How To Know If Your Phone Is Being Tracked?

Nobody wants their personal information to be used without their permission. While phone tracking used to be costly and complex to implement, it is now much less so and can be carried out by almost anyone. This makes it easy for malevolent people to trace your phone.

That’s why, if you have even the slightest doubt that someone is secretly monitoring your phone, you should search for ways to confirm your concerns right away.

Happily, for you, I will explain how to determine whether or not your phone is being tracked in this article.

2 Ways To Find Out If Your Phone Is Being Tracked

If there’s one thing you should be aware of when it comes to technology, it’s that you’re always being watched.

Of course, not by actual, live people, but by the devices you use on a daily basis. You’re always giving over your information to third-party entities, whether it’s your GPS app telling you where the nearest eatery is or your social media app telling you where you last made a live check-in.

In today’s world, sharing information is an essential component of using a smartphone or a laptop. If you read the terms and conditions of platforms, websites, and applications, you’ll notice that you’re happily giving away your data in exchange for their personalization.
It’s a different matter when you’re being tracked without your knowledge or permission, either physically or online.

This section includes three methods to determine not whether your phone is being tracked: physical indicators, root rights, and utility codes.

Method 1: Physical Signs Your Phone Is Being Tracked

Although tracking apps have come a long way in terms of technology, there are still unintended side effects from having one installed on a target device in the majority of circumstances.

I‘m going to look at the telltale signs that someone is following your phone for this method.

It’s important to note that seeing just one of these signs on your phone doesn’t necessarily mean you’re being followed, but if you see two or more, you should be concerned.

Faster Battery Drain

If you notice that your device’s battery percentage is dropping faster than usual, it might mean one of two things: either your battery is old and needs replacing, or there’s a hidden spy app monitoring your device’s data in the background.

Putting a tracking app on your phone will drain your battery quickly. Spy apps, after all, need to trawl through your information on a daily basis, capture screenshots, and send alerts and messages to the third-party monitoring your smartphone.

These apps must run in the background all the time, depleting the battery. Obviously, this depletes your battery much more quickly than usual.
However, knowing the difference between an abused device and a bad battery is important.

If your device has a replaceable battery, you may simply transfer it to another device of the same model to see how fast a full charge drains.

If the batteries on your smartphone can’t be removed, like they can’t be on iPhones and newer Androids, you’ll have to use other techniques.

Checking Battery Health

The Battery Health app makes this much easier on an iPhone. Battery Health is where you’ll find it.
To find Battery, go to Settings and scroll down.

• Select Battery Health from the menu.
• The health of your iPhone’s battery is displayed here. It should give you an idea of how long your battery will last.

For example, if your iPhone’s battery health is 95 to 100 percent but it drains in a matter of hours, there’s a chance a surveillance software has been installed. However, if the battery’s health is at 80 percent or lower, it’s not surprising if it’s severely drained halfway through the day.
This feature is also accessible on some Android phones, and the steps are the same as they are on iPhones. It is, however, under Battery Usage instead of Battery Health.

It should be noted, though, that it is not accessible for all brands. Xiaomi and Oppo, for example, are not equipped with it. If your device doesn’t have this capability, don’t panic; you can use a third-party app like AccuBattery to get it.

Keep in mind that a fast-draining battery by itself may not be adequate evidence of spyware participation. However, if it happens in combination with the other signs on this list, it’s likely that you’re being followed.

Increased Data Usage

A hidden tracking app must transfer data to its server using either Wi-Fi or mobile data on your smartphone.

Because it monitors and tracks all of your device activities, you should anticipate it to use a lot of data. This is particularly true if you make a lot of phone calls or send a lot of video messages.

You can check if your phone is being tracked in one of two ways. Simply turn off your Wi-Fi and activate cellular data on your phone. Then look for a rapid spike in your phone’s data use.

Checking Data Usage On Android

So, how can you find out how much data your phone is using? Follow these steps if you have an Android phone:

• Go to your phone’s Settings first.
• Depending on your phone, the next step is different. Data Usage appears on the main page of Settings on some Android phones. Others need you to first select another choice. It might be listed under Connections, Dual Sim and Cellular Network, or something similar. You’ll notice that it’s under the Dual Sim and Cellular Network option in this case.
• After that, a section for Mobile Data Usage should display, identical to the one seen in the screenshot. This displays the amount of data you’ve used over the specified time period.

Again, based on your device, the exact feature will differ. Some devices allow you to view your data usage by day, week, or month.

The test device just logs the monthly data usage, as you can see. If this is the case, you should have a rough notion of your usual monthly usage to make sure there’s not anything fishy going on.

Checking Data Usage On iPhone

• Select Cellular from the drop-down menu in Settings.
• Reset Statistics can be found at the bottom of the page if you scroll all the way down. This will result in your Cellular Data Usage becoming zero.
• Leave your Cellular Data on for at least a day or two after you’ve reset the stats.

Uncharacteristic Overheating

If the amount of data consumed seems unusual for your normal usage, there’s a chance that a hidden spy app is accessing your data without your knowledge.
Even if you weren’t doing any, did your phone become extremely hotter? When you use apps with strong computing needs, such as mobile gaming or streaming video apps, your mobile device will heat up.

If it happened without you using a demanding app, though, it’s possible that you have spy software installed on your phone. Tracking apps place additional demands on your device’s computing power, causing it to produce more heat.

Keep in mind, however, that a bad battery can lead to overheating. Check your battery health or test your phone battery on another device to rule out this possibility.

Unauthorized Phone Activities

If your phone does something without you having to click or set anything, it’s likely that an app is running in the background.

Unprovoked phone reboots, lights on even when not in use, and unusual noises or messages during calls or text chats are all examples of this. You might even get a message about your position or microphone.
To install updates or make changes to your phone’s settings, several spy applications require you to restart your phone. That’s why, if your phone reboots without being prompted, it could be a sign that an app is running in the background and initiating the command.

It’s the same if your phone turns on even when you’re not using it. This should only happen if your phone has sent you a notification, such as a call, a text, or an important system alarm that needs your attention. If you switch on your screen and see no cause for it to light up, it’s possible that some sort of spying activity triggered the reaction.
Finally, if you detect anything odd in your calls or conversations, it’s likely that your phone has been tapped.

This could include strange noises on the phone, extra words or characters in text messages, or contacts who appear on your blacklist despite the fact that you did nothing wrong. Some spy software can also remotely transmit texts and chats from your phone, so you may notice messages sent without your knowledge.

Other indicators include images, recordings, and online searches you don’t recall conducting.

Sudden Performance Deterioration

Mobile devices would become slow over time if you don’t periodically delete unused apps, clear caches, and keep internal storage levels at a healthy level.

If you do all of these things on a regular basis and still encounter abrupt slowness, sluggish touchscreens, and prolonged boot-up and shutdown periods, it’s possible that you have illegal spy software running all the time.

As stated previously, spy software can consume a significant amount of your device’s processing capacity. Aside from overheating your phone and draining the battery quickly, it can also leave less processing capacity for other typical tasks, resulting in sluggish performance.

Method 2: Check For Enabled Root Permissions

Most spy apps require privileges that are not often granted to normal users in order to work. In Android, this is known as “rooting,” while in iPhones, it is known as “jailbreaking.”
Spy programs like mSpy and Mobil, for example, require root rights to function properly. You can verify if your phone was rooted or jailbroken if you believe a tracking app was installed without your consent.

Remember that the mere fact that your phone has been rooted or jailbroken without your awareness implies that something has been tampered with. After all, rooting isn’t an easy task. Someone who goes to such lengths must have some sort of ulterior agenda.
Before I tell you how to tell if your phone has been rooted or jailbroken, it’s important to note that many spy apps work even on phones that haven’t been jailbroken or rooted. Even if your phone isn’t jailbroken or rooted, spy software can still gain access to it.

Detecting A Jailbroken iPhone

Looking for jailbreak apps on your iPhone is the best way to tell if it’s been jailbroken.

To jailbreak your device, you’ll need to install apps like Cydia, Pangu, or Sileo. If you see one of these apps on your phone, you may safely assume that it has been jailbroken — or at least has been hacked in the past.

Follow the steps below to double-check:

• Swipe right on your home screen to access the Spotlight search bar.
• Look for Cydia, Sileo, or Pangu in the app store. If it isn’t there, your phone isn’t likely jailbroken.

Another approach is to use a third-party app such as 3utools. You may use this to check your iPhone’s device summary, which will reveal whether the software is jailbroken or not.

In Android devices, checking for root access is a lot easier.

During the rooting process, various apps, similar to those found on iPhones, must be installed. Look for Kinguser or SuperSU on your home screen to see whether these are present.

You can use a root checking app from Google Play if you can’t discover these apps and still feel your phone is rooted.

• Go to the Google Play store. Look for and download the Root Checker app.
• Open the app after it has been successfully installed and go through the necessary verifications.
• There are many tabs on the home screen: Verify Root, Upgrades, Rankings, and so on. Verify that you’re in Verify Root mode by tapping the Verify Root button.
• You can check whether your Android is rooted or not in the Status section.

Detecting a Rooted Android

In Android devices, checking for root privileges is a lot easier.

During the rooting procedure, various apps, similar to those found on iPhones, must be installed. Look for Kinguser or SuperSU on your home screen to see whether these are present.

You can use a root checking app from Google Play if you can’t discover these apps and still feel your phone is rooted.

• Go to the Google Play store. Look for and download the Root Checker app.
• Open the programme after it has been successfully installed and go through the necessary verifications.
• There are several tabs on the home screen: Verify Root, Upgrades, Rankings, and so on. Verify that you’re in Verify Root mode by tapping the Verify Root button.
• You can check whether your Android is rooted or not in the Status section.