Have you ever experienced calling someone and suddenly heard a strange sound, like a static noise or a click, and wondered if your phone was being tapped? If yes, you are not alone. Nowadays, a lot of people are worried that their business and personal communications may not actually be private.
Smartphones may be particularly vulnerable to phone tapping, specifically if you have decided to root or jailbreak your phone, in order to take advantage of the third-party applications that you cannot find in various official app stores, for instance.
But how to tell if your phone is hacked or tapped? Well, there are actually some smart steps that you can take to know if your phone is being tapped or not. That and more, we will discuss in this article. So without further ado, let’s get things started!
What is phone tapping?
Before we discuss how to know if your cell phone is tapped, let us first talk about what phone tapping really is. Phone tapping is the act of tracking cell phone conversations, as well as some other activities of the device. It is when someone gains access to your phone without your permission to listen to your conversations.
Commonly someone may tap your phone through the use of either an iPhone or Android hacking device or spy app. A lot of text messages and phone call spy applications include the feature of recording and listening on live calls.
This issue’s legality actually depends on whether it is secret monitoring or open. Only the specialized authorities may legally tap on someone’s phone, and they need a court order in doing so. So, how can you tell that your phone has been tapped? Below, we list the tapped phone signs.
Is my phone tapped: Signs that your phone is tapped
If you happen to notice any of the following signs, make sure that you get rid of your phone.
1. Excessive battery drain
The high technology applications that you need in tracking your target or dodge your enemy’s security system are probably somewhat taxing on the phone’s battery.
However, when you find that the battery of your phone has lesser stamina than the usual so suddenly, that might be an indication that your rival has established some sort of software, which is accessing your phone.
Your battery draining suddenly might also be due to the natural aging of your phone. You should not assume that all the time, it is a phone tapping incident. The best thing you can do is to replace your phone.
2. Strange & impulsive behavior
Many of the signs of phone tapping are subtle and are sometimes difficult to detect. The first indication might be an elusive sense of misgiving when you are checking your text messages.
Or you may start to feel a sneaking agitation when you are listening to the latest voicemail of your boss – an agitation that is not related to the impulsive behavior in your device.
The screen might light up suddenly when you have not even touched it, or it might start to make some strange noises, shut down unexpectedly, or act in a very impulsive way, which you find yourself reluctant to bear when your lifestyle and work are not predictable enough.
3. Strange text messages
When you start to notice very strange text messages that might be an indication that someone is tapping your phone.
Spyware that may control your phone remotely frequently sends encrypted messages to your phone, and when that software fails, you might end up seeing a few of those messages.
In the event that odd text messages happen regularly, that might be a sign that your phone is tapped.
4. Persistent background noises
Specifically, in localities with lesser-than the ideal mobile signal or reception, background noises on phone calls you need to take and make is actually a mere fact of disguised life.
Put simply, in most instances, occasional background noise like beeping, voices, clicking, static, or echoes might be an indication that someone is listening on your calls.
5. Leaked secrets
Although it is desirable for any secret agent or spy to notice a tapped phone before the situation results in this, you might realize that someone is spying on your phone when your personal information and secrets are leaked.
If you are lucky enough, this will not become a public scandal or end your existence. If you think that someone tapped your phone, you may test your assumption by sharing fake information through a call or message.
6. High phone temperature
Checking your phone temperature occasionally, if it keeps on getting higher even though you aren’t running any software and it has been idle for a while, it is possible that your phone is running some other software on the background, which you may have not authorized.
7. Unexpectedly high data usage
High data usage is likely not that much to worry about. But when your phone suddenly uses much more data compared to the usual, that might be a sign that your phone is being tapped.
There is some spyware that uses additional data, in order to send the information that they collect to the hackers. Nonetheless, this sign might also be due to your phone not functioning properly, have it checked first before you assume it is being tapped.
8. Changes in Settings
When you check your Settings and notice some changes that you did not even make, especially the ones relating to security might be a sign of hacking. There are some spying apps that may change the settings of your phone, in order to allow a hacker to spy you via your camera or even gain some access to your contacts. Always check your phone setting to see any unauthorized changes.
Read more: How To Figure Out Who Hacked Your Phone?
How to protect your phone from being tapped?
Here are some ways that you can do in order to protect your phone from being tapped:
1. Look through your phone
It is very important that you know exactly what is on your phone. This includes not just your contacts, photos, text messages, and emails – you should also check your applications.
One easy way for you to do this is to use a data backup and recovery application on your device. You should also delete any unnecessary applications and content on your phone.
2. Turn off Bluetooth when not in use
When you are not using Bluetooth, it is very important that you disable or turn it off. It is so common for criminals to tap on your phone by intercepting your signal.
3. Download & install Antivirus applications
Whether someone’s looking to tap your phone or hack it, antivirus applications will protect it. You should have it scan your device regularly to make sure that there are no suspicious apps that invade your device. Antivirus software will instantaneously quarantine anything that appears suspicious on your phone.
Read more: How to Stop Someone from Spying on My Cell Phone?
4. Use your phone security settings
In order to protect your phone from whatever criminal threat, use the security settings of your phone. The settings might differ depending on the kind of phone that you have.
However, there are some things that are in common. The security settings might include the use of passcodes form your apps and phone, blocking apps from unknown resources, as well as facial recognition.
5. Avoid using public Wi-Fi
When you are going to use Wi-Fi, you should avoid the ones offered in public – especially the ones you do not recognize. Phone tapping criminals may access your phone via fake or unsecured Wi-Fi connections.
The safest thing that you can do is to use your own internet connection. Or if public Wi-Fi is the only option that you have, you need to install a Virtual Private Network (VPN) on your phone.
6. Do not leave your phone unattended
Someone may tap your phone easily when they have it physically, you should know where your device is all the time – whether at home or in public. Leaving your phone unattended may increase the chances that your phone will be tapped or spied on.
Final say
When your phone is showing some signs mentioned above, someone may have tapped your phone and is monitoring you. If you don’t want anything like this to happen now or in the near future, do the necessary steps or ways to avoid it.
If you think that you are at risk of being monitored, you need to take some precautionary steps in securing your phone and prevent any installation of spyware. Being aware that spy software does exist and knowing what it can do is already a good start.
Now, we hope that you are now aware of the indications that might trigger your suspicion about phone tapping, and the fact that you must take necessary action against it.
Furthermore, we also hope that this guide has helped you learn how to tell if your phone is being monitored. Remember all the important pointers you learned from this post and make sure that you do what you should do.
