Spyware is a bad type of malware since it can record your voice and access your camera, banking data, and other sensitive data. Some spyware records everything you type. With this level of surveillance, spyware makers can take your information and identity and infect your friends' devices with spyware, as well.
How did spyware get on my Android phone?
If your phone has spyware, you probably got it from an untrustworthy source. Stick to downloading apps from the official Google Play Store to stay safe. But even at that point, cybersecurity researchers do sometimes find spying apps within the Play Store. These are removed rapidly, but not before racking up thousands of instals.
You accidentally put Android spyware on your phone
See at ratings and consult reviews to see what others have said about an app. Reviews can assist you dodge accidentally downloading keylogger malware that records everything you type, including credit card details and private messages. If you need to be certain that your texts remain private, utilise an encrypted messaging app.
Once you install an app, it'll ask for consent to access parts of your phone. Make sure the Android app requests permissions that match what it actually does. Permissions can allow access to your passwords, phone numbers in your contact list, your browsing history, and indeed, your text messages.
You were targeted by a phishing or smishing attack
Phishing is a type of cyberattack that uses fake e-mail and social media accounts to trick victims, whereas smishing uses text messages instead. Both approaches have the same objective:
Utilising social engineering tricks to fool you into giving up sensitive data.
Phishers and smishers will lure you to open a link, download a file, or reply to a text.
Certain bad malware, like ransomware, can take control of your phone. It might lock up your whole Android device or just some of your files until you do what it says.
Now, let’s talk about how to tell if there’s spyware on your phone.
How to find spyware on an Android device
Make sure your Android is updated to the newest version. Updates often fix known issues automatically.
Look out for strange things happening on your phone. If something seems off, there might be spyware.
Signs of spyware include:
- Sluggish performance
- Fast battery drain
- Lots of pop-up ads
One warning sign alone might not be a big deal, but if you see many of them, your phone could be infected.
Use an anti-spyware app to:
- Keep an eye on your phone in real-time
- Detect and remove spyware from your phone
- Prevent malware from getting on your phone in the first place
- Phone is slow
Your phone might be slow if it takes a long time to turn on, open apps, or shut down. Spyware could be the culprit, as it's always snooping and sending data, which drains your phone's power. Spyware doesn't want your phone to shut down until it's done its spying, so it resists shutting down too.
If you've got the latest Android version, your phone should run smoothly without being too slow.
- A fast-draining battery
Spyware uses up your phone's battery because it's always watching what you do and sending that info to its creators. This drains your battery quickly because it's constantly working in the background.
- When your phone gets too hot:
Spyware doesn’t care if your phone gets sick. It makes your phone CPU and RAM work really hard, like making your phone's heart and brain work overtime. It keeps running programs, using data, and draining your battery until your Android device is almost too tired to keep going.
Sometimes your phone might get hot for other reasons, like if something is wrong inside it or if you're using too many apps at once. But if nothing seems unusual and your phone is usually fine, spyware might be the reason it's overheating.
- New apps popping up
Sometimes, when you click on strange links in emails, texts, or social media, you might end up downloading apps onto your phone without realising it. Spyware can even sneakily add fake apps to your home screen. If you find one weird app on your phone, it might bring along more weird apps by itself.
If you spot an app you don't remember installing, it could be spyware. Also, if your phone settings start to change or new settings show up out of nowhere, that's a clue that spyware might be at work.
- Lots of pop-ups
Getting lots of pop-ups on your phone's home screen isn't usual. Sometimes, it's okay for real apps to show ads through notifications, but usually, you can stop them with a simple swipe.
If you're seeing annoying ads, getting lots of system warnings, or dealing with other pesky pop-ups, it could mean your phone has spyware. Or, it might have adware, a type of bad software that's all about bombarding you with ads.
- Mysterious data use
Sometimes sneaky software does lots of things at once, like sending out your info. This kind of software, called spyware, can follow where you go using GPS, listen in on your calls, and even keep track of what you type or look at online. All of this stuff uses up your mobile data.
So, if you're noticing more data being used up than normal, spyware might be the culprit gobbling it all up.
- Bigger phone bills
When your phone bill suddenly gets bigger, it could mean spyware is sneaking around. Spyware on Android phones often sends texts to special numbers that cost a lot of money, and that money goes straight to the spyware makers. You might also see extra charges for using more data than usual, even if you didn't realise it.
Here's an easy way to get rid of spyware on your Android phone:
- Use an anti-malware app
- Uninstall suspicious apps
- Reset your phone
If you want to see how much data your apps are using, go to Settings, then find Network and Internet, and tap on Data Usage. If you notice an app using a ton of data in the background and you're not sure why, it might be spyware.
To detect and remove spyware from your phone, the best way is to use a good mobile security app. And remember, spyware doesn't just target Androids; it can infect PCs, Macs, and iPhones too, so you'll need to use the same approach for those devices.
Remove apps that seem suspicious
1. If you suspect spyware or malware is causing issues on your phone, try booting it in safe mode. This stops any third-party apps from running. If the problem continues even in safe mode, it's likely not caused by malicious software.
2. To boot in safe mode, press and hold your phone's power button until you see the reboot options screen.
3. Hold down the Power off button for a while. You’ll get a message asking if you want to restart in safe mode. Press OK.
4. At the bottom left corner, it will show “safe mode.”
5. Now that you're in the safe zone, look for any suspicious apps. Go to your Settings and tap on either Apps or Apps & notifications.
6. Check all your apps and tap Uninstall on any that seem suspicious. If you don't know an app, it's probably not something you want. You can search on Google quickly to make sure before removing it.
7. Sometimes, bad apps act like an administrator and stop you from deleting them. If that happens, you need to take away the app's admin powers. Finding this admin screen differs a bit depending on your Android version, but you'll need to go to Settings > Security > Advanced > Device administrators.
8. Go to the Device administrators screen and untick the box next to the bad app. Check if any other apps have permissions they shouldn’t and untick those too.
9. Next, go back to your app list and uninstall the app you couldn’t remove before, and any other ones you don’t know or need.
10. Finally, restart your phone normally and check if your issues are fixed.
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