How To Know If Your Phone Is Hacked (12 Warning Signs)

How Easily Can Phones Be Hacked?

Your phone and the apps you use are prime targets for hackers and cybercriminals. Through the use of malware, malicious apps disguised as helpful tools, phishing links, and other scams, hackers attempt to gain access to your personal data — or even take control of your mobile device. 

While Android vulnerabilities have increased by 138% in recent years [*], iPhones are also vulnerable to cyberattacks. 

Last year, cybersecurity experts discovered a zero-click iPhone virus called BLASTPASS that could infect phones with spyware — without even needing victims to click on a link or download an app [*].

While there are steps you can take to protect your phone and data, one of the best things you can do is learn to recognize the warning signs of a hacked phone. 

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How To Tell If Your Phone Is Hacked: 12 Signs

Malware and viruses almost always cause performance issues with phones or services, which are dead giveaways of a phone hack. 

Here are some of the most common signs indicating that your phone is hacked:

1. Your phone battery is draining more quickly than usual

If your phone’s battery is draining faster than normal, you may have fake or malicious apps running in the background that are using up your phone’s processing power and memory. 

To be sure you’re dealing with a malware issue, check your phone’s battery settings to see which apps are using extra battery life. If you see anything you don’t recognize, it could be malware. 

2. Higher than expected data usage on your phone bill

Malware and other viruses may send and receive data in the background, leading to unexpected high data usage on your phone bill. You can check which apps are using up your cellular data by going into your phone’s settings and searching for cellular. 

3. Performance issues, such as a slow or crashing device

Poor performance, unusual activity, and device crashes are all signs of a compromised phone. If you find apps running sluggishly, or your phone takes too long to perform relatively basic functions, these could be hints that malware is taking up your system's resources. 

Do this first: Performance issues aren’t always caused by malware or phone hacks. Sometimes corrupted files or apps need to be reset. On Android devices, you can try rebooting your device in Safe Mode, which will run only a few limited apps and processes [*]. If your device works fine in Safe Mode, you’re dealing with a problematic app that needs to be removed. 

4. Your device is abnormally hot

Some malware infections use up so much of your phone’s resources that it may overheat or feel warm to the touch. You can check to see if apps are running in the background and using up your resources. On iPhone, you can simply turn off background app refresh to see if that fixes the issue [*]. Android users need to enable developer options and then look into running services [*].

📚 Related: How To Check For Viruses on iPhones →

5. There are new apps on your phone’s home screen

Hackers may hide malicious software in harmless-looking apps on your device in hopes that you won’t notice.‍ Seeing any unfamiliar or suspicious apps on your home screen should be regarded as an immediate warning sign. You can check for new apps in your app library on both Apple [*] and Android devices [*]. 

6. Constant notifications or pop-ups

Some malware — such as adware — floods your device with pop-ups and notifications, or even launches apps on their own. One place to check for adware is in your mobile browser’s extensions. For example, on iOS devices, go to Settings > Safari > Extensions and delete any unknown extensions that could be causing issues. 

📚 Related: How To Remove Adware From Android Devices →

7. You get locked out of your Apple ID or Google account

If hackers break into your Apple ID or Google account, they can change your passwords and lock you out of your critical accounts. If you can’t access your Apple or Google account, consider it a major red flag and immediately follow the account recovery instructions from both Apple and Google. 

8. You can’t log in to your online accounts

Hackers can use malware to spy on you and uncover your account passwords (known as Account Takeover Fraud). If your passwords aren’t working for your email or social media accounts, this could be a sign that your phone was hacked.‍ 

Immediately reset your account passwords, and then secure each service with a unique and strong password, two-factor authentication (2FA), and secure backup accounts. 

📚 Related: How To Know If Your Email Has Been Hacked (and What To Do) →

9. You receive 2FA codes you didn’t request

If you receive unrequested two-factor authentication codes on your phone or via email, it could be a sign that a hacker knows your password and is trying to log in to one of your accounts. The good news is that this most likely means that the 2FA security measure is working and your account is safe — for now.

If you receive unusual password reset requests or 2FA codes, perform a security checkup on your Android or iPhone. 

10. Your camera or microphone indicator light turns on

Stalking and monitoring apps can use your phone's camera or microphone without your knowledge. If your indicator lights or icons go on randomly, this could be a sign of a hacked phone.‍ You may also find strange photos and videos in your gallery (or in a cloud backup service like iCloud or Google Photos).

A good place to start is by checking your app permissions on your iPhone or Android phone to see if any unfamiliar apps have access to your phone’s camera or microphone.

📚 Related: How Someone Can Track Your Location (and How To Stop Them) →

11. You stop receiving texts or calls 

Some scams — such as SIM swapping — allow hackers to take over access to your phone number and reroute text messages and phone calls to their device. If you aren't receiving texts or calls to your device, check your phone and SMS settings to see if there's an unknown number in the forwarded section. Then, contact your carrier to see if anyone has tricked them into giving up access to your SIM. 

12. Your phone number and other information was leaked in a data breach

While not exactly a sign that your phone is hacked, if your personal information is circulating on the Dark Web — such as your name, address, phone number, or Social Security number (SSN) — you could become an easier target for hackers. 

While you can’t remove your data from the Dark Web, running a scan will tell you if you’ve been impacted by a breach — in which case, you should be especially cautious.

How To Remove a Hacker From Your Phone

• Uninstall any unrecognized or resource-draining apps. Remove apps you don’t recognize or ones that are using up resources. If you’re unsure about an app's usefulness, research it online or in the Google Play Store or iOS App Store.
• Clear your browsing history, cache, and downloads. Malware can hide in areas of your phone that you don’t normally use or even see. Clearing your browsing history and cache, as well as your downloads, can remove malicious software that’s hidden from you. 
• Download security software and run an antivirus scan. Antivirus software can find, isolate, and remove malware and spyware from your Android phone (there’s no such thing as antivirus for iPhone — any security app that markets itself that way isn’t being honest). Once you have antivirus protection on your device, it will automatically check files and programs.
• Remove unrecognized devices from your Apple ID or Google Account. Scammers who get access to your Apple or Google accounts can connect them to their own devices for easier access. Remove any unfamiliar devices that have logged in to your accounts by going to the your devices section of your Google account or your Apple ID device list. 
• Update your operating system and software. Malware and hacks often rely on outdated software and exploits. When developers patch vulnerabilities, they release them via system and software updates. Set your devices to automatically update so that you won’t miss these critical fixes.  
• Change your passwords, and enable 2FA. Update the passwords for any accounts you think hackers have accessed. Whenever possible, enable 2FA to ensure that future logins require a one-time code sent to your device; 2FA adds an extra layer of protection to your accounts. 
• Set up a password manager. These tools help you create and securely store your passwords while also alerting you to any accounts that could be compromised. Additionally, the best password managers prevent you from automatically entering your passwords on known phishing sites. ‍
• The nuclear option: Reset your phone to its factory settings. If you’re dealing with lingering issues, you may need to perform a factory reset on your phone. Note that this step will wipe all files and settings from your phone — so make sure you have a secure (and virus-free) backup.

Unfortunately, it’s almost impossible to know the full extent of the damage of a hacked phone. Once you’ve cleared up any malicious apps and hacked accounts, it’s a good idea to take steps to protect yourself against identity theft, fraud, and further scams. 

At a minimum, you should freeze your credit with all three major bureaus (Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion), notify your bank or credit card company of the hack, and submit an official identity theft report to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at IdentityTheft.gov. 

📚 Related: How To Tell If Your Computer Has Been Hacked →

How Do Phones Get Hacked?

Hackers can access your device and accounts in many ways, but not all threats are as common or as dangerous as others. 

• Falling for a phishing scam. Phishing scams trick you into giving hackers access to your device or data by sending you fake text messages or emails containing malicious links. Phishing attacks were the most reported cybercrimes in 2023 with nearly 300,000 incidents, as per the FBI Internet Crime Report [*]. Not only are these cyberattacks growing in number; they're becoming more sophisticated with the use of artificial intelligence (AI) [*].
• Downloading a malicious app. In the first few months of 2024, ZScaler identified more than 90 malicious apps with over 5.5 million downloads in the Google Play Store [*]. Hackers use fake apps to hide malicious software designed to steal your data, take over your accounts, spy on your activity, and even gain remote access to your device. 
• SIM swapping. In this attack type, hackers order a new SIM card in your name and take over your phone number and account. Thankfully, new rules from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ensure that cell phone carriers must have protections in place to protect cell phone users from the growing number of SIM swap hacks [*]. 
• Bluetooth pairing. Hackers can use Bluetooth to take control of nearby devices with open-Bluetooth pairing enabled, sometimes called Blueborne attacks. Bluetooth hackers can also send malicious links and software via Bluetooth in an attack called Bluejacking. Though this is a serious threat, users can easily defend against it by disabling open-Bluetooth connections. 
• Man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks. Hackers can intercept communications sent from devices on vulnerable internet connections, such as unsecured public Wi-Fi networks. Since most public Wi-Fi networks are secure and encrypted [*], however, this attack usually only happens when you accidentally connect to an evil twin access point posing as a legitimate network. ‍
• Juice jacking. Juice jacking attacks take place when hackers load malware into public charging stations that give them access to any connected devices. While this type of attack is possible, the FCC has no confirmed reports of it actually happening [*].

How To Protect Your Phone From Hackers and Malware

The best way to protect yourself from hackers is to recognize and avoid their attacks. First, make sure you only download apps from official app stores, don’t click on suspicious links, and be on the lookout for warning signs indicating that someone is trying to scam you online. 

Next, secure your device with digital security measures — including antivirus software, Safe Browsing tools, and a virtual private network (VPN). You can also bolster your account security by using complex and unique passwords and activating 2FA/MFA wherever possible.

For even more security:

• Use an ad-blocker or a privacy-focused mobile browser. Privacy browsers, like Firefox or Brave, have additional privacy features that limit data sharing and tracking and can block adware and unwanted pop-up ads.
• Enable a SIM lock/PIN on your device. Enabling a SIM lock or SIM PIN in your device's security settings adds the requirement for a four-digit PIN before your SIM can be used, regardless of the device.  
• Ask your mobile provider for port protection. Some carriers provide additional port protection to prevent your number and account from being swapped to a different carrier or SIM card, as in Port-out or SIM-swap scams. T-Mobile's Port Out Protection is an example of this type of program [*]. 
• Enable biometric security. Adding a biometric security measure like fingerprint ID or face ID can make it more difficult for criminals to access your device if they happen to steal it.
• Use an authenticator app instead of SMS for 2FA. If you receive 2FA codes via text messages, hackers with access to your phone can bypass your account security. Authenticator apps require stronger security measures for the codes, such as biometric identification.
• Maintain regular backups and updates. Setting up automatic backups and updates ensures that you save the most recent clean version of your system and files, and run the latest and most secure operating system, software, and apps. You can also encrypt your backup data for even more security. 
• Sign up for credit monitoring and identity theft protection. Credit monitoring and identity theft protection service providers actively search for signs of fraud and identity theft. They monitor your credit file, public records, and financial accounts for unusual activity and alert you the moment they spot something suspicious.  

Get device, data, and identity protection with Aura — plans start at $3/month