Is There Spy Software on My Cell Phone – How to Detect if You are Being Monitored

So you think someone might be spying on your cell phone and you want to know how you can tell. Are there any tell tale signs that your phone is being Tapped, Bugged or Monitored by spy software?
I’ll go over a few things you can look out for and you don’t need to be a tech wizard to use them – just have a keen eye and an open mind.

Cell phone spy software programs are becoming more and more popular but for every one sold – there is a victim being monitored – often without their knowledge.

If you think you are a victim of spyware there are a few things you can do to protect yourself but first you need to find out if you are actually being spied on.

Learn What Spy Software Can Do

Do some homework and know what you are up against!
The truth is that most people don’t have a clue how powerful modern spy apps are and how available and easy to use they are. If you think someone is spying on your cell phone you need to get familiar with some of the main products available.
Take a look at my reviews of Flexispy , mSpy and MobileSpy – you need to know what they are capable of and how they work. This

Someone Bugging You?

will help in the process of knowing what to look for. I’ve created a Complete Guide to Cell Phone Monitoring – it will help. You can also look at my side by side comparison of the software programs features.

Paranoia vs. Facts?

Here’s the problem – when you suspect that you are being monitored, you can become paranoid – it’s natural I guess – but it can cloud your judgment. Do you have good reasons to believe you are being monitored – or is your cell phone just playing up a bit?
I’m going to list a few signs which can be linked to spy software on your phone. It’s important to know that some of these signs can be caused by other things. Don’t look at one and think – that’s it I’m being spied on. Look at them all and rule out other possible causes.
If your phone displays several of these then you might have cause for concern.

Most people who suspect they are being spied on with cell phone spy software – are not!

Look for Changes in Phone Behavior

This is often your first hint that something is wrong. You are looking for sudden changes in your phone’s behavior. Things like:

Battery Drain – is your phone battery running down faster than normal? This used to be a really strong indicator. Spy apps used to really hog the phones battery and cause serious drain but the modern programs have largely addressed this issue. If someone is spying on you with older software, you might notice a sudden deterioration in battery life.
Other causes of this can be software apps you have installed yourself or just that your battery is losing its ability to hold a charge due to age.

Strange Background Noise – some software programs can listen to and record your calls. This works by adding them as “a conference call” – but this can lead to you being able to hear strange background noise. Of course we have all had this with a bad connection but if it is happening all the time you could have spy software on your phone.

Random Start or Shutdown – some spy software apps can cause the phone to light up as if it is in use or even to shut down by itself. Look for this happening on a regular basis not just a one off. Again the good programs will not exhibit this behavior
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Receiving Strange SMS Texts – are you regularly getting odd looking text messages, usually with just numbers and symbols? Some programs use sms texts to issue commands to the target cell phone and if they are not configured properly you might see these messages coming through.
Higher Data Use – is your data usage suddenly getting high? Spy programs send logs of your phone use to online servers using your own data plan. Older apps used to be really heavy on data transfers but again the best spy software apps have changed how this is handled. The data transfers are now smaller and most people don’t have itemized data billing – so it’s getting harder to spot. If they are uploading large files like videos from your cell phone – data use could still be noticeable

Check the Cell Phone Files

If you are a little more advanced it is sometimes possible to find spy software by looking inside the actual files on the phone. If you go to Settings – Applications – Manage Applications or Running Services, you may be able to spot suspicious looking files.

Good Spy programs usually disguise the file names so that they don’t stand out but sometimes they may contain terms like Spy, Monitor or Stealth etc.

Not everyone is comfortable getting inside the phones file system but if you are only looking for any confirmation you won’t do any damage to the phone. I wouldn’t recommend removing or deleting any files unless you really know what you are doing.

iPhone Jailbreak – the iPhone has one easy way to check for spy software. If someone wants to monitor your iPhone – they will need to Jailbreak it first – no Jailbreak = no spying!

What Now?

As the main spy app providers become more sophisticated it is becoming more difficult to detect spy software on your cell phone. They quickly recognized the more obvious signs and worked to remove these issues. Some of the poorer quality software programs are still quite easy for anyone to spot.

Remember not to focus on just one issue – look for several of these signs together. If you really do believe that someone is monitoring or bugging your cell phone – you need to take action.

To be a victim of regular spy software apps – they must get access to your cell phone or device to physically install the program. Remotely installed spy phone apps are scams and do not work as advertised. Keep your phone safe at all times!

The good news is that it is easy to remove spy software and also protect your phone going forward. You need to read my article – How to Remove Cell Phone Spy Software and Protect Your Phone.
For more information about cell phone spy software have a look at my Complete Guide – it will open your eyes to how it all works and what is possible. Most people are shocked by how powerful these programs can be

Can You Spy on a Cell Phone Without Having Access to the Phone?

We have a story that should raise red flags for all of us who rely on our cell phones. Shocking as it may be, it turns out that anyone’s cell phone can be turned into a bugging device worthy of the CIA without them ever knowing.

All it takes for an unscrupulous attacker to remotely connect with your cell phone over the internet is executing a few simple commands from within a spy app that can be purchased online. We came across a victim of this offense, Jan Wilson, who’s ex-boyfriend used it for this purpose.

“I don’t know how he got this program to take information from my phone and send it to his. I am sure that this type of software can be put to good use, but not in the hands of a stalker”, Jan says.
With an inexpensive cell phone spy app that he purchased online, Jan’s ex-boyfriend was able to spy on her cell phone without being anywhere near her. He was able to see virtually everything that took place on her cell phone including text messages, calls, GPS location, photos, videos, emails and more. All of this was at his disposal without having Jan’s phone in his possession.

The app he used is called DDI Utilities and is developed and marketed by DDI Software Solutions Inc., a US based corporation that specializes in security apps and information gathering technology. Using this app enables a person to spy on a cell phone virtually the same as any government or law enforcement agency could. They could have access to just about anything that happens on a persons phone without them knowing.

DDI is an app that allows you to spy on a cell phone or any mobile device without having the device in your possession. The app works by remotely accessing data from the target phone (the phone you are monitoring) and displaying that data on your cell phone, tablet or computer. DDI claims that it will collect texts, calls, GPS, Facebook, Twitter and more from virtually any phone.

We decided to put this sneaky little app to the test so, with the consent of our co-worker, Tracy, we remotely connected to her phone here in the office. You will be shocked at what we discovered!
The program was every bit invasive as you might think. The program gathered text messages, calls, GPS tracking information, social media messages and pictures and just about everything else that transpired on the phone. With the “Stealth Camera” feature we were able to secretly take a picture using the telephones camera and have that picture sent to the phone that we were spying from.  Think of it this way; Tracy, our consenting co-worker has her phone in her hands and I am monitoring her phone from mine. I send a command to Tracy’s phone telling it to take a picture. The program snaps a picture on her phone, then automatically sends that picture to me. I can now view that picture on my cell phone. A little creepy, but wait, it gets worse…

With the “listen to surroundings” feature I was able to activate the microphone on Tracy’s phone, allowing me to hear everything that was going on around her phone. I listened to a conversation as if I were standing there myself. There are many who will say that this is overstepping the bounds of ethical cell phone monitoring and you might be one who agrees, however this type of application is capable of intrusive surveillance and it is available to the average consumer for less than $70.

Without having the other phone in our possession, we were able to retrieve just about all activity that took place on Tracy’s phone during the time we were connected to it. We were able to see Tracy’s Facebook messages, her photos and videos and we were able to view her exact GPS location. It didn’t matter if we were in the room next door or if we were miles away. DDI performed the same regardless of how far away we were from Tracy’s.

Can you spy on a cell phone without having access to the phone?

It’s a little creepy, but yes, you can spy on a cell phone without actually having that phone in your possession. I know this is a little disconcerting to many people, as it is to me, but it is the age of technology and this type of thing has made its way into the general culture.
While this technology on the surface appears to be invasive, we must also realize that it does have some legitimate purpose and can be put to good use. How, may you ask? The first thing that comes to mind his parents wanting to monitor their children. Possibly, to keep them out of danger or to make sure they are not consorting with the wrong crowd. Employers can also use this application to monitor the activity of employees on company-owned devices.

Unfortunately, however, people are going to put this software to use for unscrupulous reasons. That, I believe, is just human nature. It is important to realize that DDI will allow a person to monitor a cell phone secretly and without the other person’s knowledge.

The image below is just a sample of information that can be collected from a monitored cell phone. Auto Forward claims the ability to extract information from a cell phone even if that information has been deleted. For example, if a person receives a text message and deletes it immediately, the message will still be uploaded to your account and available for you to see. Quite amazing!
It was frightening, to say the least, at how quickly and easily the information was available. I can’t say for sure because I wasn’t timing it, but It was uploaded pretty darn quickly. The date stamp on the calls and text messages were only a few minutes old by the time they got to me.

I would caution you again and remind you that this type of technology can easily be misused by those who have questionable motives so, it’s important to know that you should only monitor a cell phone or mobile device if you either own the device or have proper authorization. This is a very powerful cell phone spy program and can also be used by law enforcement.

How to Spy on a cell phone without having it.

From our investigation, we can draw no other conclusion other than to say that it is absolutely possible to spy on an iPhone without jailbreaking it and without having it in your possession. These cell phone spy apps that exist today operate by establishing a remote connection to the phone they are monitoring. Once that connection is established any information on the targeted phone can fall prey to the person operating the spy software.

If you have a phone that you feel may have been compromised by this type of software it is advisable that you replace the phone as simply changing your number or performing a factory reset may not be sufficient to remove the spy program from your phone.

I hope I have provided some useful information to you in your quest for a good spy app. Please visit us often for frequent updates about this and many other subjects

Top 5 Best Cell Phone Spy Software Reviewed

Hello, welcome to Best Phone Spy Reviews. My name is Jack Gillman, I have been in the spy software industry for almost 7 years, so I’ve tried and tested hundreds of different cell phone spy programs over the years.
To help you choose the best phone spy app for your needs, I have put together a list of the best mobile phone spy tools available on the Internet. Take a look at each program below and decide which one is right for you.

Top 5 Phone Spy Software 2016

There is a lot of junk out there, and to help you avoid it, I’m going to go over what I’ve found to be the best mobile phone spying software available right now. I’ve factored in things like features, functionality, reliability, and customer feedback to help you make an informed decision.
Important: Every phone spy program listed below is 100% undetectable – the application runs in the background without the user being aware.
#1 – FlexiSPY (Best Spy Software for iPhone and iPad)

FlexiSPY is the best smartphone spy software I’ve tested. FlexiSPY has been in the business of providing cell phone spy software since 2005. It has the most advanced features available to help you spy on mobile cell phone usage, and is available on a wide variety of mobile platforms, including iPhone, iPad, Android, Blackberry, and Nokia Symbian. Within minutes, you can download and install the FlexiSPY spy app to begin recording activities such as: text messages, phone calls, GPS locations, Facebook, Viber, BBM, iMessages, WhatsApp chats, Skype messages, photos and videos, email, websites visited, and more.
FlexiSPY comes in two versions, Premium and Extreme. The Extreme version has more advanced features than the Premium version and gives you even more ability to spy on a cell phone. These features below are what set FlexiSPY Extreme apart from the competition, and display just how powerful this software can be.

• Call Intercept: This feature lets you listen in to a live phone call as it happens.
• Record Phone Calls: Remotely record all phone calls made to or from the target phone. All call recordings are uploaded to your FlexiSPY control panel.
• Record Surroundings: The phone’s surroundings are recorded and uploaded to your control panel as mp3s. You can even listen to it live while it is occurring.
• Spy on Passwords (Password Cracker): An industry first. This unique feature allows you to see all passwords entered on the phone. You can easily see the actual passwords they use for social messaging, emails and applications.
• RemCam: This feature allows you to take control of their phone camera remotely to take pictures which then are uploaded to your account.
• Instant GPS Locations: Getting the current GPS location, view the latest locates on a map.
• Remotely control the phone: FlexiSPY allows you to make any changes remotely through your online web panel. This is something I haven’t seen in other monitoring applications.

With FlexiSPY Extreme you can basically monitor every activity on target phone plus know its whereabouts, social media passwords, and surrounding environment and all under your control. After installing the flexispy app and configuring the settings, their phone activities will be collected and stored on the flexispy servers, so you can view them by logging into your control panel from your computer or mobile device.
So should you use flexispy? I would only recommend using flexispy on a jailbroken iPhone or iPad. I have tried using it on Android device and it works, but it requires the device to be rooted. This application is designed for advanced users. If you are not an advanced user, or you are not familiar with rooting, I highly recommend getting started with Highster Mobile. And in my opinion, flexispy is one of the most feature rich spy apps available, but it’s also the most expensive. Make sure you NEED all the features before you spend the money.

• Cost: FlexiSPY Premium version – $149, FlexiSPY Extreme version – $349 (1-Year License)
• Developer: Flexispy, Ltd.
• Visit their website: http://www.flexispy.com

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#2 – Highster Mobile (Best Spy Software for Android Phone and Tablet)

Highster Mobile Pro Edition is one of the best value for money mobile spying apps out there. It is packed with features that will help you monitor all aspects of a cell phone, but it does not have as many advanced features as FlexiSPY Extreme. Nonetheless, it has a bunch of features that most users could find useful include the following:

• Social Media Monitoring: Monitor WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, iMessage, BBM, Skype, Viber, Instagram, and Email.
• Real-time GPS Tracking: Know where the device is at all times with GPS-tracking technology. Location is displayed on a map within the control panel.
• Stealth Camera: Initiate the phone’s camera to take a secret picture that is sent to your account.
• Call Monitoring: Monitor incoming and outgoing phone calls, date and time of calls, phone number of person calling or being called, and have a running log of all phone calls made.
• Photos & Video Log: View photos & videos taken on the monitored cell phone.
• Browser History: View all the websites they visit on their phone.
• Contacts and Calendar: View new contacts and calendar entries.
• Text Message Monitoring: Monitor and record all SMS text messages. Keeps a running record of all text messages sent and received, and is viewable from within your control panel.

From what I can see, Highster Mobile has taken great efforts to ensure their software works well with all Android devices, is extremely simple and easy to set up, and is glitch-free. On top of that, they’ve made it their personal mission to make their software affordable for everyone. Although I would have liked to see some of the more advanced features such as Call Intercept or Record Surroundings, Highster Mobile does have just about every feature you’re looking for in a cell phone spyware.
For anyone in the market for a low cost spy app for Android, Highster Mobile should be at the top of your list. It’s very easy to use and does not require any special settings. Plus, once you purchase the software, you get free updates for life.
Highster Mobile supports two mobile operating systems: iOS (iPhone, iPad) and Android (phone and tablet). I tested it on my Samsung Galaxy S5 running Android 4.4, and it works great.

• Cost: Purchase lifetime license for a one-time fee of $69 (no additional charges! No monthly fees!)
• Developer: ILF Mobile Apps Corp
• Visit their website: http://www.highstermobi.com

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#3 – mSpy (Best Parental Control Software for iPhone and Android)

mSpy is a powerful monitoring tool with some really great features. It is easy to use and compatible with iOS and Android devices. What I really like about mSpy is that it allows you to monitor an iPhone or iPad without jailbreaking! Like other spy phone apps listed here, it has all the basic features, including monitor text messages, track GPS location, read instant messages, etc. But it also has some unique features that make it stand out from the crowd. Let’s take a look at these features.
1) mSpy Without Jailbreak: mSpy iPhone spy software without jailbreak has been released! Now you can spy on an iPhone without Jailbreaking in just a few minutes. You don’t even need to install an app to the device itself. Instead, activity is extracted from your iCloud account and viewed on a web-based control panel.
2) Keylogging feature: With this feature, you can see all keystrokes entered into a monitored phone, so that you will know what they are typing into instant messenger apps like Skype and WhatsApp. This feature is only available on Android devices.
3) Blocking websites and apps: mSpy can be used as a parental control software for mobile phone. It allows parents to block detrimental websites such as sexual or pornographic, gambling and social networking sites. In addition, you can control what apps/games can be run and played.
4) Geo-Fencing: Using a map in the mSpy control panel, you can mark as many “Allowed” and “Forbidden” areas as you want and get instant alerts every time your kids enter or leave those areas.
5) Unlimited device change: Your mSpy license can only be active on one device at a time, but you can deactivate the license on the original device and then active the license on the new device. This is useful, for example, if you want to test the app on your phone before installing it on your child’s phone.
6) 24/7 Customer Support: I know, other companies offer this as well, but not to the extent that mSpy does. Most companies give you one or two avenues of contact – usually phone and email. mSpy offers you four ways to contact them: phone, email, live chat, or Skype.
mSpy makes it easy for you to try their control panel before you buy a subscription. You can access a demo from their website just by clicking on the link. You will enjoy the control panel that this cell phone tracking system offers. Go to their website and see for yourself.
mSpy is not only compatible with iOS and Android mobile devices, it also works with both Windows and Mac computers.

• Cost: mSpy comes in three packages (Basic, Premium, and Family kit) priced from $30 to $480
• Developer: Bitex Group LTD
• Visit their website: http://www.mspy.com

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#4 – iKeyMonitor

iKeyMonitor is a simple but powerful spy application that logs SMS, WhatsApp messages, keystrokes, passwords, websites, screenshots and sends a detailed report to your email. I have tested it on my iPhone 5 with iOS 7.0.4 and it works really well. The interface is clear and easy to use, and it does what it’s supposed to do.
Here are some things that make iKeyMonitor unique:

• Free 3-day trial: iKeyMonitor offers you a full free trial for 3 days totally risk free, which is great for you to see how the software really works before buying.
• View every keystroke typed: Because its primary use is a keylogger, all forms of text messaging will be logged, no matter what app is used. You will receive all content that is exchanged over all text messaging apps.
• Capture passwords entered: Every keystroke typed into the keypad of the monitored device is logged—even passwords that are otherwise hidden from the user when typed. You can capture the username and password with iKeyMonitor.
• Capture screenshots periodically: Automatically takes a screenshot as the phone screen changes, and can be recorded as often as you like. This gives you the ability to see what web sites have been visited, or what apps have been used.
• Multi-language support: iKeyMonitor is designed to support multi-languages, such as English, Spanish, French, German, Russian, Portuguese, Italian, and much more. This setting can be found in the administrator interface. Other settings can also be set through this interface, including storage parameters, password for iKeyMonitor, FTP, security options, and more.

If you are looking for a software to monitor activity that takes place on an iPhone, then you will want iKeyMonitor. It is the best keylogging app available for iPhone. iKeyMonitor provides a variety of features to meet your monitoring needs. This is not just a keylogger app, it is also an advanced cell phone monitoring software.
Installation is simple and the app is compatible with all jailbroken devices running iOS 6.0 or later. Unless the users are told that there is a keylogger in place, they will never know, thanks to the software’s stealth mode that is untraceable. Note that Jailbreaking is required for iOS devices, this app can be installed only on a jailbroken iPhone/iPad via Cydia.

• Cost: Free to try; $39.99 (1 month license); $119.99 (1-year license)
• Developer: Awosoft Technology CO, LTD
• Visit their website: http://ikeymonitorapp.com

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#5 – PhoneSheriff

PhoneSheriff is a great cell phone monitoring and tracking software that lets you monitor ALL the activities of any iPhone, Blackberry, Android phone and tablets including iPad and iPad mini. The application is super easy to install on the device you want to monitor. It has all of the usual features found in this type of software such as call logging, GPS location tracking, reading of SMS and email messages, viewing browser history, and logging of photos/videos taken.
There are also some additional features that you may find useful:

• Social network monitoring: View incoming and outgoing chat messages from within social networking apps, like Facebook, WhatsApp, Viber, BBM, and iMessage.
• Create time restrictions: During certain times of the day (based on your specifications) you can block full access to the device, or block all phone calls.
• Geo-Fencing Alert: Be alerted anytime the target device travels outside of a specific area you’ve designated on the map via your control panel.
• Profanity Alert: Set up keyword filters that alert you whenever a vulgar word (that you define) is input into the device.
• Block services: Block access to specific apps, websites, contacts and more. Restrict/Block messaging and calling services for specific contacts. Add numbers to whitelist and blacklist to allow and block them respectively.

There are many more features available with PhoneSheriff. It is well worth the subscription fee. Installation on the target device is easy and clean, and there is a robust set of configuration options available on the PhoneSheriff control panel.
If you’re looking for a professional cell phone monitoring software that will help you protect your family or business, I think PhoneSheriff might just be the solution you’ve been searching for.
Update: The hidden version of PhoneSheriff is no longer available for sale or download. The app notifies users of the device that they are being monitored.

• Cost: PhoneSheriff offers monitoring plans starting as low as $49/six months for families and $299/year for businesses. The business option comes with 5 licenses, which allows you to track 5 separate devices.
• Developer: Retina-X Studios, LLC
• Visit their website: http://www.phonesheriff.comn

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vWhat You Need to Know Before You Buy

1. You must have access to the target phone (the device you want to track). You have to be able to download the mobile spy software onto the device you want to track, and you don’t need to download anything on your phone or computer.
2. Make sure the spy software is compatible with your operating system. This shouldn’t be a problem for most devices. Most software companies today offer software compatible with the major operating systems – iOS, Android, Blackberry, and Symbian. Remember that an iOS device must be jailbroken before the software can be installed.
3. The target phone must have internet access (3G, 4G, or WiFi). The tracked data is uploaded via the internet and stored on the spy software company’s servers, where you can access it online via your control panel. You cannot track the device’s activity if the target phone does not have internet access.
4. Make sure the company has a support center. Software issues can and will most likely occur during the time you’re using the spy software. This is due to the devices updating their operating system, and the spy software needing to be updated to adapt. When a technical issue occurs, you may need to contact support. Make sure the company you buy the software from has a reputed support center – preferably 24/7 support via live chat or phone.
5. Beware of claims that sound too good to be true. Yes, the scammers are present in the cell phone spy software market, and they’re willing to make some very bold (and FALSE) claims to get you to buy. My best piece of advice is if it either sounds too good to be true, or is a feature you haven’t seen advertise before, be very cautious of dealing with that particular company. Stick with my top cell phone spy software recommendations above, based on my experience, these companies are the “cream of the crop”, and they all work as promised.
How To Get Started
You will first purchase the software from a reputable company. Once purchased, you will receive an email from the vendor that will include your login information, installation instructions, download link and activation code.
Next, you will install the software onto the device you would like to track. Most cell spy software today is compatible with all mobile device platforms: iOS (iPhone/iPad), Android, Blackberry, and Symbian. Once the software is installed, you can then start tracking any activity on the phone from a control panel you can access from any device. It really is that simple.
Special note: If you want to use the software on an iPhone, you will first need to jailbreak the iPhone before you can install it. But if you can’t jailbreak (or don’t want to), you may try the mSpy without jailbreak solution which allows you to monitor iOS activities without a jailbreak.

My Final Words about the Best Phone Spy Software: pick a phone spy app you can trust

So if you’re looking for a high quality mobile phone spyware that can provide the results that you want and has a 24/7 technical support team that can be reached via live chat, then check out FlexiSPY. But if you want the top of the line, most powerful cell phone monitoring software on the market, go with mSpy or FlexiSPY Extreme (but you’ll have to pay more for it). Highster Mobile is by far the best VALUE for the money, it doesn’t have all the advanced features as FlexiSPY, but it does have all the features that you would need on this cell phone spy software.
These 5 products are designed to provide you with the information that you need when you suspect your child, employee, or spouse is up to no good and hiding something from you. Find out more about each and make an informed purchase decision