How to Know If Someone Is Tracking Your Phone: Full Guide

The first thing you can do if you suspect someone is tracking your phone is to check whether you are sharing your location on Google Maps or the Find My app. Second, set up alerts for unknown trackers on Android and iPhone to detect unknown location trackers.

On the latest iOS update, you will get a notification saying a device is found moving with you. Similarly, on an Android device, Google will send an alert of “unwanted Bluetooth device” such as Airtags and Chipolo on the latest Google Find My Device Network update.

You should also sniff out hidden apps, watch out for tracking links, and pay attention to your phone’s behavior.

We’ve prepared this guide to help you understand how to investigate your phone to check if someone is tracking your phone without permission.

Check Location Tracking Apps

What if you are already sharing location with someone on Google Maps or the Find My app?

Location sharing on Google Maps can be a one-way arrangement where someone else can see your location, and you can’t see theirs.

However, you have to agree to share your location previously so that the person can access your location.

To check, who can see your shared location on Google Maps:

1. Open the Google Maps on your phone and tap your photo or initial in the top-right corner.
2. Tap Location Sharing. The window that opens will show you all the people with whom you are currently sharing location data.
3. Tap on the Contact with which you no longer want to share your location and tap “Stop.” Google will immediately stop location sharing, and instead, you will see a [Share Location with “person”] message.

To know if someone is tracking your iPhone using Location Sharing:

1. Open Settings on your iPhone.
2. Scroll down and tap “Privacy.”
3. Tap Location Services.
4. Look for the app or person with whom you are sharing a location. The person or app will be listed under “Share My location.”
5. Tap on the app or person and stop sharing your location.

Alternatively:

1. Open the Find My app and tap the People tab.
2. Find the person you want to stop sharing with and tap their name.
3. Scroll down and tap “Stop Sharing My Location.”

How to Use Unknown Tracker Alerts on Android

Unknown tracker alerts by Google are a way of knowing if someone is tracking your Android phone using a Bluetooth tracker.

Google rolled out this feature in July 2023 that will alert you if an unknown Bluetooth tracker is traveling with you. You can also perform a manual scan to determine if there are nearby trackers that are separated from their owners.

You will only get an automatic alert if you’ve turned on “Unknown Tracker Alerts.” Hence, when a tracker is separated from its owner, and your phone detects it’s traveling with you, Google will alert you. Google advises users to manually scan instead of waiting for automatic notifications.

To turn on tracker alerts on Android:

1. Open Settings on your phone and scroll to Safety & Emergency.
   
2. Tap Unknown Tracker Alerts and tap Turn On.
   
3. You will be asked to turn on Bluetooth.
   
   When tracker alerts is On, you can do a manual scan.
4. Tap Scan now under Manual Scan.
5. Google will scan in 10 seconds and show you unknown Bluetooth trackers found moving you. You can then disable the Bluetooth tracker by tapping on the device.
   

For Airtags and Samsung Smart Tags, all you need to do is remove the battery. While the owner will see its last location, it won’t be able to submit tracking data to its owner. You can also factory reset the device, that will erase all data on it.

How to Use Tracking Notifications on iPhone

Tracking Notifications on iPhone is a privacy feature that alerts you if an app or device tries to access your location data. You will get a notification to grant tracking permission to any app according to Apple’s privacy commitment.

You can determine the type of access a person or app has by looking at the location arrow on the Tracking Notifications window.

A hollow arrow means an app may access your location in certain circumstances. On the other hand, a purple arrow shows an app has accessed your location recently, while a gray arrow suggests an app has accessed your location in the past 24 hours.

To enable tracking notifications on your iPhone:

1. Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Tracking.
2. Toggle “Allow Apps to Request to Track” to the On position. Whenever an app requires location data from your iPhone, it will ask for permission.

As for Bluetooth trackers, Apple has added the “Unwanted Location Tracker Notification” for Bluetooth trackers on iOS 16.7.8 and iOS 17.5.

If you get such a notification, Apple has found an Airtag, My Accessory, or Bluetooth tracker moving with you. It will proceed to identify the tracker and give instructions on disabling it.

How to Find Hidden Apps On Your Phone

The use of hidden apps to obtain private information is no longer reserved for spy movies. People use them every day for good and not-so-good reasons. Some apps used for good are those designed for parental control. Even then, they are prone to misuse.

If you suspect someone is using malicious software to track your phone, you can find the app by going to your device’s App Manager or App Settings.

Allow Play Protect on Android

For Android users, visit the Google Play Store to see if you have turned off Play Protect. Most suspicious apps require disabling Play Protect for installing apps without permission.

If Play Protect is turned off, enabling it will scan your device and alert you if there’s a suspicious app. This action will reveal a hidden app that you can easily uninstall.

To allow Play Protect on Android:

1. Open the Google Play Store and tap your initial on your avatar on the top right.
2. Tap Play Protect. If Play Protect is Off. Tap Turn On.
   
3. When you tap Turn On, your phone will start scanning for harmful apps and display any app that’s found to be malicious.
   

Upgrade iPhone to the Latest iOS

Installing malicious apps on iPhones requires jailbroken and rooted devices. As such, it’s unlikely you have a spy app if your iPhone is not jailbroken. However, if you happen to be using a jailbroken iPhone, it’s vulnerable to installation of spy apps.

Upgrading to the latest iOS will remove the jailbreak from your phone and remove any external software that was installed when your mobile device was jailbroken.

Go to Settings > General > Software Update.

You can also do a full factory reset. A reset will fix the jailbreak while also wiping everything else, so remember to back up your important stuff.

Go to Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings.

Inspect your App Manager or App Settings

You can try finding tracking apps on your phone by going through the file names.

Go to Settings > Applications on Android or open App Library on iPhone and search for suspicious-looking apps.

Professional tracking apps usually hide by changing their name. For example, parental control apps like mSpy, uMobix, and Eyezy all change their names to “Update Service” or “Android Update.”

This makes it hard for the unsuspecting eye to find them. However, those that are not well-developed make it possible to find them by using obvious names such as “monitor,” “spy,” or “stealth.”

If you find an app with such a name, and you have not installed it, it’s likely tracking your phone’s activities.

Install an Antivirus App

Spy software rarely gets past antivirus apps. Hence, one of the ways to find unfamiliar apps is by installing antivirus software.

It will scan your phone for malware and protect it from future breaches. Before returning your phone to its factory settings, first install an antivirus app to find suspicious files.

Be Aware of Suspicious Links

You may have heard that URLs are not created equal. Some are malicious, and once clicked, they could expose your location or your phone’s data.

Scammers create and send tracking links via text, social media chats, emails, and even popup windows on a website.

One such site that people use to create tracking links is IPLogger. Once a person sends you a link created through IP tracker, they will access your location once you click on it.

If you suspect a link is malicious, do not click on it. However, if you click on it and suspect they have accessed your location, turn off location services on your phone, review app permissions, and scan your phone for malware.

Check if your Phone is Being Tapped with a Special Code

A code can reveal important information about your phone. For example, you can tell if someone has tapped your phone and may be listening to your calls. If you suspect your phone is being tracked or tapped, dial *#*#197328640#*#* or *#*#4636#*#* on Android or *3001#12345#* on iPhone.

Dial *#062# to check if your calls are being redirected, and *#21# if your calls are being diverted.

If your phone is safe, these codes will not reveal any information.

Pay Attention to Your Phone’s Behavior

Someone can track your phone using a malicious app, and you may never know unless you pay attention to your phone’s behavior.

It’s pretty challenging to install spy apps on iPhones, since Apple has locked down its app security. Unfortunately, this is not the same for Android phones, and an app may slip through the net. If your phone has a surveillance app, it may display these signs.

Increased Data Usage

Less reliable spy apps use your phone’s data to send information to its servers. If this is the case, you will notice increased overall data usage on your phone.

You can also check individual app data usage to see how much each app is using and find out if there’s an unfamiliar app that’s using too much of your phone data.

To check cellular data on iPhone:

1. Go to Settings, then tap Cellular or Mobile Service.
2. Scroll down to Cellular data to see the biggest data hogs on your iPhone.

To Check Data Usage on Android:

1. Tap Settings > Connections and select Data Usage.
2. Scroll down to Mobile Data Usage to see how much each app is using.

Reduced Battery Life

Decreased battery capacity can indicate a bugged cell phone. If your phone is losing battery power faster than usual, it could mean there’s a tracking app on your phone.

This is because if a phone is being tracked, it will send your phone’s activities, such as call logs, conversations, and browser history, resulting in higher battery drain.

To this end, it’s best to go through your apps and see their battery usage data. Likewise, you can check the battery usage of a similar phone and see if it’s the same or close. If the difference is apparent, you have reason to believe someone is tracking your phone.

You can check your battery’s activity by going to Settings > Battery > and tap Battery Activity.

You Receive Strange Messages

If you are getting unusual text messages that contain numbers, characters, and symbols, a remote app could be accessing your device by sending coded messages to your cell phone.

While such texts are not usually visible, a malfunctioning spy app will reveal them. If this keeps happening, you likely have a spy app on your phone.

Phone Appears to Be Active When it’s Not In Use

Sneaky surveillance apps installed on the phone may cause your phone to show activity when it’s not in use.

The screen may show unexpected notifications or reboot on its own when you have not scheduled an automatic update.

It’s a sure sign someone else is controlling your phone remotely.

Cameras and Mic Turn On Randomly

If the camera and mic on your phone go on and off randomly, your phone could be compromised.

While a genuine app like a chatbot can trigger these activities, sometimes it means a malicious app is accessing your camera.

It’s best to investigate to see what’s triggering the unusual camera and mic activity.

To check camera permissions on iPhone:

1. Open Settings > Privacy & Security.
2. Tap Camera.
3. Set which apps can access your camera by tapping on the toggle switch.

To Check Camera Permissions on Android:

1. Open Settings > Security and Privacy and then select Permissions Manager.
2. Select “Camera” and then tap on each app to review your camera permissions. Click “Don’t Allow” for an app that you don’t want to access your camera.

Other Signs That Your Phone is Being Tracked

If your phone is compromised, it may also get hot or warm to the touch, indicating that the battery is in use.

You may also notice that it’s taking unusually long to start or shut down. Spy apps require additional time to start or finish their processes, making the phone take longer to boot or shut down.

While stalking apps are designed to be hard to spot, these behaviors can tell you if there’s malicious software on your phone.

So, How to Protect Your Phone From Tracking?

Knowing how someone could be tracking your phone can help you block access and discover malicious software on your phone.

Still, it’s best to be proactive by reducing mobile security threats. These include installing the latest OS update, turning off location settings, and avoiding public Wi-Fi networks.

You can also turn off ad tracking, turn on Airplane Mode, and even use a VPN. These measures can keep your phone protected from surveillance and data breaches.