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Your Phone Might Be Tapped: Look Out for These 5 Red Flags
Have you ever experienced your phone being tapped or monitored by a third party? You are not alone. Numerous people have experienced the same thing in their lives.
However, figuring out whether a third party has tapped your phone can be difficult. In today's article, you'll learn five simple ways to find out if your phone is being tapped.
How to Know If Your Phone Is Tapped
Here are the five signs to look for if you suspect a third party has tapped your phone.
1. High Data Use You Can't Explain
Tracking and managing data use on your phone can help you save money on your phone bill if you're on a limited data plan.
It can also help you determine if your phone is tapped because high data usage is one of the indications.
Many apps, especially video and music streaming services, use a high amount of data even when they're not connected to a Wi-Fi network.
A newly installed app can also cause a spike in data usage as they initially need lots of resources for setup.
If it's not the case, narrow down your search to find the cause of your phone's increased data usage.
Malicious software and spyware applications use cellular data to transmit confidential information without your knowledge, leading to a sudden spike in data usage.
One of the quickest ways to secure your device is to switch your smartphone to Airplane mode. It will cut any transmission, and remote hackers won't be able to connect to your device.
2. Unwanted Third-Party Apps
With many apps running on your smartphone, it can be difficult to keep track of which apps you installed and which you didn't.
These third-party fraudulent apps can be malware or adware. These apps monitor your smartphone and spy on your activity while tapping sensitive information.
The adware loads unnecessary advertisements, which increase your phone data usage.
If you download apps from unauthenticated sources, you can pose a security risk to your phone.
: Why you should downgrade your smartphone to a flip phone (USA TODAY)
Nowadays, scammers use techniques where they use fake names and logos of popular apps to target users. Apple and Google took strict action and removed these fraud applications from the Play Store.
So before you download any third-party apps, it's a good idea to run a Google search on both the apps and the developer to find out the legitimacy. Another way is to use antivirus apps to protect your phone.
3. Battery Problems
Various applications require different amounts of battery power for smooth operation.
For instance, playing games and streaming movies will consume more power than using a note-taking app. As you use more apps, your smartphone temperature will also increase.
If your phone overheats while not in use, it could mean a malicious application is running in the background, disrupting its functionality.
This can drain your Android battery and affect its performance (more on that below). Follow these tips to boost your Android phone's battery life.
So, the sudden surge in your phone temperature is likely a sign of malicious activity. For example, spyware in the background constantly tapping your Android device.
Other reasons can cause your battery to drain quickly, though. For example, you might be using an older handset or have installed an app constantly running in the background.
Battery-saving apps will make it more convenient to track the apps that drain your battery the most.
Instead of manually going through settings, these monitoring apps will help you identify which apps are causing battery drain and keep them in check.
4. Performance Issues
If your smartphone suddenly becomes slow, like it's difficult to shut down, a malicious actor has possibly gained unauthorized access and might be tracking it.
Your compromised phone will be forced to transmit lots of information back to the hacker. This additional activity takes a hit on the RAM and affects your phone’s performance.
This will result in a sluggish phone that can’t perform the most simple tasks. Android cleaner apps can help you turn things around when your phone is getting slower.
Checking which apps use the most memory can help you investigate your phone's poor performance. Keeping an eye on these signs might indicate whether they've tracked your phone.
5. Unusual Activity
Many strange smartphone activities go unnoticed because we don't find them harmful.
But if you pay attention, these bizarre activities can tell you a lot more and help you protect your phone from hackers.
A list of unusual activities is below:
Spy App
If your phone suddenly begins turning on and off or starts to install some apps, someone may have compromised your smartphone with a malicious application or spy app and could be attempting to tap your call.
Bizarre Movements of Icons
When your device is not in use and if it still shows movements of icons or some activity, this indicates that someone is trying to control the device remotely and sending the data in the background.
Weird Text Messages
Receiving weird text messages from unknown sources containing garbled letters is a major sign that someone has attempted to interfere with your smartphone. This means that the infected device is trying to install a malicious application.
The occurrence of these garbled letters is because some tapping apps receive their commands via coded messages.
How Can You Tell If Your Phone Is Tapped?
Who knows what kind of spyware or bugs they have managed to plant in your phone? With these programs, it is easier than ever to not only tap your phone calls but also track you through GPS.
Whether it's from the government or another interested party, we hope this guide will prove useful when it comes to tapping and monitoring your phone.
We want to hear your thoughts on these tips in the comments. Share your experiences and stories as well.
