How to find out if your mobile has a spy app

Do you have strange feeling that your ex is spying on you? or some collegue or friend is knowing more things about you without you telling him? Possibility is that he has installed some spy app in your mobile and knowing all the details.

What is a spy app?

A spy app is an application which is installed on a phone without the owner’s consent. This application will be hidden from the application menu or disguised to prevent owner from noticing and/or uninstalling it.

What can a spy app do?

Too many things, from sending Call, SMS and location details to discreetly knowing whom you met what conversation you had, how long you talk to a person over phone, etc, etc. Here is the list of things that a spy app can do:

1. Send Call logs
2. Send SMS logs
3. Send Call Recordings as MP3 files along with duration, time of call and location
4. Send Location details every few minutes.
5. Record Audio/Video for specified duration via GCM call.
6. Get all Pictures form Gallery / WhatsApp / Downloaded from web.
7. Lock your mobile.
8. Change Pin / password of your mobile.
9. Wipe out mobile data (factory reset)

Rooted phones allow Apps to monitor keyboard and send facebook chats / WhatsApp conversation / Skype chats and more.

To disallow uninstallation of spy apps easily it will have device administrator enabled. App with “Device Administrator” enabled cannot be deleted from Application list without disabling “Device Administrator” privilege given to it.

Mobiles Support for Spy Apps:

Android phones allow all of the 9 points mentioned above. Apple iPhones does not. For any of the above feature to work, iPhone needs to be Rooted.

Google Play ensures that such spy apps are not hosted in their play store. If someone uploads it they are taken down by Google Automated System. As per the new Google Play Policy, an app cannot transfer data out of mobile in background without showing a notification in top bar alerting user about data transfer.The app should not allow user to hide icon either. The icon should also be in relevance with the app functionality. For example a ‘Cell Tracker’ App cannot have an ‘Settings’ icon to mislead owner.

But since Android allows Side-Loading (Direct downloading of app from different sources than Google Play) its easy to install remote monitoring / Spy application directly. The user only needs your mobile for 10 Minutes and he is all set to track you forever remotely.

How to identify if your mobile has Spy App:

As said before spy app will be disguised to look like some other icon like a “Settings” or default Android System icon. Even the name would be something like “Settings”, “Tools” which you will not bother to open.

✔ To know if a spy app is installed first check your Device Administrator list to see if there are any apps which you have not downloaded yourself. If you find any apps, no matter the name, no matter the icon of the app, just disable the privilege and uninstall it from application list as valid system applications will not be listed in there. Device Administrator list can be found under Settings -> Security or Settings -> Application.

✔ Check if your device is rooted.

✔ Check if you are having too much data usage either via Wifi / Mobile data and which application is using the most. Go to Settings -> Data -> Usage to view the list.

Benefits of Spy App

Spy App also has few benefits. If your mobile has the potential of being stolen or someone else trying to use your mobile, spy apps can be of help.

If your spy app installed mobile gets stolen, you get all the information of thief, his location, his new mobile number if he changes SIM, his Call and SMS details which can help you get back your mobile.