How to check your phone for spyware

Who can spy on your phone, and how

Phone spying usually takes one of six forms, and only one is an app. Our spyware guide covers every device; this page is about phones and the person who wants to watch you.

The Coalition Against Stalkerware says the clearest sign is often not on the phone at all. It is a person who knows too much about your messages, plans or movements with no other explanation ^[6]. Battery drain and data spikes can be signs, but some stalkerware shows none ^[6]. Keep a dated log of what the person knew and when.

Before you check: plan for your safety

Looking at settings is silent; changing them may not be. The Coalition warns that removing stalkerware can be detected and can make the abuse worse ^[6].

• Search and ask for help from a phone or computer the person has never had access to. If your phone is monitored, they can see what you search ^[6].
• Talk to a domestic abuse or stalking service about a safety plan before you remove anything ^[6]. The help lines are at the end of this page.
• Collect evidence first. Removing stalkerware also removes the evidence of it ^[6]. Screenshot what you find and store it where the person cannot reach.
• On iPhone, Safety Check has a Quick Exit button in the top-right corner that closes Settings at once, and changes you already made are kept ^[1].

How to check an Android phone for spyware

Android stalkerware such as mSpy, FlexiSpy or Spyzie is installed by hand from a website, not from Google Play. It needs a few special permissions, and those are your best evidence.

1. Check the four permissions stalkerware needs

Banking trojans abuse the same permissions; our guide to removing malware from Android shows each screen in detail. Here is what each one means for stalkerware.

Stalkerware often uses a dull name such as System Service, Sync Services or Device Health. Tap any unknown entry, then App info, and note the install date. A date when the person had your phone is strong evidence.

2. Look for apps that did not come from Google Play

Compare Settings, then Apps, then See all apps with Google Play, then your profile picture, then Manage apps and device, then Manage. A non-system app that is missing from the Play list came from somewhere else.

3. Make sure Play Protect is on

Open Google Play, tap your profile picture, then Play Protect. If scanning is off and you did not turn it off, treat that as a warning sign, because stalkerware setup guides tell the buyer to disable it. Turn it back on only when your safety plan allows.

4. Check your Google account from a safe device

Your Google account can leak location, photos and email with no app on the phone. From a safe device, open myaccount.google.com, then Security, then Your devices, and look for devices you do not own. Check Recent security activity, and in Gmail settings look for forwarding addresses you did not add.

5. Check who can see your location

• Google Maps: tap your profile picture, then Location sharing. Anyone listed sees your live location.
• Family Link: if your account is supervised, the parent account can see the phone's location. Check Settings, then Google, then Parental controls.
• Samsung: open SmartThings, then Find, and check who is in your location sharing group.

6. Scan for unknown trackers

Android 6 and newer can warn you when someone else's tracker moves with you, and the alerts cover AirTags and Find Hub network tags ^[5]. To scan by hand, open Settings, then Safety & emergency, then Unknown tracker alerts, then Scan now. The scan takes about 10 seconds ^[5].

Turning on Airplane mode or turning off Bluetooth does not stop the owner from seeing the tracker's location ^[5]. Tap the alert for a map, then Play sound; the owner is not told ^[5]. Screenshot the alert and map, because Android deletes old alerts after 48 hours ^[5].

How to check an iPhone for spyware

iOS does not let an app hide and read other apps, so most iPhone spying uses your Apple Account instead. Some iPhone stalkerware simply pulls data from your iCloud backups ^[6]. Apple's Personal Safety guide lists the checks below ^[2].

1. Run Safety Check

Open Settings, then Privacy & Security, then Safety Check ^[1]. It needs iOS 16 or later and an Apple Account with two-factor authentication ^[1]. Choose Manage Sharing & Access to review each person and app one at a time ^[1]. Emergency Reset stops all sharing with everyone at once, which is fast but very noticeable ^[1].

It also lists devices on your Apple Account, phone numbers that receive your codes, synced computers on iOS 17 and Macs set up for iPhone Mirroring on iOS 18 ^[1]. It cannot see non-Apple accounts ^[1].

2. Review Apple Account devices and Face ID

Go to Settings, then your name, then Devices. Tap any device you do not recognize and choose Remove from Account ^[2]. Then check for a Face ID alternate appearance or a Touch ID fingerprint you did not add, and review trusted devices for two-factor codes ^[2].

3. Check iCloud Backup

Go to Settings, tap your name, scroll down, tap your iPhone and see whether iCloud Backup is on ^[6]. If it is on and you never turned it on, someone may have done it to read your backups from another device ^[6]. The fix is a new Apple Account password.

4. Look in VPN & Device Management

Open Settings, then General, then VPN & Device Management. If no profiles are listed, none are installed ^[3]. Management profiles are normally installed by employers, schools or other organizations ^[2]. Tap it, then Delete Profile, and restart the phone ^[3]. On a work phone, ask your IT team first.

5. Check Screen Time and Family Sharing

In Settings, then Screen Time, a passcode you did not set or Communication Limits you did not choose mean someone else controls the phone. Then open Settings, your name, Family Sharing, and check who the organizer is. The Coalition also lists sudden jumps in weekly Screen Time reports as a possible sign ^[6].

6. Check Find My sharing

Open the Find My app and tap People. Anyone you share with sees where you are. Safety Check lets you stop sharing one person at a time ^[1].

7. Turn on unknown tracker alerts

Your iPhone warns you when someone else's AirTag or Find My accessory travels with you ^[4]. Make sure alerts reach you:

1. Update to iOS 17.5 or later, which adds alerts for compatible trackers from other makers ^[4].
2. Go to Settings, then Privacy & Security, then Location Services, and turn it on. Under System Services, turn on Significant Locations ^[4].
3. Turn on Bluetooth, and under Settings, then Notifications, then Tracking Notifications, turn on Allow Notifications ^[4].
4. Keep Airplane mode off. In Airplane mode you get no tracking alerts ^[4].

Past alerts are in the Find My app, under Items, then Unknown Items Detected with You ^[4]. If you find an AirTag, hold the top of your iPhone near its white side. A page opens with its serial number and the last four digits of the owner's phone number ^[4]. Screenshot it before you disable the tag, which means removing its battery ^[4].

What each finding means

Apple and Google both advise that if you find a tracker and feel at risk, you go to a safe public place and contact the police ^[4][5]. Police can ask Apple for information about an AirTag's owner ^[4].

How to remove stalkerware and cut off access

Work in this order, because removing the app while the person still has your passwords lets them set it up again ^[6].

1. Change your passwords from a safe device: your Google account or Apple Account first, then email, then social media and banking. Turn on two-step verification for each.
2. Sign out every device you do not own from your accounts, as described above.
3. Change the phone's passcode to one the person cannot guess, and set the screen to lock after 30 seconds. Stalkerware usually needs physical access ^[6].
4. On Android, turn off Device admin for the app first so the Uninstall button works, then uninstall it from Settings, then Apps.
5. Delete unknown profiles on iPhone and stop location sharing you did not agree to.
6. Run a scan with a security app. The Coalition says good antivirus apps detect most stalkerware and can remove it ^[6].

Our checklist for securing your accounts after malware covers recovery emails and phone numbers an attacker may have changed.

When to factory reset, or get a new phone

The Coalition says a new phone is the surest way to get rid of stalkerware, and a factory reset is almost as effective ^[6]. Reset when the app returns after removal or you cannot tell what else was changed.

• Change your account passwords before the reset. If the person still knows them, they can sign in again on the clean phone.
• Back up photos and contacts, but do not restore apps and settings from a backup made while the phone was monitored.
• Android: Settings, then System, then Reset options, then Erase all data. Samsung: Settings, then General management, then Reset, then Factory data reset.
• iPhone: Settings, then General, then Transfer or Reset iPhone, then Erase All Content and Settings.
• Reinstall only the apps you use, from Google Play or the App Store ^[6].

Mercenary spyware: when it is a real risk

Pegasus, Predator and Graphite are sold to governments and aimed at journalists, activists, lawyers and politicians. They can arrive without a click and leave nothing you can see in Settings. An ordinary abuser cannot buy it ^[6].

• If you are in one of those groups, turn on Lockdown Mode on iPhone under Settings, then Privacy & Security, then Lockdown Mode. On Android 16, turn on Advanced Protection under Settings, then Security and privacy.
• Apple sends threat notifications by email and iMessage to users it believes were targeted, and shows a banner at account.apple.com. Treat one as serious.
• Ask for a forensic check from Access Now's Digital Security Helpline or Amnesty International's Security Lab.

Emails that say "Pegasus has been installed on your device" and demand payment are scams, not real infections. See our page on the Pegasus email scam.

Where to get help

Apple and Google both point people who fear for their safety to the same organizations ^[4][5]:

• United States: the Safety Net Project at the National Network to End Domestic Violence (techsafety.org) and the National Center for Victims of Crime ^[4]. The National Domestic Violence Hotline is 1-800-799-7233.
• United Kingdom: Refuge ^[4][5], which runs the National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.
• Australia: WESNET Safety Net Australia ^[4][5], and 1800RESPECT.
• Elsewhere: the Coalition Against Stalkerware keeps a list of local services by country ^[6].

Installing spyware on another adult's phone is a crime in many countries, and so is tracking a person with an AirTag without consent ^[4]. To report it, use our list of where to report cybercrime by country. More cases are on our stalkerware topic page and in the Android and iPhone help hubs. Look up a suspicious app name with our checker.