How to Know if Your Phone Is Being Tapped in 2021

Do you know if your phone is being tapped? Cell phone tapping has become a regular occurrence. It’s mostly done to trap a deceiver or a criminal. But what are the signs of tapping your phone, and how to prevent it from happening?

Cell phone tapping is when someone gains access to your phone without your permission in order to listen in on your phone conversations. Usually, someone can tap your phone by either using an Android or iPhone spy app or a hacking device.

Many phone call and text message spy apps include the feature to record and listen in on live calls. However, utilizing these specific features is illegal.

So, how can you tell if your cell phone has been tapped by someone using software like an iPhone spy app? Below, we list the signs.

How to Know if Your Phone Is Being Tapped 

Unusual Sounds During Calls

If there are clicking sounds, static or distant voices coming through your phone during conversations it could be a sign that you’re being snooped on. This is not normal for today’s phones on digital networks.

It’s a thing of the past and associated with old-style analogue networks. If you are hearing fragmentary voices, they may not be in your head; it’s a possibility that your phone has been tapped.

• This is not the best of signs when taken alone, though, since echoes, static, and clicking can also be caused by random interference or a bad connection.
• Static, scratching, and popping can be caused by a capacitive discharge resulting from two conductors being connected.
• High-pitched humming is an even greater indication.
• You can check for sounds that your ear cannot pick up by using a sound-bandwidth sensor on a low frequency. If the indicator pops up several times per minute, your phone may very well be tapped.

Battery Running Down 

Another indication of a bugged cell phone is reduced battery performance. If a mobile phone is tapped it is recording your activities and transmitting them to a third party.

This leaves a footprint in the form of increased battery usage and as a result the battery loses life faster. A tapped cell phone can also be constantly recording conversations in the room, even when the phone appears to be idle.

And of course as a result it will chew through battery life. You can test this by using your battery in another phone of the same model and compare the results.

Is your phone using more battery power than a phone of the same model and software? If so, it could be that your phone is bugged, or it’s defective in some way.

Phone Shows Activity When not in Use

Is your phone making noises or lighting up its screen when you’re not using it? Call and message alerts to one side your phone should be as silent as a sleeping baby when not in use.

Does it also reboot for no reason at all? If so it’s possible that someone has remote access to your device.

• If your phone lights up, shuts down, starts up, or begins to install an app without you doing anything, there might be someone hacking into your phone and controlling it through a tap.
• On the other hand, any of this could happen if there is random interference during the transmission of data.

Phone Takes a Long Time to Shut Down

Before a smartphone shuts down it must complete any tasks that are processing. If your phone is transmitting data to someone it will have to complete the process before it shuts down.

As a result if a phone takes longer than usual to turn off especially after a call, text, email or web browsing it could be sending information to a third party.

• Pay close attention to determine if your cell phone takes longer to shut down than usual or if the back light remains on even after you shut it down.
• While this could be a sign that your cell phone is tapped, it could also just mean that there was a glitch in the hardware or software of your phone that is completely unrelated to a tap.

Battery Temperature Feels Warm

A further indicator of a possible phone tap is the temperature of your battery. If the phone feels warm even when you haven’t used your phone it could be still in use secretly transmitting data. However this is only a potential sign.

• Of course, a hot battery could just be a sign that it has been overused. This is especially true if your cell phone is already older than one year, since cell batteries tend to decline over time.

Receiving Unusual Texts

Are you receiving strange text messages containing random numbers, symbols or characters? The remote control feature of spy software works by sending secret coded text messages to your phone and in some cases these can be seen if the software is not working correctly.

If this happens regularly you could have a spy app on your phone.

• Some programs use SMS texts to send commands to the target cell phone. If these programs are installed sloppily, these messages can appear.

Increased Data Usage

Some of the less reliable spy apps use extra data to send the information collected from your phone, so look out for any unexplained increase in your monthly data usage.

The best spy software programs data usage has been reduced and will be almost impossible to spot but the poor programs will show significant data use.

• Many spy programs send logs of your phone records to online servers and use your data plan to do so. Older programs used large amounts of data, making them easier to spot, but newer programs are easier to hide because they use less data.

Read: How To Get a Cell Phone Plan With No Credit Check 2020 Updates

How To Protect Your Phone From Being Tapped

Avoid Using Public Wi-Fi

When using Wi-Fi, avoid using public networks you don’t recognize. Phone tapping criminals can access your cell phone through unsecure or fake Wi-Fi connections.

The safest thing to do is utilize your own private Wi-Fi mobile hotspot.

Use Cell Phone Antivirus Software

Whether someone is looking to tap your phone or hack it, antivirus software will protect it. Have it scan your phone daily to make sure no suspicious software invades your device.

Antivirus software will immediately quarantine anything that looks suspicious. You can check out one of the Best Free Antivirus here.

Disable Your Bluetooth

When your phone Bluetooth isn’t in use or connected to a device you recognize, disable it. It’s common for criminals to tap your phone by intercepting your signal.

Look Through Your Phone

It’s important to know exactly what’s on your phone. This includes your apps, emails, texts, photos, and contacts. An easy way to do this is by using a data backup and recovery software on your device.

Delete any unnecessary apps and content on your cell phone.

Utilize Your Phone’s Security Settings

To protect your phone from any criminal threat, utilize your phone’s security settings. The settings may differ depending on the type of phone you have, but there are some things in common.

Security settings may include using passcodes for your phone and apps, facial recognition, and blocking unknown apps.

Don’t Leave Your Phone Unattended

Someone can easily tap your phone if they physically have it. Know where your phone is at all times at home and in public. Leaving your phone unattended increases your chances of your phone being spied on.