Your battery used to last until dinner. Now it’s dead by lunch. There’s an app on your home screen you don’t remember installing, and this morning a login code arrived for an account you weren’t trying to open. Here’s how to tell if your phone is hacked, and what to do about it.
Any one of those signs can have a boring explanation. Two or three at once deserve 20 minutes of your attention. The steps below are in the order that actually protects you.
Check your accounts before you blame your phone
When people say “someone’s in my phone,” the person is often somewhere else: inside the email, Apple Account, or Google account connected to it. The Federal Trade Commission points out that someone who knows too much about your activity may be getting it by logging in to your accounts without your knowledge, not through the phone itself.
That’s good news, because it’s the fastest thing to check.
iPhone: Open Settings, tap your name at the top, and scroll down to the list of devices signed in to your Apple Account.
Android: Go to myaccount.google.com, tap Security, then find “Your devices.”
See a phone, tablet, or computer that isn’t yours? Tap it, sign it out, then change that account’s password right away.
We ran this check on an iPhone 18 Pro running iOS 27.0, and the device list was right where it should be: Settings, your name at the top, then scroll down past iCloud.
Signs your phone has been hacked
Your battery drains fast and your habits haven’t changed. Go to Settings, then Battery, on either iPhone or Android and look at which apps use the most power. An app you never open sitting near the top is a red flag. A fresh software update can also drain the battery for a day or two, so rule that out first.
Your phone is warm when you’re not using it. Heat means the processor is working. A phone sitting in your pocket with the screen off shouldn’t be.
Your data use jumped. Spyware sends what it collects (photos, messages, location) back to whoever installed it, and that uses data. On iPhone, check Settings, then Cellular. On Android, open Settings and search “data usage,” since the menu name differs by brand.
There are apps you didn’t install. Don’t open them. Look up the name first. On Android, also check three places spying apps like to hide: Accessibility, Notification access, and Device admin apps. Search each of those terms in Settings and look for anything you don’t recognize.
The camera or microphone light comes on by itself. On iPhone, a green dot near the top of the screen means the camera is in use, and an orange dot means the microphone is. Android shows a green dot for both. If one appears when you’re not using the camera or mic, swipe down from the top of the screen to see which app is responsible.
Security codes and reset emails you didn’t ask for. Someone may be trying to get into your accounts. If your phone also suddenly shows “No Service” or “SOS” in a place where you normally have signal, call your carrier from another phone immediately. That can mean someone has moved your number to their own SIM card, which is called a SIM swap.
Friends get messages from you that you didn’t send. This usually means a messaging or social account was taken over, not the phone itself. Start with the account check above.
If you think someone you know is watching you, read this first
If you suspect a partner, ex, or family member put something on your phone, deleting it can tip them off. The FTC warns that an abuser who uses spying apps may escalate if they sense you’re cutting off their access, and recommends talking to a domestic violence advocate before you remove anything.
The National Domestic Violence Hotline is available at 800-799-SAFE (7233), by live chat, or by texting START to 88788. You don’t have to call what’s happening domestic violence to ask for help. Contact them from a device the other person has never had access to.
iPhone users can also use Safety Check, under Settings, then Privacy & Security, then Safety Check. It lets you stop sharing your location in Find My, remove other people’s access to shared photos and notes, reset app privacy permissions, and keep Messages and FaceTime on the phone in your hand only.
What to do, in this order
1. Secure your email first, from a different device if you can. Your email is the reset button for every other account. Change its password, then your bank, then social media. Use a password you’ve never used anywhere else. A password manager makes that realistic: Apple’s Passwords app, Google Password Manager, Bitwarden, and 1Password all work. Our complete online security checklist covers the rest of your accounts.
2. Lock your phone number with your carrier. This is the step that stops a SIM swap, and it’s free. On AT&T, turn on Wireless Account Lock in the AT&T app. On Verizon, turn on both Number Lock and SIM Protection. On T-Mobile, you need SIM Protection plus its port-out protection, because SIM Protection alone won’t stop someone moving your number to another carrier. You’ll switch the lock off when you want to upgrade your own phone, then turn it back on.
3. Turn on two-factor authentication. This means a second code is needed even if someone has your password. An authenticator app like Google Authenticator or Microsoft Authenticator is safer than text-message codes, because a stolen phone number can’t receive it. Where an account offers a passkey (a login tied to your phone’s face or fingerprint unlock instead of a password), use it. Here’s how to set up two-factor authentication on any phone, step by step.
4. Take back app permissions. On iPhone, go to Settings, then Privacy & Security, and review Location Services, Microphone, Camera, and Contacts. On Android, go to Settings, Security & Privacy, Privacy, then Permission manager. If your phone’s menus look different, search Settings for “Permission manager.” Remove access from anything that doesn’t need it, and delete apps you don’t use. For a fuller cleanup, see the 12 phone privacy settings worth turning on.
5. Run a scan. On Android, open the Play Store, tap your profile picture, tap Play Protect, then Scan. On iPhone, go to Settings, General, VPN & Device Management. An unknown profile there is a serious warning sign. One exception: if it’s a work phone, the profile may belong to your employer, so ask your IT team before removing it.
6. Restart your phone. It sounds too simple, but the National Security Agency’s mobile security guidance recommends rebooting every week, because some spying tools live only in the phone’s short-term memory and don’t survive a restart.
7. If it still feels wrong, factory reset, carefully. A reset wipes the phone back to how it left the factory. Before you do it, back up your photos and contacts and make sure you know your account passwords. Afterward, restore your photos and contacts, but reinstall apps one at a time from the official store instead of restoring everything from an old backup, which could bring the problem back.
A reset won’t help if the problem was your accounts or your phone number. That’s why steps 1 to 3 come first.
Keep it from happening again
Turn on automatic software updates, and install them when your phone asks. Only install apps from the App Store or Google Play. Never tap a link in an unexpected text, even one that looks like it’s from your bank or a delivery company; open the app or type the website yourself. Use a six-digit passcode instead of four digits. And restart your phone once a week.
If you’re the person family members call when their phone acts up, here’s how to talk about online safety without talking down.
Do these two tonight, even if nothing seems wrong: lock your number with your carrier, and look at the device list on your Apple or Google account. Together they take about five minutes and shut the two doors people use most.
