How to Tell if your Cell Phone is Being Tracked, Tapped or Monitored by Spy Software
There are a few signs that may help you find out if your cell phone has spy software installed and that it is being tracked, tapped or monitored in some way. Quite often these signs can be quite subtle but when you know what to look out 
for, you can sometimes find out if your cell phone is being spied on. This article series will deal with How to Find installed Spy Phone Software and then How to Remove Spy Software followed by How to Secure your Cell Phone. This guide should help for all types of Smartphone including Android and for the iPhone there are a few extra tips.
It seems that almost everyone is obsessed with cell phones, from young kids’ right through to the elderly. Babies seem to be the only ones missing out so far! In the early days, cell phone security wasn’t a major issue. Cell phones were exactly that -Phones! I know that it might seem strange to younger readers, but back in the day, cell phones were only used to make phone calls (often quite unreliably). Of course today with modern smart phones we can do all sorts – browsing the Internet, chatting on Facebook, online banking and sending e-mails, just to name a few. More and more of our personal information is being transmitted through our phones and most people do not realize just how easy it is for other people to get hold of this information.
Is Your Mobile Phone Being Monitored?
Although I have been working with cell phone spy software for several years it never ceases to amaze me just how few people understand what it can do and how easily accessible it is. Most people are shocked at the capabilities of a relatively inexpensive piece of spy software that anyone can buy – legally. Get familiar with these spy apps and what they are capable of – check out a few of the reviews on this site – StealthGenie or MobileSpy. Knowing what you are up against is a good first step.
I think anyone would be shocked to find spy software on their mobile phone and would be angry at the invasion of privacy, but for some people the consequences could be much more serious. Business users are particularly at risk but anyone can become a target of spy software. Just think for a moment about the information stored on or passing through your phone on a daily basis. Should you be worried? The good news is that sometimes it is possible to spot
spy software apps.
Detecting Cell Phone Spy Software
I will go through a few of the tell-tale signs that could let you know if your cell phone has spy software installed. Some of these indicators can be caused by other things so you need to use your judgment. Some spy programs work very well and can only be detected by expert analysis but if your phone has several of the following signs you may have cause for concern.
Odd Phone Behavior – look for any changes in your cell phones behavior. Does it suddenly light up when not in use; make random beeping noises, shutdown by itself or exhibit any other random behavior? All phones can do strange things from time to time but if this is happening on a regular basis it could be a sign that your phone is being accessed by hidden software.
Battery Rundown – some spy software apps can increase the use of your battery so look out for any sudden changes in your battery life – does it need charging more often. Bear in mind that over time your cell phone battery life will diminish naturally, so you’re looking for any dramatic change. Some of the cheaper spy software programs will run your battery down quickly, however the more modern programs are designed to make less demand on the battery and are harder to spot.
Phone Shuts down – does your phone regularly shut down by itself, even when the battery is charged? Some spy software can be quite buggy and is known to cause this.
Background Noise – don’t get paranoid with this one is quite often this easily explained as a bad connection. If it is happening more than normal it could be another tell-tale sign. Look out for static, clicking, beeping or voices in the background. Some call listening and recording features can cause this background noise as they access your phone like a conference call.
Receiving Unusual Texts – are you receiving strange text messages containing random numbers, symbols or characters? The remote control feature of spy software works by sending secret coded text messages to your phone and in some cases these can be seen – if the software is not working correctly. If this happens regularly you could have a spy app on your phone.
Increased data Usage – have you noticed an increase in your normal data usage? Some of the less reliable Spy apps use extra data to send the information collected from your phone, so look out for any unexplained increase in your monthly data usage. There are several apps that can be used to monitor your data usage check out: My Data Manager – Android from Goggle Play and Data Usage – for iPhone available from the Apple Store. Again, with the best spy software programs data usage has been reduced and will be almost impossible to spot – but the poor programs will show significant data use.
With all the above you are looking for sudden changes in your phones behavior that cannot be explained. Each of these on their own is not necessarily evidence of spy phone software, but if your phone shows signs of several of these, you could be a victim of spying.
How to Check for Spy Software on an iPhone
For any software not supplied through Apple – including all spy software – the iPhone needs to be Jailbroken. If you find out your iPhone is jailbroken and you did not do it then you should be concerned. To find out if your phone has a 
Jailbreak look for the Installer app on your home screen. Other app names include Cydia and Icy – if any of these show up, your iPhone has been Jailbroken. Sometimes the spy might be clever enough to hide the Installer app from the home screen menu but if you look around it should be possible to find it. You could also check all your software apps to see if they are listed in the Apple store – if they are not available from Apple then your phone has a Jailbreak.
Looking deeper inside the iPhone directories is more difficult than with Android but there is an easy way to remove spy software (and the Jailbreak) from the iPhone. Simply upgrade to the latest OS version via iTunes – this will remove the Jailbreak and any external software not from Apple, just be sure to back up any important data on your phone before you do this.
Advanced Steps – Check Your Phone’s Directories
If you are a little more technically minded you could look around inside your phones directory files for any clues. This step is normally beyond most people’s comfort zone but if you’re comfortable look through the folders for any giveaway file names containing the words spy or stealth – anything suspicious. Quite often there can be an installer file left behind on the SD card – if you know where to look.
I read an interesting article about this on Forbes, where they had an expert trying to find some of the popular spy phone software applications. He talked about how easy it was to find evidence of these spy apps by looking in the phone directories. But he was an expert! How many people do you know who are comfortable looking around inside the software of a phone, let alone know which files to look for? In my experience most people do not find spy software in this way. They need to be suspicious in the first place and if they are suspicious they will usually have detected some of the odd behaviors mentioned above. Remember that most targets of spy software aren’t even aware that this kind of software exists or that someone would want to monitor them.
If you think your phone does have spy software installed on it you should read the next article on How to Remove Spy Software from your Phone. Then check out How to Secure your Cell Phone.
I hope this has been of some help but remember that this kind of technology is always evolving and is becoming increasingly difficult to spot. If you think you are at risk of being monitored you should take steps to secure your phone and prevent the installation of spy software in the first place. Just being aware that spy software exists and knowing what it can do is a good start!
Need to know more about cell phone spy software and what it can do? Start with the articles in the top right box of this site or read Different Types of Spy Phone. You should also check out my article about Monitoring Your Childrens Cell Phones – it was inspired by a great comment left by a concerned parent looking at the ethics of using spy software to monitor kids.
Thank you for your help but I have an ordinary Samsung flip phone and I have switched off my GPS . However I keep receiving unknown phone calls at all hours of the day and night especially while away from home (definitely not my husband but I do have a stalker). No one speaks and occassionaly I can hear background noise. They stopped for about 2 weeks after I complained to my service provider however they have started again. I do a lot of contract work that takes me away from home so that my stalker does not know where I am or who I work for however they always seem to find out and I know who ever is doing it has interfered in my jobs because I have been told by my bosses that they have received anonymous phone calls and unsigned letters with certain allegations made. Any help would be appreciated. Thankyou.
Have a wonderful Christmas and New Year.
Regards
Anne Wills
Thanks for sharing your story. This is quite serious and I really think you should be getting some professional/legal advice. For starters you should think about at least changing your cell phone number and do a factory reset on the phone – to rule out spy software. Unfortunately there are too many selfish people in this world intent on harassing others – do please takes steps to keep yourself safe. Good luck.
Does any spy software just work silently and not show any signals you mention above.
The reliable software apps covered in this site such as Mobilespy and Stealthgenie manage to cover up most of the signals. They have overcome the issues like battery drain, excess data transfers and odd behavior – making them very difficult to spot. If you really know your way around the internal file system of your phone even they can potentially be found. The fact remains that many people worry about the software being discovered but in reality this is extremely rare. Ordinary users seldom just discover these spy apps – if you stick to reputable programs.
If a phone plan does not allow for Internet usage, will a spy program not be able to function? My understanding is that the collected data is sent to a monitor via the same way Internet data would be sent, or is it sent over the cell network’s voice/text lines? Thanks
The target cell phone needs to have an internet connection to send the data – not using the voice or text service – you are correct.
Hello….my phone is being tracked via my cellphone number. I cannot change the number because it is for my small business. This is my ex that has been doing this. I thought buying new phone would fix it….but it did not . He can even listen through the microphone when my phone is off ! How do I stop this without changing my number?
Hi there – if he is monitoring your cell phone, it is because he has installed spy software on your phone. It is not through your number but physically downloaded and installed on to your handset. Are you sure about listening even if the phone is off? This would be highly unusual (read impossible). Check my article about Removing Spy Software – I recommend doing a factory reset and then secure your phone with password. Good luck.
If spyware is detected on my phone, how can I identify the person that is spying on me?
You can’t really – unless you take legal action to get the company to tell who bought the software. This would be difficult and would need a police investigation to prove a crime has been committed – messy. Remove the spy software and take steps to protect your phone going forward.
Hi there, I have a Nokia 6310 and am curious to know whether calls and messages to and from this model can be tracked, tapped or monitored and also what type of mobile would be “safe” to use?
Your phone is not supported by the main spy software companies. If your phone has no internet connection it can not be tracked or monitored with spy software. The old – non smartphones are the safest to use but any cell phone can be easily secured if you password protect it – preferably using an app.
I have an iPhone 4S factory unlocked and I have tmobile and sometimes it switches to AT&T is this some spy stuff going on or is that just because its unlocked
It does not sound like spy software issues – just your carriers switching. If the iPhone is not Jailbroken it will not have spy software on it.
Hi…my fone keeps dialling out a cell number of someone that I was once friends with… His number as well as any messages that was sent to me from him are deleted from my fone but somehow my fone keeps dialling out his number eventhough his number is not on my fone… He has mentiond to others that he tapped my fone so I’m not sure… Is this any sign of my fone being tapped
It’s hard to tell from your description. This sounds like incredibly strange phone behavior – are you positive that no-one else could be dialing the number? For safety I would recommend backing up your phone data and doing a factory re-set. This would remove any possibility of spy software being the cause. After that make sure to set a good password on the device. Good luck and thanks for your question.
Hi, I have strong reasons to believe that someone is spying on me via a remote spy mobile software. How can i defend myself from it?I have done some research and discovered that one can easily be a victim by just accepting a 30 second mobile call.Many thanks.
Hi there, I wouldn’t believe all you read about Remote Install Spy Software (read my article). The fact is that this is extremely unlikely. There is more chance of it being spy software installed directly on your phone – if you are indeed being monitored.
Either way, a factory reset will remove any spy software – check my article How to Remove Spy Software.
Good luck and thanks for your comment.
Every time i talk to a certain friend on the phone it completely shuts down our conversation after 10 minutes. This only happens when i talk to this person. could there phone or mine have some sort of spyware on it?
Based on this alone, I wouldn’t think so. Has one of your phones been set to restrict the length of calls? If you had several other indications of suspicious phone behavior then you might think it is spy software.
I have a TRAC…Samsung phone. My ex knows where I am always and breaks in time and time again…I have noticed that when I am on the phone, it gets VERY hot and I found out the WI-FI was on. I NEVER, EVER turn the WI-FI on. Does this indicate the phone has been tapped? I have the GPS turned OFF.
Hi there, the phone heating up can be caused by other things and I wouldn’t be that concerned about the wi-fi. If you are really worried just do a factory reset and then make sure you protect the phone with a good secure password or locking app.
If your ex is breaking in you really need to contact law enforcement – don’t take any chances. Good luck.
Can spy call be used if you don’t have internet service on your cell phone? I keep getting a call from a restricted number. I do not answer it. If I do answer it will that activate spy call?
An internet connection is needed to send the details of your phone use to an online panel where the spy can see them – without internet, they can’t monitor your phone. A call from a restricted phone number? I don’t quite know what you mean – but you won’t get spy software on your phone in this way.
I have someone who seems to know where I am at all times whenever I have my phone with me. It’s to an uneasy extent, even if I leave my car home an have someone pick me up from college class- they know where I am. My boyfriend also has the same problem with this same person and his phone has all the tell tail signs and they only came about after we started dating. It hangs up on me, always background noise, shuts down an turns on randomly. We used to joke about it until recently when we noticed something was wrong.
The person we believe is spying through or phones happens to be a family member so I have a feeling it could happen again and again- is there any sure proof way to protect our phones?
Thanks for sharing your story. Read my articles about Removing Spy Software and Cell Phone Security – it is easy to protect your cell phone when you know how. Good luck.
I have an Iphone 4 that is not jailbroken. Can someone install spyware remotely by sending an mms message?
No – firstly the iPhone needs to be Jailbroken and secondly, remote spy software does not work as some might suggest. Read my article for more information – Remote Spy Software.
I have a jailbroke iPhone 5 and the other day while just searching through Cidia (didn’t download anything) an alert message came up that said it had detected spyware on my phone and to call some number. I read about the signs of some spyware above and the only thing that seems strange is that ever since the alert, it seems like my phone gets behind while I’m texting and will freeze for a few seconds or be unresponsive.
It sounds like your phone has been infected by spyware. Spyware is very different to spy software. Spyware on your phone is just like on your PC – you can get it from visiting dodgy websites without any anti spyware protection. Normally this can be detected and removed with an antivirus program and causes no long term damage.
Never react to it – ringing the number etc. Make sure you have antivirus software on your cell phone if you surf online – just Google it to find a free app and you should be able to remove it.
Good luck.
I wanna download spy software but the person I wanna do it to we share the same phone plan. Will they know if I have purchased it on the bill
The data transfers are very small and do not show up on most bills. Most bills are not even itemized in terms of actual data use.
Can my phone be tapped even though its not a smart phone from a picture message? Because one time i got a picture message and my phone would just shut off after trying to download it.
NO- spy software will only be able to work on a Smartphone – with internet access. Remote installation is not possible – regardless what you might read online. That being said you should always be careful opening files from unknown sources – just like on your PC. Other malicious scripts, viruses and Spyware can be activated in this way.
At certain times everyday my iphone stops working I can’t receive txts,call,or use my browser is that something I should be concerned about as unusaul behavior on my phone could it possibly have spyware on it?
It does not sound like this could be caused by spy software. It sounds more like a problem with your phone itself or your service provider. Have you tried rebooting etc. I would contact your service provider first – but would not suspect you are being monitored.
SAMSUNG GALAXY S3-This new guy i’m dating helped himself into my home while i was away for the weekend, and bc i unfortunately forgot my phone,he went thru everything, literally. Right before this happened, he purposely purchased a phone identical to mine. Although he isn’t very tech savvy, his friends are & he learns very fast.
Bc this phone is wack w a mind of its own, i can’t determine any new behavior. But he although he swears he didn’t mess w any music or files of any kind, i suddenly had 3gb free sd card that i know i didn’t have. I’m so full of music that i was having to delete just to download beforehand…. It took me a few days to notice, bc other than all of my playlists(real player)freakishly temp disappearing when i first booted up, they reappeared. Only other thing that is making me wonder is his behavior.
Please what should i do. I’m not rooted but i can search all files. If necessary i can temp move music and hard reset and only restore apps i backed up prior to incident. But if he is somehow monitoring My google/Gmail account, well hell, it’s the hub of everything on here even once reset. I know its tmi but i need some serious input. Thanks so much for time and patience in advance.
Wow – does sound suspicious. Someone messing with your phone can set alarms ringing. I would definitely do as you said – backup and do factory reset. If you do this everything will be removed including any spy software. To some people this seems too easy but the fact is that this method will always remove the spy software totally. Then you need to secure your phone with a good password app. Better to be safe than sorry when you have reasons to be concerned. Good luck.