iPhones are considered to be the gold standard when it comes to online security and guarding data. However, this does not mean they are completely impervious to cyber attacks. If you take a look at the most famous spyware apps, all of them have iOS variants that can be easily planted on a target iPhone. In the past, some journalists, politicians, and activists have also been the target of state-sponsored spyware that somehow made its way to their iPhones. If you suspect your device has been compromised, here are the top 5 ways to detect if someone has remote access to your iPhone.
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In This Article
Your iPhone heats up frequently
Smartphones are known to heat up easily when they are old and beaten up. However, if you own a relatively newer iPhone, random surges in its internal temperature when you are not performing a power-intensive task is a sign that it may be allocating its resources to some other background tasks. Since spyware and stalkerware run discreetly in the background, they could be causing your device to heat up.
Battery drainage
If your iPhone witnesses a sudden drop in its battery backup, it could be because of stalkerware running in the background. Batteries are not built to last, but it typically takes them several years to degrade. If your iPhone’s battery health is close to 100% there is no reason why it shouldn’t provide a baseline power backup, especially if your screen time is low. The only rational reason is that it is catering to background spyware or stalkerware even when your phone is locked.
Excessive data usage
Since most pieces of spyware need to relay the data to the entity that installed them on your iPhone, they rely heavily on your phone’s mobile data or the connected WiFi network. Check your iPhone’s data usage and see if it corroborates with your usage pattern. If there’s any unaccounted data, it is likely being used by spyware to communicate with the entity that hacked into your phone.
Check Face ID
Your iPhone allows you to set up more than one appearance for Face ID. If someone gets physical access to your unlocked iPhone, they can easily set up an alternate Face ID using their appearance to gain authorised access to your device in future. Since most users do not check Face ID settings regularly, this is a very clever way of going under the radar while spying on an iPhone. If you suspect this is the case with your device as well, go to Settings>Face ID and passcode>Set up Face ID to check for any alternate appearances.
Run a spyware scan
Most anti-virus apps for iPhones also allow users to run a spyware scan. Oftentimes, this feature may only be available with a premium subscription to the app. A thorough spyware scan can also take up a fair amount of time. Apps like McAfee, Norton 360, and Avast can scan and remove spyware from your iPhone.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How do I know if someone is remotely accessing my iPhone?
If you notice an unprecedented spike in internal temperature, excessive data usage, a drop in battery life, and a general lag in performance, it could mean that your iPhone is catering to spyware running in the background.
How do I remove spyware from my iPhone?
Most antivirus apps like McAfee, Norton 360, and Avast can scan and remove spyware from your iPhone. However, if you want to be thorough, you should perform a complete factory reset of your device.
Does my iPhone notify me if it has been hacked?
In some cases, you may receive an email or notification from Apple ID that your iPhone has been the target of a hacking attempt.
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Conclusion
These are the top 5 ways to detect if someone has remote access to your iPhone. It is always a good idea to track your iPhone’s key performance metrics and look out for any weird or unexplained drops. However, if you want to know for sure that your device has been compromised, you need to run a spyware scan on it.
