Your Android smartphone stores a wealth of personal information about you, including private conversations, banking app details, passwords, photos, location data, and even your voice recordings. That's why spying apps, also known as stalkerware or mobile spyware, are quickly emerging as a major cybersecurity threat. What's truly alarming is that many of these apps operate discreetly in the background, and most people are unaware they're being tracked. In this comprehensive guide, you're going to learn how spying apps end up on your phone in the first place.
This tutorial will also teach you how you can find and get rid of spyware. And how to make your phone super secure, once and for all. Let's get your device locked down, one step at a time.
Though this guide is primarily focused on the Android platform, we've also included information for iPhone users. Let's get started and learn to detect and secure an Android phone from spying apps.
What Are Spying Apps and How Do They Work?
Spying apps are a type of harmful or potentially harmful software created to secretly keep tabs on:
- Phone calls and messages
- GPS location
- Online browsing
- Microphone and camera usage
- Social media accounts
They typically find their way onto phones via:
- Bogus apps or updates
- Harmful links (through texts, WhatsApp, or email)
- Direct access to your phone when it's unlocked
- Illegally copied APK files
- Deceptive phishing websites
Some stalkerware is even advertised as monitoring software, but it's used unlawfully to spy on partners (spouses), kids, or staff members.
Warning Signs Your Phone Might Be Spied On
Keep an eye out for several symptoms happening at once:
- Battery suddenly draining fast
- The phone often gets too hot
- Apps you don't recognize appearing
- Using up a lot of mobile data
- The phone is becoming very slow
- Odd pop-up ads or text messages
- The microphone or camera turns on by itself
If you're seeing 2 or 3 of these regularly, it's a good idea to get your phone looked at right away.
Step 1: Check for Suspicious Apps on Your Phone
Here's how to get started with identifying these spying apps.
What to do:
- Go to the Settings → Apps → Installed Apps option.
- Keep an eye out for apps you don't recall installing.
- Be on the lookout for names like:
- Device Service
- System Monitor
- Update Service
- Parental Control (if it seems fake)
- Apps with generic icons
If anything seems fishy, do some research or uninstall it right away.
Step 2: Review App Permissions (Important Step: Do Not Skip)
Almost every spying app thrives on unrestricted access to the device through unchecked or excessive permissions. You must check if any app has too many permissions or not.
How to Check?
Go to the Settings → Privacy → Permission Manager option.
Pay attention to the permissions for the following apps:
- Microphone
- Camera
- Location
- SMS
- Files
If you find a permission not needed by an app, remove it. For example, a chess app has nothing to do with accessing your device's camera.
Step 3: Run Built-In Security Protection
Modern phones come with robust security features, as long as you set them up properly.
For Android users:
Make sure Play Protect is turned on for continuous malware scanning.
For iPhone users:
Keep your iOS updated. Apple regularly releases security patches to thwart spyware.
These security measures, developed by Google and Apple, block thousands of harmful apps every day.
Step 4: Check Data Usage for Hidden Activity
Unreasonable data usage by any app is another trait of a spying app. Here's how to check it.
Go to the Settings → Network & Internet → Data Usage → App data usage option.
Keep an eye out for unfamiliar apps that are using a lot of data – spyware often uploads stolen information constantly.
Step 5: Remove Spyware Safely
To remove the spyware, follow the steps given below.
- Uninstall any apps that seem suspicious
- Restart your phone in Safe Mode (Android)
- Run a security scan
- Change your account passwords
- Turn on 2-factor authentication
If the problem doesn't go away, try these steps.
- Back up your important files
- Do a factory reset
- Reinstall only essential apps that you trust
This should get rid of almost all spying software.
The Ultimate Smartphone Security Checklist (Do This Right Now)
Go through this checklist and implement it without fail. It'll keep your device secure from malicious software. The execution order is not important. What matters is following all these steps.
- Make sure your phone is always running the latest updates
- Only install apps from official app stores
- Don't ever click on links from unknown sources
- Use a strong screen lock and enable biometrics
- Review app permissions every month
- Enable two-factor authentication on all your accounts
- Stay away from cracked apps and modded APKs
- Turn off Bluetooth and Wi-Fi when you're not using them
- When you're on public Wi-Fi, use a VPN.
- To prevent SIM hijacking, lock your SIM with a PIN.
- Keep an eye out for email login alerts.
- Make it a habit to regularly delete apps you don't use.
- Turn off the option to install apps from unknown sources.
Conclusion
Spy apps really flourish because of:
- Being careless
- Using outdated software
- Granting too many permissions
- Downloading stuff from unknown sources
The upside?
If you stick to the steps I've talked about, it'll be really tough for anyone to spy on your smartphone. Most of these attacks are pretty basic, and you can easily stop them by just developing good habits.
