Your phone holds more information about you than any document in your side drawer could. It is why you need to know how to tell if your phone is tapped because it is possible.
Your phone has records of you that date back to a couple of years.
These records show your location, finances, businesses, mails, relationships, sites, preferences, etc.
“Why would anyone want to monitor my phone?” you may ask, but the real question is, why not?
It could be a partner trying to find out if you’re having an affair. Or a competitor who is trying to gather business information.
You’re probably wealthy, and someone is trying to get bank details.
People with top priority information like journalists and politicians would most likely have firsthand experiences.
At the end of the day, it could be anything.
People are desperate and would go any length to get data from you. Read our article on the lengths hackers go to “break-in.”
Spywares like Spyera, Theonespy, and so on could also be on your device.
This installation could happen during a phone repair or when you’re away from your phone.
There’s no telling how these things happen, and unfortunately, a strong password is as good as the lid on a pot.
Thankfully, there are common signs that will help you know your phone is being monitored.
You’ve most likely noticed them and waved them off as nothing.
They happen frequently and get you thinking for a bit, but you’ve often thought that your phone was just “misbehaving.”
We’ve put together the “not so obvious” and here is how to tell if your phone is tapped.
9 Ways to Tell if Your Phone is Tapped
1. High data usage
Have you ever noticed that your data usage is freakishly high?
Your other apps show just how much data they’ve been using, but it still doesn’t add up.
Increased data usage is most likely a pointer that someone has access to your phone.
Less reliable Spywares consume data to send the information collected.
On the other hand, high tech spy software programs will use fewer data and be harder to spot.
There are apps to spot these lower quality Spywares.
On android phones, My Data Manager would track how much data your phone uses.
On iPhones, Data Usage would track data and Wi-Fi in real-time.
2. Fast battery drainage
Spy Softwares can increase battery drainage due to the high performance of the app on your phone.
Look out for sudden dramatic changes in the life span of your battery.
The sudden changes in your battery life could span from several things.
Your phone might be recording conversations and making transmissions to a third party.
These recordings usually take place when your phone seems idle. If you notice a drastic change, your phone is tapped.
ALSO READ: How to Retrieve Deleted Photos on Your Android Device: 6 Stressless Steps
3. Overheating phone
One of the hard to recognize signs of suspicious activity is an increasing phone temperature.
The temperature could be the result of many things, including a technical default.
The energy your apparent idle phone uses to record and transmit to third parties would heat your phone.
Please pay attention to the details, so you’re sure what it is.
If your phone doesn’t have any fault and is overheating, it is an excellent way to tell if your phone is tapped.
4. Strange noises over the phone
One of the more identifiable ways to tell if your phone is tapped is one you’ve most likely waved off as a network issue.
No, the constant static sound, beeping, and distant chattering over your phone is not a network issue.
Network providers have found a way to reduce this occurrence to the barest minimum. It is now a thing of old.
If you hear weird sounds while you’re on a call, the chances are high that a software is using your microphone to listen to you.
Watch this video from CBS explaining how easy it really is to get into your phone.
5. Messages from Unknown Numbers
If you’ve received messages containing unusual characters, symbols, and numbers, you matter-of-factly have spyware.
The remote feature of poor Spywares causes them to send codes to your phones.
If you see these code languages, it is because the monitoring app is not working correctly.
If it happens frequently, that’s all the sign you need that there are suspicious activities on your phone.
6. Unusual Phone Activity
It would be best to look out for unusual activities on your cell phone, especially when it is not in use.
Sudden phone light-ups, shutdowns, unexpected sounds, and sudden reboots should set off an alarm.
ALSO READ: What are Phone Viruses and How Do You Get Them out of Your Phone?
7. Difficulty shutting Down Your Phone
Like PCs, your phone naturally tries to close all running apps and background data when you shut down.
If it takes a weirdly longer time for the phone to go off, that could be saying something.
Like the apps running in the background, your phone will try to shut down the spyware activity.
Shutting down would especially take a while if you just made some calls and sent texts.
In the process of sending the newly gathered data, the spyware will slow the shutdown process drastically.
8. Slow Performance Rate
Phones are now better equipped with multi-tasking abilities.
You can process a good number of apps in your phone background without affecting your device’s performance speed.
If your phone has seen a drop in speed, it suggests that someone else has access to your phone.
ALSO READ: How to Make Your iPhone Run Faster: 15 Amazing Tips
9. Inexplicable Pop-up Ads
Getting pop-up ads that you know nothing about is a bad sign.
If you’ve also enabled ad-blocker, but you still see these weird pop-up ads on your phone, someone has tapped your phone.
Avoid clicking on these ads like a plague. It is a plot to direct you to malicious sites and steal your data.
ALSO READ: What to do if Your Phone is Tapped or Being Monitored: Sure Hacks and Codes
In conclusion
There you have it – how to tell if your phone is tapped. If you have observed one or more of these activities, you now know what is wrong.
Be sure to pay attention to these tell tales. Ignoring them increases your chances of losing valuable information.
and then
So how do I stop it from being monitored
Check out our follow up article on What to do if Your Phone is tapped or being monitored.
http://54.172.173.93/what-to-do-if-your-phone-is-tapped/
I usually go through the list of apps on my phone from time to time, if I see an app that I don’t remember downloading, it’s gone.
Spy apps disguised as system apps are also out there, you can never be too careful.
An impressive article, by the way, couldn’t have put it better myself.