How to Know If Your Phone Is Being Tapped

Ways to tell if your phone is tapped

A tapped phone may show several warning signs, including unusual battery drain or data usage, performance issues, receiving strange messages, or unexplained exposure of your personal data. In some cases, you can also check for potential tampering by dialing specific codes from your device.

Here’s how to tell if your cell phone is being tracked, tapped, or monitored by spy software:

MMI-code check for monitored calls

You can check whether your calls (and sometimes your texts or data) are being diverted to other devices by dialing codes into your phone. Unconditional call forwarding is when all your calls are diverted to a different number.

MMI codes list

Entering Man-Machine Interface (MMI) codes is as simple as dialing a regular phone number. The only slight complication is that some carriers use different dial codes, so the exact code you need depends on your carrier and device.

Check the correct MMI codes with your carrier or try these numbers:

Conditional call forwarding settings

Conditional call forwarding is a feature that diverts your incoming calls — and any resulting voicemails — to another phone number only in certain situations, like when you don’t answer, your line is busy, you reject the call, or when your phone is off or out of service (OOS call forwarding).

If calls are unexpectedly going straight to voicemail or being forwarded when you’re available, check whether conditional call forwarding is enabled:

On Android

1. Open the Phone app, then tap the three dots icon > Settings.

2. Scroll to Supplementary services and tap it, then select Call forwarding.

3. From here, choose Voice calls or Video calls to check whether any conditional call forwarding numbers have been added.

On iPhone

On an iPhone, you can only check unconditional call forwarding through Settings > Phone > Call Forwarding. To verify conditional call forwarding — such as when you don’t answer, your line is busy, or your phone is unreachable — you’ll need to use MMI codes or contact your carrier directly.

Out-of-service call forwarding diverts incoming calls if the phone is turned off or has no signal.

Battery issues

A sudden drop in battery performance can signal that malware is being used to tap your phone. Spyware and other types of phone-tapping malware rely on resource-intensive background processes, which may cause your phone to overheat or drain faster than usual, with no clear reason.

Increased mobile data usage

Unexplained spikes in mobile data usage are another warning sign that your phone may have been hacked. That’s because spyware often transmits large amounts of data to remote servers for purposes like surveillance, identity theft, or resale, which may also lead to slower internet speeds

Unwanted ads and unknown app data usage

Pop-ups and other ads may be more than just an irritating nuisance — they could signal that hackers have compromised your device with annoying adware as a distraction from a more insidious spyware infection.

In any case, if you notice an influx of annoying ads or excessive software running background processes, take steps to secure your device immediately by running a scan to find and remove viruses on your phone.

Blocked emails

If emails fail to reach your inbox, or recipients report not receiving your messages, your email account or settings may have been compromised. This could indicate broader monitoring or wiretapping of your communications.

Personal data leaks

If your private information was exposed in a data breach, it could be available on the dark web, putting you at risk of credit card fraud and other forms of identity theft. But once you’ve secured your affected accounts and credentials, the danger may continue.

Data breaches can make phone tapping more likely because cybercriminals can use leaked personal details to impersonate you with your mobile carrier, redirect calls or texts, and access accounts that rely on SMS-based verification.

Your phone shows activity when not in use

If your phone’s lighting up, making sounds, or displaying other signs of activity when you’re not using it, someone may be tampering with it remotely. If someone has access to record your image or voice at any time, this is a serious privacy and security violation — in some cases, this can lead to blackmail and sextortion.

Camera tapping

If your iPhone or Android shows a green dot at the top of the screen, it indicates that your camera is currently in use or was recently active. If you’re not using the camera and no apps with camera permissions are open, it could signal unauthorized access to your camera.

Microphone tapping

If your microphone is in use, your device will show an orange dot on iOS or a green dot on Android (the same indicator used for camera activity). If you’re not actively using the microphone and no apps with microphone permissions are open, it means your microphone may be listening to you, and is a strong sign your phone may be compromised.

Performance issues

Performance issues such as freezing, crashing, glitching, laggy response times, or slow processing can be caused by software and hardware problems. But those issues could also indicate that hackers are exfiltrating (transferring your sensitive data without your knowledge) your device data to a third party — particularly if these symptoms coincide with other signs of a bugged or tapped phone.

Strange messages

Phone tapping doesn’t always just involve intercepting calls and messages; it can also lead to an increase in spam and phishing messages. Avoid clicking links from unknown senders, and delete any suspicious messages immediately.

What to do if your phone is tapped?

If your phone has been tapped, you should disconnect from cellular data and Wi-Fi and safely investigate the access point the hacker or scammer may have used. If all else fails, perform a factory reset.

Here’s what to do if you suspect your phone is tapped:

• Turn on airplane mode: Airplane mode can temporarily neutralize phone tapping attempts by blocking Wi-Fi and cellular access to your phone. Although not a permanent solution, it can temporarily pause data exfiltration and provide you with more time to take further actions.

• Disable location services: Spyware can track your GPS data, so disabling your device’s location services can reduce location tracking. You can also disable individual app location permissions if you’re suspicious of one particular app.

• Reboot in Safe Mode (Android only): Android Safe Mode disables all third-party applications, making it an effective way to isolate spyware. Once in Safe Mode, review and delete any suspicious apps to help remove invasive malware.

• Perform a factory reset: Factory resets are a last resort that can clear spyware deeply embedded in your system. Remember that factory resets permanently wipe any photos, files, videos, and anything else stored on your phone. You can reinstall this data from an iCloud or Android backup, but make sure it was created before your device was compromised.

• Submit a police report: Report suspected illegal activity to your local authorities (and your mobile carrier). You may be asked for your phone’s 15-digit IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity), which you can find by dialing *#06# or searching your phone settings.

Protect your phone from being tapped

MMI codes tell you whether your call forwarding settings have been tampered with, but they won’t detect other forms of phone tapping or surveillance using spyware. That’s why you should use a comprehensive security app like AVG AntiVirus FREE to root out spyware and other malware. Protect your privacy and security for free today with AVG.