How to find out if there is Spy Software installed on your mobile phone
Mobile monitoring systems are useful for parents that want to keep an eye on their children’s conversations to ensure they are safe and for employers that need to check that their staff are not misusing their work phones. However, this software may also be used with the purpose of spying on others and if you are concerned that it has been installed in your phone, you can check for indicators to confirm it. Before you get paranoid and think that your phone usage is exposed and that anyone could be spying on you, keep in mind that mobile monitoring software cannot be installed remotely. If someone wants to check your phone activity they first need to get access to the device.
If you believe that your phone is under surveillance, it is important to think why would someone want to spy on you. Consider if there are any good reasons that would lead someone to monitor your conversations. There are some signs that could alert you of possible monitoring but even if you come across one of them, that doesn’t mean that you are actually being targeted. However, If you identify most or all of them, it is likely that spy software has been installed on your phone. Here is a list of indicators you should pay attention to.
Changes in the way you phone works
If you suddenly find out that your phone does not work as usual, this may be the first sign of possible monitoring. One of the things you may notice is that your battery life doesn’t last as much as it used to. Old versions of spy mobile monitoring use up a lot of battery, which would make them more noticeable. However, a sudden drain in your battery can also be caused by other apps that you have installed.
The phone suddenly starts or shuts down
In some cases, spy software may cause the phone to turn off out of the blue or to light up as if it was in use. If this happens regularly, you can also consider it as a sign of mobile monitoring.
Background Noise
There are mobile monitoring programs that can record and allow others to listen to your calls. You may hear noises while on a call and while this could be caused by a bad connection, if you notice that it happens regularly, it may be due to spy software.
You are receiving strange SMS texts
Some mobile monitoring programs issue commands to the phone that is being targeted, using SMS texts and if the program has not been configured properly, you would be getting these messages. They usually only have numbers and symbols.
Increase in data usage
If you notice that your data use is getting higher, it could be another sign that you have mobile phone software in your device. Spy programs may use your own data plan to send logs of your phone activity and even though the latest versions have addresses this and are harder to notice, if large files such as videos are being uploaded from your mobile, you would still notice this.
Keep an eye on the Mobile Phone Files
You may also be able to find if there is spy software on your phone by looking at the files. It may require a higher level of technical skills but you can get into the phones file system to see if you can identify anything strange. Go to Settings, then Applications, Manage Applications or Running Services and you could find files related to monitoring software. While the best programs would not use terms that could give them away, occasionally you may come across files with obvious names like Monitor or Spy.
While older versions of spy software could be recognized easily, the most advanced programs have addressed all the prominent signs and are more difficult to identify. Only one of the signs described above is not enough to determine that you are being monitored. Look for multiple indicators and if you have a strong suspicion that someone is spying on you, make sure to check our article on How to remove spy software from your phone. (Link).
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