Is my phone hacked?
Reviewed answer
Probably not. Most odd behavior is ads, a bad app, or an old battery. A few checks will tell you.
- Update the phone and restart it. Updates close the holes real spyware uses, and a restart clears some of it.
- Delete apps you don't recognize or no longer use, especially ones that showed up recently.
- On iPhone, look in Settings under General for VPN & Device Management and remove any profile you didn't add. On Android, run a Google Play Protect scan.
- Change your Apple or Google account password and check its list of signed-in devices. Remove ones you don't know.
- On iPhone, search Settings for Safety Check to see who can see your location and accounts. On Android, check location sharing in Google Maps.
Get help if
If someone knows things only your phone could tell them, or Apple sent you a threat notification, get in-person help from your carrier or a local victim support group.