If you need an advocate, please reach out to the National Domestic Violence Hotline. Before removing the spyware, think through your safety as you consider ways to protect yourself, and talk with an advocate about safety planning. Some abusers may escalate their harassing and abusive behavior if they suspect that the survivor is cutting off their access. Many abusers use spyware as a way to monitor and control survivors. Before acting to find or remove the spyware, it is important to consider safety and the possibility of collecting evidence.
Antivirus software for cell phones professional#
A trained professional may have to check the device to know for sure. If the abusive person knows too much about your phone activity or knows things that you’ve only done on your phone, it’s possible that spyware may be on your device.
Trust your instincts and look for patterns. For example, they may know too much about your phone activities without another explanation. However, the most common sign that your activity is being monitored will be because of the abuser’s suspicious behavior. Some signs could include your battery draining rapidly, your device turning off and on, or spikes in your data usage. How Do I Find Out if Spyware is On My Devices?ĭetecting spyware on your phone may be difficult. To access your phone activity, the person monitoring the device signs in to a website or accompanying app on a different device. Once installed, it runs in stealth mode without any notification or identifying activity and is difficult to detect or remove.
It is possible to find out if your phone has been unlocked without your knowledge, which could offer a hint that spyware may have been installed.)Īlmost all phone spyware requires that the person have physical access to the device to install. (A rooted or jailbroken phone removes the protections that the operating system and phone manufacturer put on the phone. Spyware installed on rooted (for Android) or jailbroken (for iPhone) devices can allow someone to turn on the webcam or microphone, take screenshots, see activity on third party apps (such as Snapchat or WhatsApp), and intercept, forward, or record phone calls. Phone spyware can be especially intrusive and dangerous for survivors, because it can monitor many things you do on your smartphone, including photos and videos you take, websites you visit, text messages you send and receive, your call history, and your location. The term ‘stalkerware’ is a more recent term that draws attention to the invasive, intrusive, and dangerous misuse of these tools. Spyware or stalkerware refers to tools - apps, software programs, and devices - that let another person (such as an abuser) secretly monitor and record information about your phone activity.