How do you know if your phone is being tracked?

Descriptions

So what are the signs if someone tracks your phone? 

Do you know how to tell if your phone's listening to your conversations? 

Here are some tips on how to deal with such malicious activities. Imagine you open a tab on your phone's browser, or you're chatting with your significant other without knowing that a stranger is monitoring the whole combo. 

How would you feel?

The attacker? 

Yeah, let's call them. This may see what you browse and whom you connect with, yet they may not be able to see your messages. It depends on the way they choose to track you. If you install an app from a third-party app store, your privacy is in danger. You might do that without knowing that the app is harmful. Secondly, sharing your credentials through a phishing scam campaign is a possibility. Lastly, if your device's software has been out of date for a long time, like a year or so, it's more open to attacks. 

Now, what are the signs that your smartphone is tracked? The first clue is excessive background data usage. Keep an eye on it. If it's noticeably higher than what you usually use, investigate what's using most of the data. 

Is there an active hotspot enabled? 

Verify the connected devices and look out for an unauthorized one. The second clue is browser history. Sometimes attackers load up things like phishing sites remotely. If you see a mismatch in your browser history, well, that's a bad sign. The third symptom is battery drain. Yes, there was a time when phone batteries didn't last long enough, but in recent models, they can go up to days. If your device normally goes for quite a long time but you get a sudden battery drain, you need to verify the background. Apps and Installations the last common symptom is an abnormal reboot. 

Of course, it can be related to a hardware issue, but why should you risk it? You can consult an expert to determine whether the reboot is related to the hardware or malicious software that has been downloaded. The million-dollar question is how to stay tracking-free and safe. You can buy an antitracking signal blocker.

This model on Amazon can also be used as a wallet. The phone will be disconnected and the GPS signal will be deactivated. It'll prevent tracking. Credit cards and IC magnetism will be safe in this bag, too. And lastly, it has an antiradiation feature.

This model on Amazon can also be used as a wallet. The phone will be disconnected and the GPS signal will be deactivated. It'll prevent tracking. Credit cards and IC magnetism will be safe in this bag, too. And lastly, it has an antiradiation feature.

Okay, this model may seem a little extreme because, well, most of the time you want to be accessible and use your phone. After all, you can't keep it inside a signal blocker case forever. So here are easy tips you can easily apply to protect your privacy. First, uninstall unfamiliar applications. Wait a minute.

I don't even know what that is. Well, hit delete. As I mentioned earlier, hackers generally track you through apps. You can also enforce application blacklisting to avoid harmful side effects. Always download apps from official app stores.

Sadly, dubious ones can sneak into Google Play and the App Store, but the number is certainly less than a not trustworthy option. Another way to guard your phone is by creating strong passwords. And if you enable two-factor authentication for important accounts, that helps too. Similarly, a strong Pin would help, as people sometimes can't install spyware. If your device is properly locked, you can use a reliable security system to strengthen the security even more.

I know how tempting public WiFi is instead of using your own data, especially if you're in another country for vacation or other purposes. Unfortunately, if the WiFi isn't password protected, it's risky to connect to it. Hackers commonly use public WiFi. They perform cyberattacks and steal sensitive data. If you're still suspicious that someone is tracking you, factory reset your phone.

Yet in some situations, you want to track your own phone. Literally, you physically want to locate it. Although there are products put out by smartphone companies, there are numerous cheaper finder options on Amazon. This one here is easy to connect and has a ring for you to easily find your phone or other stuff like keys. Now, let's say you mention this smart Bluetooth Tracker to your friend in a conversation at a cafe.

After some time, you will come across all types of KeyFinder ads on your Instagram. Is it a coincidence? Or is your phone listening to you? Long story short, it's true. Our phones do listen to us.

Virtual assistants like Siri or Alexa listen to your voice all the time. It makes sense on paper. The assistant has to always listen to you so it can hear your command. Yet things aren't that simple. In 2019, a report found out that Siri sometimes mistakenly activates and records things.

Some of these recordings are about private matters too. It's said that Apple randomly selects small durations of conversations to make Siri analyze them. Then they see how to improve the service quality. It's not specific to Apple. Nearly all voice assistant systems work this way.

But why do we see ads? 

Well, in simple terms, think of voice assistants as search engines. If you're looking for something and searching for it, you'll see ads related to it later. Now, if you feel unsafe and want to make your phone stop listening to you, there are a couple of things you can do. First, replace your smartphone with a pigeon to communicate.

Now, the biggest problem with that, as I see it, is that you have to feed the pigeon and pay for the dry cleaning of your recipients. Okay, I'm kidding. Your phone listens to you through its microphone. You can disable Siri and its equivalents. After disabling voice assistance, go over to the apps you granted access to the mic. If an app asks you too many things to grant access, question it before blindly saying yes. 

Does a clothing app really need access to the microphone?

I don't think so. Lastly, you can consider using a VPN to encrypt your manual browsing activity too. 

So is it legal for phones to listen to you?

The answer lies in the small box we tick about terms and conditions. We give them our consent and allow our data to be collected, trusting them not to use or sell it in illegal ways. Did you know that Apple CEO Tim Cook once said, 

there's more information about you on an iPhone than in your home? 

Prepare to be amazed or frightened about how much your phone knows about you. Companies collect data on your movements and location that's known, but they can also record your friend's locations too.

Let's take Apple's Find My Friends as an example. I know it's super useful to find one another in a busy place. But when you use this feature, your phone quickly builds up data about where you have been, how much time you spent, and who you met there. Your phone can even understand your mood. Sometimes you do it willingly with a post or tweet.

But background data tracked by the smartphone itself also has pretty accurate ideas of how you feel. A study was made using a combination of phone sensors to figure out when someone was feeling depressed or manic. The study was conducted for four months. Researchers gave smartphones to twelve patients and told them to use them as their primary devices. The results were interesting.

Researchers revealed that the device's activity and location data predict a patient's mood changes with 94% accuracy. Another crucial thing is your password. You don't have to memorize all the passwords because your phone or Google account remembers them for you. I know how convenient it is if we think of the worst with saved account passwords, they will be available to anyone who gets into your phone. Your phone knows how often, when, and why you pick it up, your sleep cycle, and exercise routines.

The list can stretch like mozzarella on a pizza. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll go and check my phone to see how safe I am. Mission safety is going to be accomplished soon.

That's it for today. So hey, if you pacified your curiosity, then give a like and share it with your friends.