How to Check if Your Phone is Under Surveillance: Stay Ahead of the Game

These days most of your personal life and information is present on the internet in some way or the other. That is why hackers and notorious elements try to target your smartphones and steal all of your information. Just the thought of being under surveillance is scary but how to check if your phone is under surveillance remains a top question.

While there is no exact way of confirming if your phone is under surveillance or not, there are some red flags that point toward something wrong with your phone. If these symptoms check out for your phone, there might be something wrong and there is a chance that your phone is hacked and under surveillance.

Sneak peek here: How to Check If Your Phone is Hacked or Not?

1. Dramatic Battery Loss
2. Unwanted Apps on Your Phone
3. Overheating of the Phone
4. Increased Data Usage
5. Phone Malfunctioning
6. Odd Browser History and Social Media Activity
7. Unwanted Background Noise During Calls
8. Weird Popups

In this guide, you will understand how to check if your phone is under surveillance, the reasons behind it, and what is the next step forward.

Different Types of Surveillances?

1. Sneaky Phone Listening: This happens when someone secretly listens in on your phone conversations. Tricky folks might use special tricks to hear what you're saying without you knowing. They disguise as just random while keeping an eye on your conversations.

2. Tricky Computer and Network Stuff: Sometimes, the sneaky phone providers goes beyond your phone to involve computers and networks. Bad actors might use sneaky software to get into your phone, peek at your info, or even watch what you're doing online.

3. Secret Social Media Spying: Ever had someone mess with your social media without you knowing? Phone hackers can break into your phone, sneak into your social accounts, and find out all kinds of personal stuff. It's not just an invasion of privacy; it's like digital snooping.

4. Spying with Sound and Sight: This one's a bit like being in a spy movie. Phone hackers can secretly control your phone's microphone (sound) and camera (sight). They might listen to your chats, record what's happening around you, or even take pictures or videos without you realizing.

5. Bosses Playing Detective: At work, some bosses might play detective by snooping on employees' phones. They could check calls, texts, or what apps are being used. But hey, that's not cool! It's like a privacy line-crossing, and it's important to figure out the right balance between keeping things safe and respecting personal space.

Remember, this info is just to help you understand what phone hacking can involve. Doing any of this sneaky stuff is against the rules and is a big no-no. Always respect others' privacy!

We can't control external factors, but what we can definitely control and confirm is whether your phone is hacked or not and if someone is spying on you. Let's see “How to Check If Your Phone is Hacked or Not?”.

How to Check If Your Phone is Hacked or Not?

Dramatic Battery Loss

The very first thing to notice is your battery loss. Usually, you have a pretty good idea of how much your smartphone’s battery lasts on average use.

Now the average use can differ from person to person but still, you can compare the battery life by seeing how long it lasts.

If you are observing a significant amount of battery loss even with your standard use, there might be something wrong.

Sometimes, it is the software updates or bugs that can cause battery drain which is why you need to check for some other symptoms as well. But a dramatic battery drain is something that you should worry about.

Also Read: Fast Charging Apps for Android

Unwanted Apps on Your Phone

If you notice some apps on your phone that you have not installed then it is one of the biggest red flags. The clear question arises: where did these apps come from? Well, it could have been from some unknown link that you tapped on or someone might have hacked your phone.

First of all, you need to rule out the possibility of your friend, and family members installing that app on your phone. If there is an app that you and anyone who has access to your phone have not installed, it can be another red flag indicating that you might be under surveillance.

Overheating of the Phone

When your phone is hacked, it takes a lot of resources from the system. First of all, you are using your phone like you normally do, and that requires resources. On top of that, there is surveillance data transferred to another server from your phone which again requires resources.

So combine all of these things and you get all the resources overworking which can cause overheating of the phone. A good way to identify is to check if the phone is overheating even when it is idle. If that is the case, then this is another red flag as an idle phone shouldn’t be overheating.

Increased Data Usage

If your phone is hacked then of course the hackers need the surveillance data and activity from your phone to their servers. To achieve that, a data connection is a must so that your phone activity can be sent to them. For that, your phone’s data or internet data is used. If you see significant data usage on your phone then there is something wrong.

You can just go to the data usage settings and see which apps are using data. If there is an app that is using more data than it should and it is not even that important, you can simply uninstall it.

Phone Malfunctioning

If your phone is under surveillance then your phone will see a significant performance drop. As mentioned earlier, surveillance takes extra resources out of your phone and leads to overheating and malfunctioning of the device. If you are facing this issue and your smartphone is fairly new then there might be something wrong.

Odd Browser History and Social Media Activity

You should keep checking your browser history and social media activity every now and then. If there are terms and sites in your history that you never search for or visit then there is definitely something wrong and someone else has access to your account.

The same goes for social media accounts as well. If there is something off like weird posts in your feed, posts from people you don’t follow, or messages sent from your account that you didn’t send then your account is probably hacked.

Unwanted Background Noise During Calls

Another red flag to check is unwanted background noise. If you make a call to someone and you feel like there is a third line on your call and you get weird noises in the background then it is a sign of worry. There is a very strong chance that your call is under surveillance.

Weird Popups

If you get weird ads and popups and you have no clue which apps might be displaying these popups then there is a chance that your phone is under surveillance.

So those are some of the symptoms that indicate that your phone might be under surveillance. If your phone just has one of the symptoms from the list, then there could be other explanations for it and it does not necessarily mean that it is hacked. But if all the symptoms check out then there is something that you should do.

How Does it Happen?

Now you might be interested in knowing how can a hacker put my phone under surveillance. Well, in most cases, it is careless mistakes from our side that make our phones vulnerable to surveillance and hacking.

Installing Apps from Untrusted Sources

If you install apps from untrusted sources then they can have some malware or malicious code that can hack your phone. It is always recommended that you only download apps from Google Play Store or App Store as they are trusted sources. Also, keep Google Play Protect turned on every time if you have an Android phone.

Clicking on Malicious Links

Sometimes you get malicious links in your email, messages from unknown senders, and sometimes from known senders too. You should never click on those links. Also, you should avoid downloading anything from unknown links.

Using Public WiFi

Using public WiFi services for normal stuff like online reading, and watching videos is okay but you should not enter any passwords for any accounts when you are on public WiFi. Also, avoid doing any transactions using public WiFi. Just comes to your home and do all of these necessary things or use your cellular data connection.

How to Protect Your Phone from Getting Hacked?

Here are some tips to protect your phone from getting hacked:

1. Keep Your Phone Updated: Think of phone updates as defence-upgrades for your phone. They fix bugs, add cool features, and, most importantly, make your phone more secure. Always say yes to those update prompts!

2. Master the Art of Passwords: Create strong, unique passwords for your phone, apps, and accounts. A strong password is like a shield, protecting your info from the bad guys.

3. Lock Screen Power: Activate your phone's lock screen. Whether it's a PIN, password, pattern, or fingerprint, a locked screen is your phone's first line of defence. It's like having a guard at the gate.

4. App Permissions Awareness: Be choosy about giving apps permission to access your stuff. Apps might ask for access to your photos, contacts, or location. Be conscious and only grant access to the essentials.

5. Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) Magic: Activate 2FA for your accounts. It's like having a bodyguard sidekick. Even if the bad guys somehow crack your password, 2FA swoops in to save the day by adding an extra layer of protection.

6. Wi-Fi Wisdom: Connect to secure Wi-Fi networks. It's like choosing the safest superhero headquarters. Avoid public Wi-Fi for sensitive tasks, and when you're on public networks, use a virtual private network (VPN) for an extra layer of security.

7. App Store/Play Store Only Policy: Stick to downloading apps from official app stores. These stores are like certified headquarters – safe and trustworthy. Avoid sketchy websites or third-party app stores; they might have villains disguised as apps.

8. Be Alert to Phishing Villains: Don't fall for phishing scams. Villains might try to trick you into revealing personal info through fake messages or emails. Be more aware and double-check before clicking any suspicious links.

Conclusion

So that was all about how to check if your phone is under surveillance or not. There is a series of red flags that you have to check and if your phone checks all or the majority of them, then your phone might be under surveillance. You can do a malware scan using a trusted app or you can also reset your phone to resolve this issue.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is the best way to protect my phone from surveillance?

The best way to protect your phone from surveillance is to avoid suspicious links or apps, create strong passwords such as alphanumeric passwords, and keep your phone up-to-date with the latest software updates and security patches.

Q. Can you tell if your phone is being monitored?

We have already covered all the signs above. Kindly go through them one by one.

Q. Can surveillance cameras hear you?

100% Yes, surveillance cameras can hear you if they are equipped with an audio recording feature. Some latest surveillance cameras are designed to capture both video and audio, allowing them to record conversations and other sounds.

Q. Will a factory reset eliminate hackers?

Performing a factory reset removes all apps, data, messages, contacts, call history, as well as spy apps, malicious downloads, malware, Trojans, and viruses. In cases where your phone has been compromised through a spy app, a factory reset will surely eliminate it as well.