On their face, spying apps might seem like something out of a thriller, of concern to high-rolling politicians, prominent business people, and celebrities, not regular folks. In reality, though, you don\u2019t have to be Jeff Bezos for someone to want to track you. It could be that your employer (or other half) wants to know what you\u2019re getting up to outside the office (or home).<\/p>\n
If you suspect that someone might be spying on you through your smartphone \u2014 or even if you don\u2019t \u2014 use these tips to investigate.<\/p>\n
Although spying apps try to conceal themselves, most reveal their presence in one way or another. Mobile data running out quicker than expected or the battery dying similarly fast are two red flags. If you notice either problem, be on your guard and check which apps are consuming your phone\u2019s resources. The settings you need have different names depending on the device; look for something like Data usage<\/em> and Battery<\/em>, respectively.<\/p>\n If the device turns on Wi-Fi<\/a>, mobile Internet, or geolocation, even though you turned them off, again, look at which apps are eating data and accessing your location. For more information, see our post<\/a> about checking Android permissions, or read about iOS permissions on Apple\u2019s website<\/a>.<\/p>\n If you don\u2019t find anything on your Android phone, but you still suspect someone may be spying on you, check which apps have access to Accessibility (Settings -> Accessibility). Accessibility lets apps snoop on other programs, alter settings, and do a lot of other things acting as the user. That makes the permission very useful to spyware. When we say Accessibility is one of the most potentially dangerous permissions in Android, we really mean it. Give that kind of access to your antivirus utility, but nothing else.<\/p>\n Not up for a manual search and destroy? Android device owners should check out our mobile security solution. Kaspersky for Android<\/a> will unmask any traitors, even if you have the free version<\/a>.<\/p>\n Because of the legally disputed status of stalkerware<\/a>, many security solutions classify some problem apps as not-a-virus<\/a>. You\u2019ll still get a warning about it, though, so always read antivirus alerts carefully.<\/p>\n That said, that method does have one drawback: Some surveillance apps notify their owners if antivirus protection is installed on the device. If you\u2019re worried about being tracked by, say, a jealous spouse, it may be better not to let them know about your suspicions, so, to help users spot a spy without giving themselves away, we created a mobile spycatcher called TinyCheck. TinyCheck works equally well for Android and iOS.<\/p>\n We originally developed TinyCheck to help victims of domestic abuse, but we quickly realized it could be of use to anyone at all. The current version does require some technical know-how and a willingness to fiddle with hardware, however.<\/p>\n That\u2019s because TinyCheck is installed on a separate device, like a Raspberry Pi microcomputer<\/a>, not on a smartphone. This separate device must be configured to act as an intermediary between the router and the Wi-Fi-connected gadget \u2014 but the payoff for that work is knowing that any spyware on the phone can\u2019t see our software.<\/p>\n Once it\u2019s installed, all of your Internet traffic will pass through TinyCheck, which analyzes it in real time. If your smartphone sends a lot of data to a known spyware server, for example, TinyCheck will notify you. Here\u2019s how it looks in practice:<\/p>\nHow to find a mobile spy using Kaspersky Internet Security for Android<\/h2>\n
How to find a mobile spy with TinyCheck<\/h2>\n