How to Catch Someone Spying on Your Phone

Who can spy on your phone

The obvious answer is hackers, scammers, cybercriminals, etc. However, your personal information is not as valuable to them as it is to people you know: a friend, a jealous partner, a boss, or concerned parents. Only someone from within your closest circle will go out of their way to see who you’re chatting with on your WhatsApp or Instagram. And only a jealous partner would try to guess your phone’s passcode to access your private conversations and photos.

One thing I am absolutely sure about is that before your partner installs spyware on your phone, they will try to guess your passcode. Luckily, you can find out if they have tried using Clario Anti Spy and its Unlock catcher feature. It takes a photo with the front camera when someone tries to unlock your phone. It will then save this image for you with the date and time of the attempt to gain access to your mobile device.

Here’s how to use Clario Anti Spy’s Unlock catcher:

1. Download Clario Anti Spy and set up the account.
2. Toggle the switch next to the Unlock catcher.
3. Done! Clario Anti Spy will take care of the rest.
4. Be vigilant and check your records to see if anyone has tried to unlock your phone.

Why is someone spying on your phone

Why someone spies on you depends on how they relate to you. An anxious parent? A conniving friend? A jealous partner? A scammer seeking financial gain? Each of them will be motivated by different things.

If you ever wonder, ‘Is my spouse spying on your phone?’ I am truly sorry you have found yourself in this position. I hope the reasons listed below can help you understand where your partner is coming from.

Here are some common reasons why someone would spy on your phone:

• To make money. Usually, it goes one of two ways. 1) a cybercriminal wants your email or phone number to assemble a database of personal information and sell it on the dark web; 2) a scammer will aim to make instant financial gain by trying to access your bank account or social media.
• To see if you’ve been cheating. A suspicion of betrayal is the biggest motivator for someone who has previously been traumatized. If your partner suspects you of cheating, they could drive themselves mad by trying to avoid invading your privacy. Alternatively, they could make it their goal to snoop through your phone.
• To make sure you’re okay. It may sound nice and caring; however, going through someone’s phone is always based on trauma. If your parents are overprotective or controlling, they might want to see what you’re up to to calm their own inner demons.

Can you see who is spying on your phone

Your phone will not tell you who is spying on you. However, there are signs you might notice that will indicate that someone is targeting you like this. If you see that your data usage has inexplicably increased, your battery is draining faster than usual, you hear weird noises while on the phone, and someone might be using spyware on you.

Ways to catch someone spying on your phone

While there is no straightforward way to catch someone spying on your phone, there are tricks you can use to identify the spy:

1. Use an anti-spyware program
2. Disinform the spy
3. Prepare traps for the spy

1. Use an anti-spyware program

One of the most efficient ways to catch someone spying on you is to run a spyware scan. Apps like mSpy, Eyezy, uMobix, etc., will allow a spy to read and listen to all of your conversations, see the photos you’re taking, and even remotely control your phone. It is very easy to identify those apps with an anti-spy app or simply by looking through your app list. If you find some unfamiliar apps you do not remember downloading, then remove them immediately.

However, spyware apps are not the only way to invade your privacy. You might have a rooted or jailbroken phone that makes it easier to install malware on it. If you think this is the potential scenario, you could use Clario Anti Spy’s Device system check to see if your phone has been tampered with or rely on manual methods, like looking for Cydia or Saily apps.

All in all, your parents or partner won’t usually go as far as dealing with malware to spy on you. If they are uncomfortable with tech, they will most likely do this in a more old-fashioned way—by trying to guess your passcode. You can easily find out who is spying on your phone by using the Clario Anti Spy’s Unlock catcher. It will take a front-camera photo of anyone trying to break through your phone’s passcode.

2. Disinform the spy

If you are determined to catch someone spying on your phone and you already have a suspect, try to leave breadcrumbs of information that might trigger them across your phone. They will eventually come to you or pass this information to others. Either way, you should be able to spot them.

3. Prepare traps for the spy

You can also set up a little SMS trap to see if someone's spying on your texts. Here's the deal:

• Go to https://iplogger.org/shortener/.
• Enter any website link, like Google or Facebook, and click Shorten.

You will receive two links:

• A link for collecting statistics—send it to a friend (who knows what you’re doing and will not open the link).
• A link for viewing the statistics—use this to view clicks.

• Send the link to a friend and ask them to keep it closed. Put a luring message to tempt any snoopers.
• Check the Viewing Statistics link regularly. If it shows a visit, someone else is most likely reading your texts. Also, if you want to keep the iplogger.org out of the link, you can totally choose a different domain name!

Has anyone clicked? If yes, I'm sorry, but it’s time to act. Read on to find out what you can do next.

What can you do when you find out who is spying on your phone

Finding out that someone close to you has been keeping tabs on you via your mobile device may feel overwhelming. However, now is not the time to relax. First things first, restore your privacy. Here are the steps you can take after you discover who is spying on your phone:

1. Check for call forwarding
2. Check for suspicious apps
3. Update your operating system
4. Enable two-factor authentication
5. Check which apps have access to sensitive permissions
6. Do a factory reset

Check for call forwarding

If someone has managed to set call forwarding on your phone, you can be sure that they know more about you than you would want them to.

Here is how to check if call forwarding is on:

1. Dial *#62#.
2. If this code comes back with a number, it is one of two cases: it’s your voicemail number or, if it is an unknown number, someone has been listening to your calls. Dial ##62# and remove the snoopers from your phone.

Check for suspicious apps

Some spy apps are disguised, so you cannot detect them. However, some masquerade as one of those supposedly useless apps that come with your phone.

Here is how to check your App Store for spy apps:

1. Go to your App Store and hit Account (via your profile picture in the upper-right corner).
2. Choose Purchased.
3. You will see all the apps in your download history there. Look through the list of apps on your phone. If you find one that you do not recognize, remove it immediately.

Read on to learn how to find hidden spy apps on Android.

If you own an Android phone, use your Google Play Protect:

1. Open the Google Play Store and select your account icon.
2. Tap Play Protect.
3. Choose Settings.
4. Turn on the Scan apps with Play Protect feature. Press Scan to run the security scan now.

In case you find a suspicious app on your phone, it might be wise to learn how to block spy apps.

Update your operating system

Updating your OS will patch some security vulnerabilities that might have been a reason for spyware accessing your phone. However, I cannot guarantee it will remove it from your phone since it is unknown what kind of spyware has been used. Still, this is a legit way to make your phone more secure and remove most types of malware, so here we go:

To update your iOS, follow these steps:

1. Go to Settings > General.
2. Select Software Update. If there are updates, make sure you install them immediately.
3. If not, turn on automatic updates so your phone installs new updates as soon as they’re available.

Here’s how to update your operating system on an Android phone:

1. Go to Settings > Software update (or System update or Check for updates).
2. Press Download and install, then follow the prompts to download and install it.

Enable two-factor authentication

This step is complicated since each account has separate two-factor authentication settings. So, you will have to make sure you turn on the two-factor authentication on your social media accounts, Google accounts, Apple ID, Email accounts, etc.

Here’s how to set up two-factor authentication for your Apple ID:

1. Open Settings > Sign-In & Security > Two-Factor Authentication, then follow the on-screen prompt to set it up.

To set multi-factor authentication on your Google Account on an Android phone, follow these steps:

1. In Settings, go to the Security > Signing into Google section.
2. Tap Two-Step Verification and enter your password when prompted.
3. Follow the on-screen instructions.

Enabling multi-factor authentication will help you prevent other people from signing into your accounts. Do you want to know if someone can spy on your phone without touching it? The short answer is yes. For more information, check the Clario Anti Spy blog.

Check which apps have access to sensitive permissions

It is important to see which apps have unexpected permissions—it is possible that a calculator app with microphone access is the problem.

Here’s how to check app permissions on an iPhone:

1. In Settings, go to Privacy & Security and scroll to the list of permissions displayed in the screenshot below.
2. Select each one, then ensure that only trusted apps you regularly use have access to the camera, microphone, location, etc. Block access for any apps you don’t completely trust.

Follow these steps to check app permissions on an Android:

1. Open Settings > Privacy.
2. Choose Permission Manager.
3. Select each permission to check which apps have access.

Do a factory reset

Factory resetting your phone is a drastic action that will work but deletes all your data. If nothing above worked and you are sure you’re being spied on or you’re in danger, make sure you back up anything important first.

To factory reset your iPhone, follow these steps:

1. Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Erase all Content and Settings.

To factory reset your Android:

1. Go to Settings > General management > Reset.
2. Press Factory reset > Reset.
3. Remember to back up your device before performing a factory reset. Otherwise, you will lose all of your phone’s data.

Conclusion

If the tips in this article helped you confirm that someone is spying on you or find out who is spying on your phone, I am so sorry. It is awful to feel life is out of your control. Make sure you restore your privacy first by turning off call forwarding, deleting suspicious apps, updating your OS, or factory resetting your phone if necessary.

If your situation is not that drastic, trust me—it is not drastic yet. If your partner is exhibiting signs of being an overly controlling or jealous person, they WILL try to guess your password or watch you unlock it to repeat it later.

Use Clario Anti Spy’s Unlock catcher to catch them spying on your phone red-handed. It will take a photo of everyone trying to unlock your phone. Stay safe!