable the item by following the instructions above.

Could Donald Trump be disqualified.

There are several possible reasons why your phone is being monitored illegally: Your employer, the government, and even your internet service provider (ISP) can also track you.

Can my phone be tracked without me knowing. Yes, tracking apps can be secretly installed on your smartphone without you even knowing.

How to stop phone tracking. Firstly, uninstall unknown and useless apps if you find some on your iPhone or Android phone.

Make sure to install apps from App Store or Play Store. Once you find someone is , factory reset your device immediately.

Open the Settings app, tap Privacy or Privacy &amp. Security, and choose Microphone.

Conclusion This guide has discussed how to tell if someone is tracking your iPhone or Android phone. You can follow our guide and check the signs one by one.

Aiseesoft AnyCoord is the easiest way to hide your location from others. More questions.

What do you think of this post. Excellent Rating: 4.9 / 5 (based on 163 votes)Follow Us on More Reading This article will offer you several solutions to block websites on your iPhone that you don’t want others to browse.

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You can even plan a moving route if needed.

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Primakov/Shutterstock. If you suspect your Apple ID has been compromised, you should ask yourself these questions: Have you ever received an email from Apple claiming that your Apple ID sign-in has been recognized from a new device.

Have you ever discovered deleted messages and files. Have you been charged for iTunes purchases that you don’t recognize.

If so, there could be a chance that somebody other than you has gained access to your Apple ID. This can be quite scary, but thankfully there is an easy fix.

If you are unable to access your account, you can use Apple’s tool to reset your account, recover your Apple ID, and get back into your account. To stop this from ever happening again, it is a good idea to create a strong password as well as turn on two-factor authentication for your Apple ID, as this makes it virtually impossible for anybody other than you to gain access to your account.

The best way to beat spyware on your device is to prevent it from getting installed on your device in the first place. If you don’t know how to do that, then you’re in luck.

Use a complex password This is the security tip that always gets the biggest eye roll, and I get it. But this is such a vital thing for a reason.

Make sure each one of your passwords is unique and complex. Avoid using common passwords like “123456” or “password.” 2.

While no software is completely perfect when it first launches, developers have to keep iterating and releasing new security patches to fix things up. That being said, this is what makes software updates so mission-critical.

Use two-factor authentication Just like creating a unique and robust password, enabling two-factor authentication on your mobile device and all online accounts is a crucial security measure. Two-factor authentication provides an additional layer of protection by requiring a code or confirmation from a trusted device before you can sign into your accounts.

Be careful with public Wi-Fi Try to avoid connecting to public Wi-Fi networks because they’re often unsecured and susceptible to hacking. If you’re in a situation where you absolutely have to use public Wi-Fi, make sure to use a virtual private network (VPN) to encrypt your data.

Use antispyware software To safeguard your phone from potential threats, install antispyware software that can detect and remove any spyware present. Numerous free and paid antispyware apps are available on both the App Store and Google Play Store.

Monitor your phone Periodically check your device for any signs of unusual activity, like odd messages or calls, expedited battery drain, or a spike in data usage. If you come across anything suspicious, act quickly to protect your phone.

However, this very reliance on them makes them a target for tracking and monitoring through spyware. If you’re worried about your phone’s security, it’s vital to recognize the signs of tracking and take preventative action.

Whether you decide to install antispyware software or update your passwords to be unique and more complex, every step counts in protecting your phone. Always be vigilant in monitoring your device for any unusual activity and respond immediately if you suspect that you’re being tracked.

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11 Signs That Your iPhone Is Being Tracked ^[15]

This section lists 11 signs that your iPhone might be tracked. Remember, just because you spot one or more of these indicators, it doesn’t mean someone is definitely tracking you.

Don’t panic if you do see some of these signs. Take the precautions and actions listed later in this article.Battery drainage.

Each app your iPhone runs takes up a certain amount of its battery. Spyware apps run in the background of your phone and access other functions on your device like GPS, meaning they take up additional battery power.

However, it’s important to consider the age of your iPhone—your device’s battery life will get shorter over time. If you hear strange sounds such as clicks, beeps, static, or even other people’s voices during voice calls, it might be a sign that your iPhone is being tracked.

If this happens, you should check your connection first. Poor signal is a much more common cause of strange noises.

This happens because the spyware is using your mobile data connection to send information to the hackers. To check which apps or services are using the most data on your iPhone go to Settings &gt.

Mobile Data.Random phone shutdowns.

This happens because the spyware hasn’t been built correctly and causes your phone to crash. Have you received an odd message.

Hackers sometimes send messages to mobile devices to check that the spyware is working.Your iPhone slows down.

This is because the spyware uses up a chunk of the system’s memory, which means it takes longer to perform certain functions, like loading apps. Your phone slowing down could be the result of it being an older device or because you have too many apps running.

Spyware is constantly active in the background on your iPhone. This requires a lot of power, which in turn strains the battery and causes the phone to heat up.

To install spyware on your iPhone hackers may need to access certain websites using your device’s browser. If this is the case, you may see strange websites you don’t remember visiting in your browser history.

For example, if you see an app called Cydia, it could mean that hackers have tried to remove manufacturer restrictions from your phone to install spyware on it. If you use an anti-spyware app, such as , you’ll get an alert if any spyware or tracking software is detected on your iPhone.