8 Tell-Tale Signs that Someone is Spying on You Using Your Phone

When your phone starts acting up, you can stop and ask yourself: Is someone spying on my phone? Merely a few years ago, it was a common knowledge that phones were more secure than desktops and laptops. But with phones getting smarter every single day, hackers are getting smarter, too. Therefore, a hacked phone is not something extraordinary anymore.

In this entry, we will talk about eight tell-tale signs that are a dead give-away someone is spying on you using your phone. If you go through our list, you will be able to improve your mobile security and perhaps inform your friends about it, too.

1. Slow Phone

Perhaps the main sign of a hacked phone is the deteriorating phone speed. We often have an idea that our devices slow down because they are getting old, and they can no longer keep up with the new software and media requirements. But what if your phone is relatively new, and yet it is still being extremely slow? Well, then there is a very good chance that someone is either monitoring your phone remotely or controlling it. Such activity requires a lot of processing power, and this might be something that is “eating” your phone’s speed.

2. Hot Phone

You have probably noticed that your battery might grow hot when you are charging your phone or when you are watching videos or playing games on it. However, if your phone is lying down on your desk and it is still hot, then something is not right. This is yet another sign of a hacked phone that you should seriously take into consideration. A hot phone battery might indicate some suspicious activity going on in the system’s background.

3. Poor Battery Life

Along with hot battery, poor battery life can also tell you that your phone got hacked. When your phone has to process a lot of data, it drains your battery a lot faster, and you have to keep on charging it all the time.

If you find it suspicious, you can always check your phone’s processes in the system settings menu. Depending on your operating system, you should go through either phone optimization menu or phone manager app that allows you to check the processes and apps that are running. If your system manager doesn’t indicate any additional processes, but your battery is draining out fast, there is a very good chance that some additional hidden processes are running on your phone.

4. Weird Background Noise

The times when we could fake static noises over poor connection are long gone. With the newest phones, it often sounds like the person we’re talking to is standing right next to us. Therefore, if you hear some odd background noise during a phone call, it could be that your phone is hacked. Usually, unidentified background noises are a tell-tale sign that someone is listening to your conversation.

5. Weird Text Messages

These days, with people drifting towards messaging apps, we are far more likely to receive medical appointment reminders or discount offers via the traditional text messaging. But text messages could also be exploited by hackers to lure you into revealing your personal information.

A hacked phone can receive tons of fake security messages that say you have to verify your accounts. You might also get text messages that look like a nonsensical word scramble, too. Either way, if you get something like that, it is a good time to ask yourself, is someone spying on my phone? And then take action and deal with it.

6. Random Restart

Turning your device off and on again is always a good way to fix some unexpected errors. However, if your phone suddenly starts rebooting on its own, and this behavior doesn’t stop, your phone is probably hacked. Or maybe someone is trying to gain access to your phone, so they could start collecting your data. Either way, that is also another sign that should make you pay attention to your phone’s security.

7. High Data Usage

If you have a data quota, you probably more or less know how much data you can use every single month. However, if you suddenly start running out of data, and you clearly haven’t been watching more videos than the usual, it could be that there are some background processes using your data plan, sending and receiving information from a remote server.

It might be even harder to notice if you have an unlimited data plan, so it is always a good idea to check your data usage on your service provider app from time to time. High data usage is one of the main signs that can tell you your phone is hacked.

8. Unwilling to Shut Down

While constant reboots might indicate a hacked phone, the system’s unwillingness to shut down could also be a sign that someone has accessed your phone. There could spyware installed on your phone, collecting your personal and financial information, and this spyware might prevent your phone from shutting down. The point is that, if you notice these signs, you have to take certain measures to prevent personal data theft and ultimate phone breakdown.

How can I protect my phone from spying?

If you have a hacked phone, security experts say that it might be complicated to fix the problem because the way you have to deal with this problem depends on what kind of spyware infiltrated your device. However, you can certainly run a malware scan with one of the mobile antivirus apps available. It is the default solution, although it may not help in every single case.

You should also change all of your passwords and enable multi-factor authentication to protect your accounts and phone from getting hacked. You might also want to consider employing a password manager to help you generate strong passwords and store them in an encrypted vault.

Also, you should make sure that your operating system and all the apps you use on your phone are up-to-date because updates help eliminate vulnerabilities and bugs that can be exploited by hackers. What’s more, do not forget to protect your device by using a passcode or by enabling biometric authentication (like fingerprint or face recognition) that would automatically bar anyone from accessing it. Finally, if all else fails, you can address a professional who would guide you through the process of securing your phone against dangerous hacks.