Before you start
- Access to your phone’s settings
- Your Google or Apple account password
Warning signs (and what they really mean)
- Battery draining much faster than usual, or the phone being warm when idle.
- Higher data usage from an app you don’t recognise.
- Someone knows things they could only know from your messages, location or photos.
- Settings changed without you, like location sharing switched on.
- Unknown apps, or apps with generic names like “System Service” or “Sync”.
None of these prove spying on their own: old batteries and normal apps cause most of them. Clicks, echoes or beeps on calls are almost never a sign of tapping on modern digital networks.
Dial codes like *#21# only show call forwarding. They can’t detect spyware.
Method 1 Check an Android phone
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Step 1: Review installed apps
Go to Settings > Apps > See all apps. Look for anything you didn’t install. Tap unknown apps to see their permissions.
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Step 2: Check accessibility and device admin
Spyware abuses these powerful permissions. Check Settings > Accessibility > Installed apps / Downloaded apps and Settings > Security > Device admin apps (Samsung: Security and privacy > Other security settings > Device admin apps). Anything unknown is a red flag.
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Step 3: Check notification access
Look at Settings > Notifications > Device & app notifications (or Notification access): apps listed here can read your messages.
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Step 4: Scan with Play Protect
Open Play Store > profile > Play Protect and tap Scan. Play Protect detects many known stalkerware apps.
Method 2 Check an iPhone
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Step 1: Run Safety Check
Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Safety Check (iOS 16+). Manage Sharing & Access shows who you share location, photos and more with, and which apps have access to sensitive data.
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Step 2: Look for profiles
Open Settings > General > VPN & Device Management. If you see a profile you didn’t install (and the phone isn’t from your work or school), it may be used for monitoring.
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Step 3: Check your Apple Account devices
Tap Settings > [your name] and scroll to the device list. Remove any device you don’t own. Someone with your Apple Account password can read iCloud backups and messages.
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Step 4: Check for a jailbreak
Look for apps like Cydia or Sileo. Spyware on iPhone often requires a jailbreak; updating iOS removes most jailbreaks.
Method 3 Secure your accounts
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Step 1: Check signed-in devices
Google: myaccount.google.com/device-activity. Apple: Settings > [your name] device list. WhatsApp: Settings > Linked devices. Sign out of anything you don’t recognise.
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Step 2: Change passwords
From a safe device, change your Google/Apple, email and social media passwords, and turn on two-step verification.
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Step 3: Change your screen lock
Set a new PIN or passcode that no one else knows.
How to remove spyware
- Uninstall the suspicious app (remove its device admin rights first on Android).
- Remove unknown profiles on iPhone.
- Update your phone’s software.
- If you’re unsure or the app won’t uninstall, back up only your photos and contacts, then factory reset the phone and set it up as new, without restoring a full backup.
On iPhone, people at high risk of targeted attacks can turn on Lockdown Mode in Settings > Privacy & Security.
Troubleshooting
I can’t uninstall an app
On Android, it’s probably a device admin app. Remove it from Device admin apps first, then uninstall. If that fails, a factory reset removes it.
The problem returned after a reset
You probably restored a backup containing the app, or the person still has your account password. Reset again, change passwords from another device, and set up as new.
Frequently asked questions
Can my phone be tapped without physical access?
Advanced government spyware can, but it’s extremely rare and targets journalists and activists. For most people, monitoring requires access to the phone or to account passwords.
Can the police tap my phone?
Law enforcement intercepts happen at the carrier and leave no signs on your phone. They require legal authorisation in most countries.
Does a factory reset remove spyware?
Yes, in almost every case, as long as you don’t restore the spyware from a backup.
Summary
Check for unknown apps with accessibility, device admin or notification access on Android, unknown profiles on iPhone, and unfamiliar devices on your accounts. Change passwords from a safe device, and reset the phone if in doubt.
