With the COVID-19 pandemic well into its third year and the work-from-home culture is stronger than ever, our lives have become convenient in several ways. However, with this shift to remote work has come to an increased risk of cybercrime, which is also demonstrated by their increasing rates worldwide.
One of the tools cybercriminals use very often is spyware, a specific type of malware that can be remotely installed on a smartphone or a computer device to monitor all the activities and inputs fed into it. The search for the best iPhone spying app without jailbreak will throw up several results, showing just how many tools hackers have at their disposal.
iPhones, among other mobile devices, often become common targets of such spyware, and for this reason, this article will dive into five key ways you can detect spyware on your iPhone.
5 Ways to Detect Spyware on an iPhone
There are several signs you can look out for to find out if your iPhone has been infected by some kind of spyware. These include –
Your iPhone Unexpectedly Slows Down a Lot.
One of the first and major changes that you’ll notice on your iPhone if it happens to be infected with some kind of spyware is that it will become a lot slower than it otherwise does. While an iPhone is usually powerful enough not to slow down, spyware often has a tendency to be able to make a dent in this aspect as well.
Apart from your device slowing down, you might also notice your iPhone hanging a lot, which can be particularly frustrating if you use your device a lot of relying on it for your work. If this happens a lot and for no seemingly sensible reason, this could be the first sign that there’s some spy app planted on your device.
Your Phone Heats Up Even If It Isn’t Being Used.
The second thing you’ll notice if your iPhone has been infected by spyware is that your device will start overheating for no logical reason. While phones can heat up a fair bit at certain times, such as when you use them while charging them or if you play a graphic-intensive game, for this to happen all the time is cause for suspicion.
Sometimes, spyware can also lead your phone to heat up when it’s lying idle. This is the most worrying sign and can serve as a strong indication of the presence of spyware on your iPhone. One solution to this problem is to perform a factory reset on your device to erase all of its data and restore it to its original factory settings. However, before you do so, remember to take a backup of all your data as you won’t be able to retrieve it once it’s gone.
Your Phone’s Battery Starts Draining Out Much Faster
The third sign that you need to look out for when you suspect that your phone might be infected by spyware is to check its battery usage. While iPhones aren’t particularly known for their stellar battery life, they’re usually good enough to last you through almost a full workday. However, if you suddenly notice a drop in your device’s battery life with no logical reason behind it, this could be a sign that your phone has been infected by a spy app.
This is because a spy app always works in the background to upload information from your device to its servers, even if you’ve left your phone idle. All this constant running can severely drain out your device’s battery. One way to check this is to monitor the decline in your iPhone’s screen-on time over a couple of days to find out exactly how much it’s reduced over the period.
Your Available Mobile Data Reduced Drastically
Since spy apps require a continuous and good internet connection to upload information to their servers, they can also reduce your available mobile data. So, if you’re ever notified that you’ve used up about 75% or 90% of your available data in just a matter of a few days, this could be because of an invisible spy app that’s draining it out in the background.
You can check this by going into the data settings of the target device and checking to tally the total data used by all the individual apps combined. If the two don’t match, you can be certain that there’s some other application in the background that’s using your internet connection for some malicious purpose.
You Notice Weird Changes On Your iPhone.
Last but not least, if your phone has been infected by spyware you will start noticing strange changes on your device. This could be in the form of new apps installed or deleted, changes in your security settings, your phone locking and unlocking on its own, or conversations on your social media accounts that you never had.
All of these can only point to one thing: that someone is using your device without your consent, and you must take action.
Some steps you can take is to install a reliable anti-malware program on your iPhone like Norton. These apps continuously scan your device for any form of malware and, once detected, will get rid of it and repair any damage they might have caused to your iPhone.
Another tip is to always use a good VPN when browsing using a public Wi-Fi network. A VPN creates a network within a network for you to safely access the internet without the fear of getting hacked.
In Conclusion
Unlike Android devices, spyware is very easy to install on an iPhone as it can be done remotely. As a result, it becomes all the more essential that you understand the signs that could point to its presence on your device.
Several research-based websites like CellTrackingApps.com have examined different spy apps to find out how capable they are and how they can be installed on a target device. It’s safe to say that they are a danger to your privacy, and you must remain cautious at all times.