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Global search trend data highlights 20,000 Google enquiries [per
month/per year] for _’how to know if your phone is hacked’_, and so
experts at Bespokesoftwaredevelopment.com [1] chose to provide a
thorough check list of nine tell-tale signs your phone is being targeted
by a sneaky partner or ex!

Battery life weakens

A decreased battery lifespan is common the longer you have a phone.
However, if your phone is relatively new, and in good condition, the
battery life should be fairly good. If you notice your battery
decrepitating significantly there’s a strong chance your phone has been
hacked.

Reason being is that malware has been installed on the device, which
secretly utilises your phone’s existing resources and apps to transfer
data back to the hacker or the server. Over time, this will drain your
battery.

Your phone gets hot

It’s inevitable that overusing your phone could result in it feeling a
little warmer than usual. Whilst this is relatively normal, a tell-tale
sign of your phone being hacked is that your device becomes hot without
this excessive use. This is again because a hacker will have installed
malware running in the background, which results in added activity,
causing your phone to become too hot.

Background noise on calls

Some tell-tale signs may not be as obvious, but if your phone has been
hacked, you might notice a lot of background noise during a phone call
or when your audio is on. This could be a sign someone is listening to
your conversations, or a hacker has accessed your device.

Consistent pop-ups and mysterious browsing experience

Pop-up ads are relatively normal, and we won’t often question their
authenticity. However, the time to start questioning if you’ve been
hacked is if you start to notice constant pop-up ads, where adware has
been triggered which forces the device to click on pages that drive
revenue. You must also avoid clicking on any links that ask for personal
or financial information if not vetted or recognised.

Likewise, if your browser looks strange and every website you visit
doesn’t look right, or you’ve been redirected to other sites, then the
chances are you’ve been hacked. Again, best to always change passwords
and uninstall any programmes you don’t recognise.

Slow performance

Like with anything, the minute you download something ’dodgy’, your
device is bound to slow down, frequently freeze, crash or glitch.
Malware, again, is overloading the phone’s resources more than usual.
You might also experience needing to force restart your device to close
apps which show to be consistently running despite previously closing
them.

Apps, messages, outgoing calls you don’t recognise

Strong tell-tale signs your phone may have been hacked is an influx of
unfamiliar numbers, text messages, and downloaded apps using your
details. Be careful as this could signal you’ve been the victim of a
data breach, and it’s paramount you don’t answer or respond to anything.
If you suspect unusual activity, block the caller and report it as spam
to your provider.

Another reason to avoid answering a number you don’t recognise is that
often they’re costly numbers, with a high premium, of which all proceeds
go directly back to the cybercriminal. So best to check your monthly
bills as well.

Data usage is unusually high

Most mobile phone users will know roughly how much data they use per
month on average. Any unusual spikes may signal malware on your phone.
Some warning signs include large data files being uploaded and apps
generally taking a long time to load. This can all come from spy apps or
malware running in the background, sending information back to the
server it’s coming from.

Suspicious activity on personal accounts

From social media apps to your emails, your personal data is vulnerable
to hackers, and a clear warning sign your phone may have been hacked is
suspicious activity on any linked accounts. Watch out for emails about
your password being reset, or a security message about a new device
being linked. Unless you have personally done any of these things, do
not open any email, link, or app.

It’s best to change your passwords straight away by logging in on your
online browser (outside of your device).

Your signal has disappeared

Known as a ’porting attack’, this is when you receive a notification or
message from your mobile phone provider about a change to your account
you didn’t make. You will eventually lose signal altogether, as well as
not being able to log into any bank accounts or your emails.

As soon as this happens, you must contact the police, saying you’ve been
a victim of identify theft. And of course, contact your provider
thereafter with the police report.

Google trend data: most searched for ’phone hacking’ questions, globally

Global search volume (average per month)

How to know if your phone is hacked?

20,000

Code to check if phone is hacked?

16,000

Is my phone hacked?

9,600

How do I know if my phone is being hacked?

5,800

Has my phone been hacked?

3,000

How to know that your phone is hacked?

2,700

How to know if my phone is hacked?

2,500

Phone hacked signs?

2,300

How to tell if your phone is hacked?

1,900

How to know my phone is hacked or not?

1,800

Methodology:

* Bespokesoftwaredevelopment.com [1] were keen to equip consumers with
the tell-tale signs your phone may have been hacked.
_* To do this, the most common and recognisable warning signs were
formulated using reputable articles from sources such as Norton.com,
Kaspersky.com, Mcafee.com, NordVPN, Avast and TechRadar.
* Ahrefs.com was utilised to gather search volume data for global
enquiries related to ’phone hacking’. The top 10 referenced questions
have been selected specifically to demonstrate users’ querying how to
find out if they’ve been hacked. These are part of the top 30 most
searched questions globally. Data was obtained on 6/6/2022 and is
accurate as of then.