Spyware & stalkerware
Hidden software that secretly watches everything you do on your device.
What it is
Spyware is software installed on your phone or computer to secretly monitor you — reading messages, tracking location, capturing passwords, even switching on the camera or microphone. When it is used by an abusive partner, family member, or acquaintance with access to your device, it is called stalkerware, and it is a serious safety issue as well as a privacy one.
How it happens
Criminal spyware usually arrives bundled with a booby-trapped app, attachment, or link. Stalkerware is different: it is normally installed by hand by someone who has physical access to your unlocked device, often disguised as an ordinary app or hidden from the home screen. Both then run silently in the background.
Warning signs
- The battery drains unusually fast, or the device feels warm when idle.
- Unfamiliar apps you don't remember installing, or new device-admin permissions.
- An abusive person seems to know things they could only learn from your device.
- Settings you didn't change, such as installing from unknown sources being switched on.
Who it targets
Stalkerware overwhelmingly targets people in controlling or abusive relationships, and is a recognised tool of domestic abuse. Criminal spyware is aimed more broadly, but activists, journalists, and business travellers face elevated risk. If you may be monitored by someone who could react dangerously, plan your next steps carefully and safely.
How to protect yourself
- Use a strong screen lock and never share your passcode, even with a partner.
- Install apps only from official stores, and review the permissions each one holds.
- Keep your phone's operating system updated, which closes the holes spyware relies on.
- Turn on the built-in protection (Play Protect or the iOS defaults) and leave it on.
- If you suspect stalkerware, seek help from a domestic-abuse organisation before removing it.
If it happens to you
- If your safety may be at risk, contact a domestic-abuse helpline first — removing the software can alert the abuser.
- Back up anything you need, then do a full factory reset to remove hidden software.
- Afterwards, change every important password from a device you trust.
- Review which apps have camera, microphone, and location access, and revoke what isn't needed.