How can you tell if someone has tapped into your phone? Whether we like it or not, the majority of us have become accustomed to having our phones monitored, and not just by governments!
However, other people can access your smartphone. This includes ex-partners, hackers, your employer, and even the media. They could be eavesdropping on your calls, reading and sending emails and messages, or changing data on your interface. But how can you tell if someone has tapped into your phone?
Battery Problems
It’s possible that tapping software is running covertly in the background and draining battery life if your phone’s battery life is suddenly much shorter than it used to be or if the battery warms up when the phone is being used.
Battery life may be reduced if your phone is more than a year old. In that case, there are actions you can take to lengthen the battery life of your mobile device.
Take into account your phone usage frequency. Have you been using apps or voice calls more frequently than usual? If so, that could be the cause of your phone’s battery draining more quickly than usual.
If you can’t think of anything you’ve been doing differently, use your phone’s settings to get specific information about what’s draining the battery or download an app to get a better understanding of what’s happening.
- On an iPhone, go to Settings > Battery, then scroll down to Battery Usage. As an alternative, you can get the Battery Life app from the App Store or the Coconut Battery app from coconut-flavour.com.
- For Android devices, either search Settings for battery usage or go to Settings > Device > Battery to see which apps are using the most battery power.
Last but not least, use the aforementioned techniques to check your app usage. After a few days, check again to see which apps have changed the most. If you frequently used those apps, that is probably the cause of their high battery consumption. However, if you hardly ever used them, something odd might be happening, such as a virus tapping your phone. It is advised to delete the application.
Increased Mobile Data Usage
Monitoring your phone bills carefully can help you save a lot of money. You can use it to detect spyware as well, though.
In particular, if you don’t connect to free public Wi-Fi, countless apps consume enormous amounts of data. If your children are allowed to use your device while you are away from home, it is even worse. However, you should be aware of the general amount of data you use each month.
You must determine the precise cause of any significant increases in this amount. If the cause isn’t apparent, it’s possible that someone is reading your messages if you can’t.
Utilizing the data allotted to it, malicious software sends the data it has gathered to a third party. This means that it will use data wherever you are, not just your home Wi-Fi.
Unusual Background Noise
When on voice calls, strange background noises like pulsing static, high-pitched humming, or other sounds may indicate that your phone is being tapped. Another indication that your phone has been tapped is if you occasionally hear odd noises like clicking, beeping, or static when you’re not on a call. However, strange noises can occasionally be heard on landline and mobile calls, so this isn’t always a sign that something is wrong.
By using a sound-bandwidth sensor on a low frequency, you can check your phone for inaudible sounds. To measure sound on a device that might have been tapped, a sound-bandwidth sensor is a noise detector app from another phone. Your phone may be tapped if it discovers sounds several times in a minute.
Unwanted Ads And Apps
Remember that clicking on any links could result in more malware being downloaded.
Apple removed those apps, but they might still be present on outdated systems and serve as a prime illustration of how malicious software can slip past official checks. In spite of the fact that Apple claimed to have removed over 60 million fake app reviews in 2020 alone, it’s alarming to see how widespread fake reviews have become.
Data usage can be further increased by malware, which can produce a lot of ad traffic.
Trouble With Shutting Down
It’s possible that someone gained unauthorized access to your smartphone if it starts to act less responsively or has trouble shutting down.
Check to see if the shutdown of your phone succeeds or if the backlight remains on even after the shutdown process has been completed. If that’s the case, the problem might be a bug brought on by a recent phone update or malicious software.
General Performance Issues
Your device will run slower as more data is used. For complete control over your activities, malware can trick you into downloading a fake system update or gain root access to your smartphone. The victim’s information could then be sent to hackers’ outside servers.
Consider the volume of data being sent and received by your device. Your device will become slower as a result, and you may mistakenly believe that your phone is simply getting older. However, if a cybercriminal bugs your phone using any method, you will experience performance lags.
Real apps will use power, of course, but they shouldn’t significantly slow down your device’s response time.
You can find out which applications are consuming the most RAM. On iOS, you just need to go on Settings > General > iPhone Storage. On Android, click Settings > Apps and swipe over to Running. You’ll probably see Photos and Music near the top of the list. From this point, you can accurately evaluate how you’re using the app and look for any red flags.
Electronic Interference
When your phone is close to other electronic devices like a laptop, conference phone, or television, interference is frequently experienced.
Check to see if there is any static or interference when you are not actively using your phone because it shouldn’t occur then. Place your phone close to another electronic device and, if you hear any strange noises, that could be a sign that someone is listening in on your calls.
Some tapping tools operate on frequencies that are close to the FM radio band. If your radio emits a high-pitched sound when it’s set to mono,and dialed to the far end of the band, your phone might be tapped and interfering with it.
For TV broadcast frequencies using UHF (ultra-high frequency) channels, the same holds true. Bring your phone close to an antenna-equipped TV to check for interference.
Strange Messages Can Indicate Phone Tapping
How can you tell if someone is spying on you or tapping your phone? The warnings may already be going unnoticed by you. What you may disregard as spam, an annoyance, or a wrong number may actually be a warning sign.
The seemingly random sequences of digits, characters, and symbols that suspicious SMS may contain will immediately strike you as odd, but may not be particularly malicious.
Keep an eye out for suspicious messages.
A flaw in the spyware that online criminals use is the most likely reason for this. If it wasn’t installed correctly, coded messages that would have gone unnoticed will now show up in your inbox. The instructions sent from a hacker’s servers to tamper with the fraudulent application are contained in these random data sets. As an alternative, it might be the app attempting to get in touch with its developer.
Additionally, if members of your family or friends claim you’re sending them strange texts or emails, your phone may be infected. This could imply that your infected phone is attempting to spread malware to the devices of your loved ones.
Observe any activity that seems out of the ordinary. Examine conversation threads, social media profiles, as well as your outbox and sent mail. Be wary of sending anything that you can’t recall sending.
Higher Than Usual Phone Bill
Another indication that someone may have hacked your phone is if the usage of your texts or data spikes unexpectedly high on your phone bill.
The sudden increase in data usage may have been caused by the recent download of a new app that consumes a lot of data. Similar to the previous example, another reason for the increased data consumption could be if you’ve let kids use your device when you’re not around or it’s not connected to Wi-Fi.
However, spyware and other malicious apps can use your cellular data plan to carry out their nefarious activities without your knowledge, so if you notice a sudden spike in data activity on your phone bill and don’t have a good explanation, call your carrier for assistance.
Websites Look Different
By being watchful, you might avoid being taken advantage of.
No one is perfect, but it’s a scam we’ve all heard of. We all make mistakes and overlook advice. It could cost you a lot of money to make that error of clicking on a URL in an email or text.
You don’t even need to be sent to a malicious link through a message. A malicious app on your phone might change how frequently visited websites look.
As a proxy, the malware intercepts communications between you and the website you’re trying to access. It might simply be recording everything you type or it might be showing you a fake page. And no, it makes no difference if you are using Private Browsing.
Use Android Forwarding Codes Like *#21#
This is the best way to determine whether any of your data is being forwarded to a third party, but it only works on Android-powered smartphones. To protect your privacy and security, you can use secret USSD codes.
Just go to your keypad interface and type in either *#21*, *#67#, or *#62# then tap the dial icon. Try another if the first doesn’t work. All three of them perform the same task, even though they are applicable to various devices: they take you to a screen that describes Call Forwarding.
Voice calls, Data, SMS, Packet, PAD, and other services will be listed. Ideally, each one should say “Not forwarded” afterwards. If any instead say “Forwarded”, your smartphone’s probably been hacked.
So what can you do? Just type ##002# into your dial screen then press the dial symbol again. Your screen should now read “Erasure was successful”, meaning you’ve severed the cyberattack. You can navigate away from this screen by tapping OK.
But that’s not the end of the story; if your device has been tapped, it is obviously vulnerable to attacks. To increase Android security, consider downloading an antivirus app, among other things.
How Can You Tell If Someone Has Tapped Your Phone?
“Is my phone tapped?” Don’t be overly paranoid; most of us won’t fall prey to a phone tap. But it’s still a good idea to review some fundamental safety precautions.
Downloading from unofficial app stores increases the risk of infection. Apple and Google inspect apps and games before making them widely available, and while mistakes do occasionally occur, it’s uncommon.
FAQ Of Your Phone Is Tapped
Could My Phone Be Tapped?
Yes, when someone accesses your device without your permission, cell phones, including smartphones, can be tapped. Spy apps are typically used to compromise smartphones and cell phones, while specialized hardware and software are most frequently used to tap cordless landlines.
Is There An App That Can Let Me Know If Someone Is Tapping Into My Phone?
Yes, you should get the WireTap Detection Android app from Google Play if you believe you’ve been hacked or the DontSpy 2 iOS app from the App Store. There are also iOS and Android apps that are designed to monitor “suspicious symptoms” of a tapped phone. Download the Data Usage iOS app or the My Data Manager Android app, for instance, if your data usage is unusually high and you suspect a spy app to help you identify the malicious program.
How Can I Tell If The Government Is Listening To My Phone?
You might encounter the same indicators (decreased battery, unusual activity, and interference) if federal law enforcement, such as the Department of Justice or the FBI, is tapping your phone. But keep in mind that only a limited number of crimes, including terrorism, drug dealing, violent crimes, and counterfeiting, allow federal law enforcement to tap phones. Making a judge approve a wiretap request also requires a lot of work.
Summary
If you aren’t sure what you’re looking for, it can be challenging to determine whether your phone has been tapped. If you discover that your phone has been tapped, take action as soon as you can to stop further damage.
If you own an iPhone, use our app to check if your iPhone is jailbroken, which puts it in a very vulnerable spot. It’s crucial to take these extra precautions in order to prevent future hacks and phone tapping.
