Have you ever wondered if your iPhone has been infected by spyware? I have a friend who was a victim of being spied on by her ex-boyfriend. He used a hidden spy phone app to read her messages, listen in on her calls, and more. Safe to say, it was a toxic relationship. That’s why I’ve put together an iPhone spyware removal guide to show you how to identify spyware programs and remove them.
Spyware On iPhone
Spyware is software that someone can use to gain information about your digital activities. This information is recorded and shared to the designated location set by the user, which is usually the server linked to the software or a hard drive. Spy software is used on a variety of devices. For this article, I’m going to focus on spyware on iOS devices. However, if you’ve got an Android phone, here’s my Android spyware removal guide.
Types Of Spyware
Several different types of spyware are used to infect iOS devices. Each with its own set of features and unique threat level.
Stalkerware
Stalkerware is a type of spyware that’s used to stalk you. Someone can use stalkerware to track your phone’s GPS location, view your SMS messages, browsing history, social media activities, even Google Hangout, and more. Some stalkerware even allow users to listen in on your calls and access your phone camera or microphone to secretly record you. Numerous child monitoring apps double as spyware, such as MMGuardian. If you’ve had to deal with it before and want to get rid of it, here’s how to remove MMGuardian. While spyware can be used for good, it’s often used for bad too. Many people have fallen victim to stalkerware used by controlling partners or exes. While there are cases where stalkerware can be installed remotely, it’s primarily done by someone with physical access to your device. This is why it’s important to password-protect your iPhone as this can prevent someone from installing spyware on your phone.
Nuisanceware
Another, less threatening type of spyware is nuisanceware. Again, it’s as the name suggests – a nuisance. It’s also known as Potentially Unwanted Programs (PUP) and is nowhere near as dangerous as stalkerware. Nuisanceware comes bundled with legitimate apps, and while it doesn’t track your digital activities to that extent, it gathers your browsing data and sells it to advertisers.
Basic Spyware
Lastly, there’s basic spyware. This is a generic type of malware that is used to steal operating system and clipboard data or anything else of value. This type of spyware is less targeted and often used in widespread scams, such as phishing attacks.
How To Know If There Are Spy Apps On Your iPhone
Knowing how to spot spyware on your iPhone is the first step to getting rid of it. While a feature of many spy apps is their ability to remain discrete on your phone, they use a lot of your phone’s resources. This means that while you cannot see the app itself, you can see its effects on your phone. These are some of the signs to look out for to know if there’s spyware present on your iPhone. These signs also apply if you have an Android phone, as well.
Drained Battery
If you want to know if your iPhone has spyware on it, one of the first places to look is your battery life. Spyware runs 24/7 in the background, monitoring and sharing your digital activity. This drains your battery as if you were gaming or streaming. If you notice that your battery life has decreased significantly even when you haven’t used it, there’s a chance that your phone has a hidden spy app on it.
Unexplained Increase In Data Usage
Battery life isn’t the only thing spying apps affect. Due to them having to record and share your digital activities to their servers, they also use a lot of your data. If you notice that your data usage has increased without any change in your routine, then your phone could be compromised with hidden spyware. Here’s how to check your cellular data usage on your iPhone: Here’s a video showing you how to view your data usage on your iPhone:
Overheating
Every phone gets hot, especially when it’s being pushed to the limit. However, overheating is not a common thing for a phone in good condition and could be a sign that something is seriously wrong. In this case, spyware may be the culprit. Similar to a drained battery and increased data usage, spyware uses a lot of a phone’s mobile resources, which may result in overheating.
Unexplained Restarts & Crashes
Restarting your iPhone is a great way to correct simple issues. A restart is a go-to troubleshooting method for almost any device. However, if you’ve noticed that your iPhone is restarting on its own or crashing, there could be a hidden spy app on your phone.
Check Your Location Status
As mentioned earlier, spyware, specifically stalkerware, is used to track your digital activity and your GPS location. While many people often keep their location on for a variety of reasons, some have it turned off. If you’ve noticed that your location is active without you turning it on, then it might be a sign of spyware present on your mobile device.
Background Noise On Phone Calls
A lot of commercial spyware enables users to spy on their targets by listening in on phone calls. If you’ve been noticing a strange sound or if you happen to hear strange voices during your phone calls, your calls might be wiretapped.
How To Find Spy Apps On iPhone
Knowing the signs of hidden spy apps is just one step in removing spyware. If you’ve realized that your phone has been behaving strangely and possibly has spy apps on it, the next step is to find those hidden spy apps. Unlike Android devices, iOS devices have fewer ways to discover spy apps. This is namely because Android is the most used mobile device in the world and as such is more targeted by hackers. This results in more steps being taken to protect Android users. With that being said, there are still ways for you to find spy apps on your iPhone.
Check For Any Strange Apps
The best way to find a spy app is to search the apps on your phone. While many spy apps may hide and show themselves as system apps, such as the WebWatccher spy app, you can still notice them as they tend to stand out. Here’s how to do it:
How To Remove Spy Apps From Your iPhone
There are several ways for you to remove spy apps from your iPhone. Each method approaches the problem differently, however, the result is the same – removed spyware.
Uninstall The Spy App
If you discover any hidden spy apps on your iPhone, the first method to remove them is to uninstall them. Luckily, iPhone users tend to have it easier when it comes to removing apps because they can easily do so on the home screen. Here’s how to uninstall a spy app:
Update Your iOS Software
Unfortunately, not all spy apps are easily removable. Many of them are even programmed to reinstall themselves after being uninstalled. In these cases, you have to take further measures to completely rid your iPhone of spy software. The next course of action is to update your iOS. Doing so fixes any security exploits that the phone spy software may be using and can thus render it useless. Here’s how to update your iOS to remove hidden spy apps on your iPhone: Here’s a video showing you how to update your iOS:
Factory Reset Your iPhone
The most effective method to remove a spy app or any hidden apps from your iPhone is to factory reset it. This is because a factory reset for an iOS device is the same as it is for an Android device. It completely wipes it, deleting all data, apps, and settings, and returning it to its default state. While a factory reset is effective, it is often considered the last resort for removing any cell phone spy software because it completely wipes your phone. Before, you factory reset your iPhone and delete all the content and reset the settings in one go, be sure to back up your iPhone. Here’s how to factory reset your iPhone and remove any hidden spy phone apps: Here’s a video showing you how to factory reset your iPhone:
Spyware Removal On iPhone – Wrapping Up
What’d you think of this article? Falling victim to a hidden spy phone app, specifically stalkerware is a chilling thought. Phones have become such an integral part of our lives that someone having access to that data without our consent is unsettling. However, I hope this guide shows you that it’s possible to identify spyware on your iPhone as well as your Android phone. In addition to this, you see that you can remove spyware without spending any money. You can uninstall unknown apps that may be spy software, update your iPhone’s operating system, or even factory reset your iPhone. All of these will remove phone spyware. If you’ve fallen victim to a specific spy app then there’s a chance we have a way to deal with it. You can take a look at our mSpy removal guide to see how we can help you remove spyware.Be sure to leave your questions in the comments below. Don’t forget to share this article with your family, friends, and followers too! Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Notify me of follow-up comments via e-mail.
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