Ex-Husband Tracking My iPhone

Possible reasons your ex-husband might be tracking your iPhone

There is no way to say for certain why your ex is stalking you. Maybe he was always controlling. Perhaps this is new behavior because he wants to find out information about an upcoming custody battle. Alternatively, he might be jealous of your new life, wanting to learn about new partners and friends, or convince you to return to him.

Whatever the reason behind your ex-husband tracking your phone, we know it can be scary. And you deserve to feel safe.

How to tell if your ex-husband is tracking your iPhone

If your ex-husband is tracking your iPhone, you might notice signs like phone overheating, increased data usage, battery draining quickly, and odd sounds during calls. Also, your ex might know things you haven’t told him or even know where you are.

Have you noticed any of these signs?

Just seeing one or two doesn’t confirm anything—after all, everyone uses more data than usual occasionally, or your kids might have told him things you haven’t.

But if you notice several of these signs repeatedly, it could be a sign that your ex is tracking your phone and stalking you.

Just how can your ex track your phone? There are a few different ways:

• He might be using pre-installed apps and features on your phone. These are usually perfectly legal apps and tools, but they can be misused. Perhaps he’s connected to your Find My, so he can always see where your phone is. He might know your Apple ID or still have access to shared calendars.
• He might be using a specific tracking or spy app. Hidden apps like Spyic or mSpy can share your GPS location and call logs, record your phone calls, and even activate your camera. Some tracking apps are legitimate and intended to help parents keep an eye on their minor children, but most tracking apps can be used maliciously to stalk.

If you suspect your ex has installed spy apps on your iPhone, there are two ways you can check your phone’s security.

Firstly, you can use Clario Anti Spy’s Hidden App Scan to look for hidden tracking apps.

How to check for hidden apps on your phone:

1. Download Clario Anti Spy and set up a subscription.
2. Under Hidden App Scan, tap Scan.
3. When the scan is complete, the app will alert you to any software that’s hiding on your phone, as well as any apps that have suspicious permissions and could be malicious.

Next, you can use Clario Anti Spy’s Device system check to determine whether your phone has any security vulnerabilities.

By default, Apple’s iOS products have great security and should keep you safe from most spying. iOS apps are sandboxed, meaning they can’t usually access content from other apps, so spy apps can’t find out information and relay it to anyone. However, if your device is jailbroken, you don’t get this security protection. And a controlling partner or ex might jailbreak your iPhone to install spy apps.

How to find out if your iPhone is jailbroken:

1. Download Clario Anti Spy and sign up for a subscription.
2. Under Device system check, tap Scan.
3. When the scan is complete, the Jailbreak detector will alert you if your device is jailbroken.

If you’re worried about someone spying on you through other devices, check out our article on how your spouse is spying on your computer.

Let’s look in more detail at how you can tell if your ex-husband is tracking your iPhone.

1. Increase in device temperature

Tracking apps run secretly and constantly on your phone, so they can monitor you. They might also have your Location Services active at all times.

These are both fairly resource-intensive activities, so they can cause your phone to heat up.

If you notice that your phone is hotter than normal, especially when you aren’t using it, this could be a sign that your ex-husband is spying on your device.

2. High data usage

As well as constantly running in the background, spy software needs to relay information back to the person who installed it. And that’s going to use your data, especially if you’re not connected to Wi-Fi.

You might get notifications from your provider that you’ve hit your monthly data cap. If this is unusual for you, think back on your data usage this month. Have you been streaming or gaming a lot, or just doing the same as usual?

You can look at your recent data usage and which apps have used the most data in Settings.

How to check your iPhone’s data usage:

1. Go to Settings > Mobile Service (this may be called Cellular in some locations).
2. Scroll down to Mobile Data and check which apps have used the most data.

3. Decrease battery life

Because spy apps can be very resource-intensive, your battery might drain more quickly than usual if your ex-husband has your iPhone tracked. You might notice that you need to charge your phone more often than usual.

You can also check your power usage in Settings to see when your battery is draining and which apps are using the most power.

How to see your iPhone’s battery usage:

1. Go to Settings > Battery.
2. Scroll down to Activity. Do you remember using your phone at these times?
3. Look at Battery Usage by App. Do you recognize these apps?

4. iPhone getting slower

If your ex-husband is tracking your iPhone, it might be running more slowly than usual.

That makes sense—after all, it’s got spyware running constantly in the background and transmitting data back to your ex.

So, if you notice unexpected delays when loading apps, your phone freezing, or just generally responding more slowly, it could be a sign that you’re being tracked.

5. Activity in standby mode

When your phone is on standby, it shouldn’t be doing too much. You’d expect to hear calls and message notifications, as well as approved notifications from other apps.

But sometimes your phone will light up randomly, or make sounds without showing you a notification. This could be a sign that there’s spyware installed on your phone and it’s working in the background.

Look out for:

• Notification sounds that you haven’t heard before
• Notification sounds that aren’t accompanied by a notification in the Notification Center
• Noises that usually only happen when you’re using your phone, such as the sound when you reload your emails or refresh a page

6. iPhone rebooting suddenly

This could be a sign of spy apps. The tracking software may need to reboot your phone to install an update or complete a task.

7. Longer shutdown

This could be because it has tracker apps running on it. Just like your computer might take longer to shut down when it has lots of programs open, your phone is the same. It needs to close all of its apps before it turns off.

8. Unexpected text message

Are you getting unexpected text messages? Or, if you look in your Sent Items, do you see messages you didn’t write?

Strange SMS messages could be a sign that your husband is tracking your iPhone. Spyware apps might send and receive messages—they could be commands, or coded messages that can only be read by certain apps.

9. Odd calls sounds

Whether you hear these sounds during voice or video calls, it could be a sign that you’re being monitored.

Beeping, clicking, or other interference sounds could mean that someone is listening in on your conversations or even recording your calls.

It’s not abnormal to hear strange sounds during phone calls sometimes, but if you repeatedly hear them during voice and video calls, it could be a sign of a problem. Interference during Wi-Fi calls is especially uncommon, so take care if you notice that.

10. Hacked Apple ID

Does someone else have access to your Apple ID?

You might notice some signs that your Apple ID has been hacked, including:

• Receiving emails saying that someone has logged in, when you haven’t
• Receiving emails that someone has changed your password
• Your password is no longer working
• Receiving two-factor authentication codes that you didn’t request
• Seeing emails or messages in your Sent Items that you didn’t send
• Noticing purchases that you didn’t make
• Your devices are locked
• New devices are added to your Trusted Devices

Someone else accessing your Apple ID means that they may have access to your emails, location, calendar, and other personal information.

11. Your ex knows things you haven’t shared

This could be information about your work, future plans, or even details of private conversations you’ve had online.

These could all be signs that he has access to your online messages, calendar, or private files.

12. “Coincidental” appearances in unexpected places

Maybe he knows your work schedule, turns up when you’re on a day trip, or surprises you at the doctor’s office.

He might be tracking your location to know where to find you, or looking at your emails or calendar to know your routine.

How to stop your iPhone from being tracked by your ex-husband

To stop your ex-husband tracking your iPhone, you can increase your phone’s security settings. Change your Apple ID password, disable Location Services, and consider factory resetting your phone.

We’ll start with the easiest steps:

• Change your Apple ID password so your ex can’t access your Apple Account, and enable two-factor authentication for maximum security. You can do this on your phone by going to Settings > Apple Account > Sign-In & Security, but if you’re worried that your ex might be tracking your phone, use a different device to log in to the iCloud website and change your password there.
• Regularly check for unfamiliar apps and remove them. Look through your App Library for apps you don’t recognize. If you see something unfamiliar or suspicious, delete it immediately.
• Check whether your phone is jailbroken. Using Clario Anti Spy’s Device system check, scan your phone for jailbreaks.
• Use a VPN to hide your location from stalkers.
• Turn off Location Services to avoid anyone tracking your location. Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services, and toggle Location Services off. Find out more about how to freeze location on Find My iPhone.

• Factory reset your phone if you’re still worried about spy apps. A factory reset returns your phone to its original settings, and removes installed apps. Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone and tap Reset.

Is it legal for your ex to track your iPhone

You might be thinking, “Is my ex-husband tracking my iPhone illegally?” Usually, you can’t track another adult without their permission. Even if you once allowed him to have access, if you’ve asked him to stop and he’s continued, this may be illegal.

In the US, the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) makes it illegal to track people digitally. Even law enforcement officials can’t track you without a warrant, so if your ex-husband is tracking your iPhone, he’s probably breaking the law.

In Alaska, Arizona, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Washington, and Wyoming, tracking people’s phones also comes under anti-stalking laws. And, if your ex is following you in person, stalking is a crime in all US states and territories.

In Florida, even if your ex had been allowed to track you during your marriage, the moment you file for divorce, any consent is immediately revoked–so he’s no longer allowed to track your iPhone.

If you’re worried about your safety, call the police or other local law enforcement immediately.

You can also contact:

• The National Domestic Violence Hotline, for advice and support, on 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
• StrongHearts Native Helpline, specifically for Native American women who are victims of domestic violence, on 1-844-7NATIVE (762-8483)
• Domestic Shelters, for advice on finding a shelter or domestic violence program in your area
• VictimConnect Resource Center, for advice about your rights as a victim of crime, on 1-855-484-2846

Conclusion

If you suspect your ex is tracking your phone, look out for signs like your phone overheating, your battery draining quickly, and your ex knowing your location.

You can take some safety precautions to protect yourself, such as turning off Location Services and changing your password if you believe it’s compromised. Most importantly, look for hidden apps on your phone that could be tracking you.

As an iPhone user, you benefit from the iOS security and privacy features—but not if your phone is jailbroken. Check for jailbreaks and hidden apps with Clario Anti Spy, to ensure you’ve got as much protection as possible from stalkers and malware.