10 Signs Someone is Watching You on Your Smartphone: How to Detect and Protect Yourself

Whether you are using an iPhone or Android device, privacy is not guaranteed on your smartphone. If you’re worried that someone is tracking you on your phone, there are signs you can look out for.

Read more: If your fear was sending audio on WhatsApp, the problem has been solved

You can see for suspicious apps, unusual camera behavior, and the other signs that someone is watching you on the phone.

1. Suspicious activity in background apps

The applications of spyware They generally operate in the background, always remaining active to monitor your activity. This can cause high battery usage and poor device performance as background activity consumes a significant amount of device resources.

The exact nature of background activity varies depending on the spyware in question. Some allow people to turn on their camera or microphone, giving them a way to watch and listen to you. Others record your device’s actions, including the calls you make, the messages you send, the apps you use, and the login credentials you enter.

If your device is running slowly or the battery is draining quickly, check your app list for unknown apps. No iPhoneyou can review all your apps at the bottom of the settings menu.

You can also access “Privacy and Security” in the settings menu and check specifically which apps have access to your camera, microphone and other aspects of your device.

No Androidyou can open the Settings menu and go to “Applications”, where you can review your applications individually. You can also navigate to Security and Privacy > Privacy > Permissions Manager to see which apps have access to your camera and microphone.

2. Strange camera behavior

O strange camera behavior It’s another warning sign that someone is using your phone’s camera to watch you. For example, if you go to use the camera and receive an alert that it is already in use, this is a sign of a spyware app.

A camera that looks turn on instantly when you access it – rather than a brief startup delay or a second or two – could also indicate that the camera was already in use by another application.

However, there are other device or app issues that can cause the above symptoms. If you notice unusual camera behavior, take a close look at the other signs described in this article.

3. Strange camera light behavior

Even if the camera itself isn’t acting strangely, the unusual camera indicator light behavior It could mean someone else is turning on the camera to watch you. Although some types of spyware can disable the light – allowing the camera to operate without turning on the indicator light – not all spyware has this ability.

If you see that the camera indicator light is on even when you are not using the camera, this may indicate that someone else is accessing your camera. You should carefully look for other signs of spyware on your device. And if you want to be sure – and remove the spyware in question – you can check out Certo, an anti-spyware tool for iPhone and Android.

4. Unexpected screen behavior

Many forms of spyware run on background, operating even when the device is in standby mode. However, if your device is in standby mode and suddenly turns on without any apparent contact or trigger, it could mean that a spyware application has been activated or accessed by another party.

Typically, this occurs when an inactive spyware application switches to a more active state. For example, this could happen if a person who is using the spyware application to watch you turns on their camera to watch you.

Typically, the screen only lights up momentarily after activating the app. However, it may continue to work even when the screen disappears.

A wide variety of activities can cause a screen to turn on, such as a legitimate notification from an app you use. However, if you can’t connect it to specific device activity, look more closely at the other signs of spyware documented in this article.

5. Photos, videos or audio files that you did not create

Another sign that someone is potentially watching or listening to you through your smartphone are photo, video or audio files saved on your deviceor in cloud storage that you did not create.

If you find suspicious files on your phone, they may contain malware – therefore, handle them with care. Instead of interacting with them directly, you should use a tool like Certo to check the files.

6. Higher data usage

While some spyware apps store video, photo, and audio files on your device, others load the information in a separate location that can be accessed by the person watching you. For this to happen, it is necessary to use a data network. This may include cellular data services or Wi-Fi connections. In either case, your device may experience higher than normal data usage if this occurs.

This problem is most obvious if you are using a limited data plan, as it may generate warnings or additional costs if data consumption exceeds your account limit. However, devices typically track this information for both data network and Wi-Fi usage. Additionally, unlimited wireless data plans typically still track how much you’re using.

As a result, you can check whether the data usage increased relatively easily. If you see values ​​that are much higher than expected for your activity level, this is a warning sign.

7. Your location is being accessed

In some cases, a person watching you doesn’t just want to see or hear you through your device; they also want to know your physical location. The applications spyware can come with location trackingallowing the application to pass this information to someone else.

Additionally, integrated services such as Find My Device or Find My iPhone may have location sharing capabilities, giving someone access to where you are through a non-malicious application.

If you are concerned about spyware, the best first step is to check the list of all apps that have location permissions. If an application you are unfamiliar with is exploiting this data, research it to determine if it is malicious.

For legitimate applications, you will need to explore the settings to see if your location is being shared with someone else. If a person is using your login credentials to access these services through another device, you may receive notifications that the services were used to locate you. In that case, update your password to prevent new access.

8. Poor video calling performance

Although the performance of Video call can vary for a number of reasons – including connection strength, bandwidth availability, device background processes, and more – poor performance that doesn’t align with common issues could mean someone else is watching you during your conversation.

Os hackers can intercept video calls, observing them as they occur or recording them for future viewing. Because this creates more activity during the call, performance may decrease.

Determining whether spyware is responsible is often not always so easy when the call is happening. Mainly because people know that a series of circumstances can affect the connection, and most of them are not harmful. However, if you’ve already had a few issues with video calling and are suddenly experiencing ongoing issues, it’s worth investigating further.

9. Strange sounds during calls

Hearing strange noises during calls is another sign that someone is tracking your device. Generally, cell phones are known for reliable call clarity.

If you hear strange sounds, it could mean something is recording or listening to your calls. Likewise, if you think you hear another voice on the line that isn’t one of the callers, that’s a warning sign.

What to do if you think your phone has been hacked

If you find one or more of these signs, it is very possible that someone is using spyware to monitor and track you on your cell phone. Delete all suspicious apps and consider factory resetting your device.

2023-12-25 22:55:00
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