Education logo

15 Clear Signs Your Phone Was Hacked

Phone

By Khashy JalootiPublished 3 years ago 7 min read

15 Clear Signs Your Phone Was Hacked

%number% of times you've found something new on your phone that you didn't install yourself. Sometimes phone manufacturers and service providers will install new apps on your phone without you even knowing it. But it's always best to be safe so make sure the apps you're installing are 100% legit. You can google them and see what other users have said about the app. If neither the manufacturer nor you installed the app, it's most likely because of malware on your phone. Battery life has become shorter for a reason and it could be because of an unknown app running on your phone or an in background mode that you don't even notice.

Fifteen clear signs that your phone was hacked

We often see our smartphones as are secured digital havens we use them to keep our most personal information

From pictures to credit card details some people even save their passwords in notes. That's a bit too much, right

You probably have all your text and email

Communication including work stuff based or synchronized on your phone if you think it is your private zone you may be very wrong

So far there is no such device that can't be hacked to

reduce, the potential risks we figured out three things the ways your phone can be hacked how to recognize them and how to

protect your phone from hackers

Let's start with the first important question and see how your phone can be hacked

The easiest way is by taking possession of your phone for a few minutes and installing spy apps such as spy phone app

spies II or spy era

These apps are basically mobile trackers that record the incoming and outgoing phone calls and text messages

They can track GPS location online

activity and

communication going on whatsapp Facebook viber and Skype

Their creators say these apps can bring peace of mind to parents and help business people monitor their staff

If only or just that in reality these apps are often used by those who don't care about the safety of others

Via an unprotected Wi-Fi network in a cafe or airport yes

It's that easy we all love finding free Wi-Fi spots at airports and restaurants

Especially when we travel have you ever used free Wi-Fi click thumbs up if you have

Well with the means of public Wi-Fi you share all your traffic with everyone around you

Think of it next time you want to check in somewhere exotic. It is worth waiting till you reach a more reliable network

When charging your phone via an unknown USB even in an airplane or a car

There is a risk that all your data will be revealed and transferred

Different smartphones have different security features, so not all of them share the same amount of information when connected to a PC

But they can give away your device name in tight serial number its manufacturer

Operating and file system information and electronic chip ID that's a lot of information that can be used against you

SMS phishing this happens when you receive a message with a link saying that it is for example

Your bank statement a money transfer or your photos, so you click it download the file

And then reveal all your phone's contents to hackers

With the help of signaling system 7 or SS 7 used by the majority of telephone stations all over the world

Hackers can read your text messages

Listen to your phone calls and track your cell phone locations, but if you're not a celebrity there's nothing to worry about

You see there are many ways hackers can mess with your phone

Now it is time to answer the question. We all care about how to recognize that your phone is act

Number 15 you find new apps on your phone, and you did not install them yourself

Sometimes phone manufacturers and service providers can actually install new apps on your phone as you update it

But it is better to be safe than sorry so you have to make sure the apps are legit

You can google search them and see what other users or better yet

reliable websites say about the apps if it was neither the

Manufacturer nor you who installed the app it must have been hackers

Number 14 some apps stopped working like they used to

While new apps you never installed are doing just fine on your phone your old apps are in trouble

Something is interfering with their proper functionality, and it is most likely some malware on your phone

Number 13 your phone has suddenly started to run out of juice very quickly

If you noticed your phone's battery lifespan has become way too short. It must be for a reason

This can happen when there is an unknown app running on your phone

Such apps or an in background mode without notice, so you don't even have to start them, but they still take away your phone's energy

Number 12 your smartphone seems slower than it used to be

We often think slower operation speed is the reason of our phones old age in?

Fact just like shorter battery life it can be caused by malware running in the background on your phone those bad apps

Transfer data from your phone, so it's performance drops a lot a smartphone is smart

But hackers are sometimes even smarter

Number 11 if your phone gets warm

Your phone gets warm even when you don't make a call or work with it

You're probably used to feeling the warm touch of your communication tool, and you might even like it especially when it gets cold

But warming up for no reason is not a good sign

Again, it means there is an unknown app making your phone work so hard that it warms up

Number 10 your phone reboots itself switches off dials numbers or starts applications

You might like to believe self rebooting or dialing numbers is the result of paranormal activity and you're about to call Ghostbusters

Sorry to tell you this, but if it's not a system breakdown that could be tapping

Number nine unknown phone numbers appear in your recent calls and it costs you

Hackers can proxy through your device to make expensive international phone calls

They can also use your infected device to make calls to companies which charge for them

Of course they don't actually call overseas themselves they offer this paid service to their customers, so they get profits

Number eight your phone is sending and receiving strange text messages

Just like unknown numbers in your recent calls you can find text messages

You did not actually send from your phone it can also happen to your email if you are using it from your phone

If you don't notice it yourself

Your friends or colleagues might tell you about it when they receive weird messages from you do not ignore it

number seven you cannot switch off your device

As you are trying to switch your device off it starts opening different apps

Increasing delighting and so on it is very wrong and it is most likely not the manufacturers fault

Number six there are noises or echoes during calls if you hear noises or echo during calls

And you haven't had them in this location before it means someone else has access to your phone

They might be tracking your phone and listening to your conversation this very second

number five websites appear different than before in your mobile browser

It can be a sign that someone has installed malware on your phone

It can be reading your online communication and tracking your activities

It's it's somewhere between your browser and the internet and stops the sites from displaying normally

Number four you noticed an increased use of mobile data

If you have a data monitoring app you can sometimes see your mobile data usage growing way too fast

It can cost extra charges if you pay for a certain amount of traffic per month

And it is one of the signs your phone is not only used by you

You can also try finding detailed app traffic usage in your phone settings

It tells us exactly how much mobile data each of your apps is using

You recently installed that app from a new source, and it is eating your data. Like crazy that app could be malware delete it

Number three pop-ups start appearing on your device out of nowhere

You probably see it a lot on your computer unless you. Have a good anti-virus software

You are informed that you just won the lottery or a new iPhone all you have to do is click one button and it's yours

Such popups on your phone are likely produced by malware. You don't do what they are telling you to do

Number 2 email sent from your phone are blocked by spam filters it can be assigned a third party is reading your emails

How if they got control over your phone?

It could have changed your email configuration to send all your mails via some unauthorized server

Hackers, probably have direct access to that server

Number one you can't make calls or they're being dropped

if you experience calls being dropped the

Inability to make calls at times when you appear to have good signal strength or strange noises occurring during your phone conversations

Something may be amiss

Normally these problems are indicative of technical issues unrelated to a breach, but that is not always the case

interviewhow to

About the Creator

Khashy Jalooti

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2026 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.